Tuesday 27 May 2014

Points To Ponder Before Adding a Live Chat Button

Before adding a Live chat software on your website, you need to put on thinking cap and evaluate whether this little addition is productive or unproductive. Awareness does not implies omniscience. So, before adding a Live chat software, consider the below mentioned important points in order to play safe.

 IS IT COMPATIBLE?

When you are looking for a live chat software for your website, you should first and foremost ensure the compatibility of the Live chat software with:
a) your website
b) your Operating system
c) other accessible remote devices
Compatibility plays a crucial role while choosing the Live chat software. Check whether the software you are choosing provides plugin for your CMS based website like Joomla, Shopify, etc. Then check the compatibility of the software with your Operating system. Sometimes, the software do not support MAC or other Operating systems other than Windows. When you can not access the Chat on the devices you use, then there is no point of integrating it. If you have a Small business unit, then it is necessary to ensure that the software is accessible through android or other remote devices so that you can connect with your customers from anywhere at any point of time. 

CUSTOMIZATION POSSIBILITIES 

Visibility of the Live chat button on your website definitely grabs the Interest of your visitors. While choosing the Live chat software there are two things regarding visibility which you need to check:
a) is the chat button fully customizable
b) on how many pages or domains can you use the software
Some Live chat software provide a single chat button code which has a fixed display style and image. So, ensure that the Live chat software you are using facilitates the customization possibilities. So that you can make it suitable for your website, by changing the color, the style of display. To check the extent of the customization, test the trial versions of the softwares. Choose the software which you can use on unlimited domains and pages, as it makes the management easy. Do not pay extra penny for each domain.

IS IT BUDGET FRIENDLY? 

Ensure that the software suits your budget. Do not choose the software which over exceeds your budget. Try searching options which are in your budget and then test them. Almost all the Live chat software provide same features, so why choose the expensive one over the economical one. The high prices quoted by the Market Leaders does not make the economical range softwares inferior to them. Moreover, they provide discounts too, when you express your interest. These economical range software are slowly and steadily capturing the market, beating the Market leaders in terms of service and prices.

AFTER SALES SERVICES AND REFUND POLICIES 

What if you do not like the software after purchase. What if it does not turn out as productive as you thought. Do not regret your decision instead check the refund policies before purchasing it. If you are new to this software thing then you may need assistance from time to time. Make sure that the software provides the after sales services, so that you can look upto them, at the point of confusion. Some companies build expectations they can not live upto. So do not turn your expectations into disappointment, rather check the after sales and customer support policies in advance.

THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL MANAGEMENT 

Before making the purchase decision, be sure that your staff is ready to handle clients online via Live chat software. If not, then train them, make them learn the online business rules, prepare them for all the situations they can come across while handling the client online. Not just your internal system should get ready for it but the external too, make sure that your existing clients are aware of the new communication medium you are implementing.

Live chat software is definitely the best communication medium for online businesses but there are number of software's out there. So, keeping all the above points in mind choose your service wisely.