It’s no secret that holiday sales are a big deal. During the 2022 holiday season (January 1 to December 31), $211.7 billion was spent online. This is nothing new, as the trend has been growing 3.5% every year.
Keep in mind, this number was below the $23.926 billion estimate, and it’s still incredible.
Knowing that the pie is this big means sms promotional campaign you’ll want to do everything you can to use every tool in your arsenal to make sure your holiday sales look great.
There are many different things that online businesses do, like developing an email marketing strategy to increase sales. Just look at companies like Amazon or Netflix to see some examples of simple yet effective email marketing strategies.
Exit-intent popups are also a popular choice, allowing website users to reconsider leaving.
What if you were told you could use your live chat tool to help boost your holiday sales numbers? Here are 10 great ways to do just that!
1. Be proactive
Many live chat customers will tell you that their experience was reactive at best, and that’s not a category you want to fall into.
There are different approaches you can take to being proactive with live chat, but one of the best ways might be to go above and beyond what your customers are reaching out to.
For example, let’s say you sell and repair printers. Almost every month, our customers contact us to repair a component in an aging device.
Clearly something is wrong here and replacing the printer may be of greater value. Now is a good time to suggest this to the customer, along with a model recommendation and a brief explanation of why the change is valuable.
The key is to try to identify potential sales opportunities and show your customers that you care about them and their best interests.
2. Strain
If you want to make your customers lose interest, don’t respond. You can think about this from a personal perspective. Imagine you are trying to have an important conversation with two different people. One is paying attention and responding to you quickly, and the other is delaying the response and barely even saying anything. Who would you rather talk to?
The same principle applies to your customers. Don’t keep them waiting, and if you must do so to gather information or for some other reason, communicate what’s going on and check in frequently if the wait is taking longer than expected.
3. Knowledgeable
You need to know what you do or what you offer. If you don’t, you at least need to know who and where you can get the right information. In most cases, this can easily be found in the company’s internal knowledge base . It sends the wrong signal to customers that someone who is supposed to work at a company doesn’t know what the company does.
It’s even worse if the company seems very inexperienced in the industry as a whole. Everyone, from leadership to front-line employees should have a clear understanding of what the company does and where to get certain information. This is especially true for teams that communicate with customers via live chat.
4. Be friendly and helpful
There is value-driven service, and much of that comes from the extras that create a positive experience. Have you ever heard people talk about Chick-fil-A employees before? What is the common sentiment? They are the easiest people to get along with.
You go to Chick-fil-A for the food. Pleasant behavior is not something you pay for, nor is it mandatory. However, it does add to the experience, which means you are more likely to return to the restaurant.
The live email marketing 101: a beginner’s guide chat experience should be the same. Sure, the customer may just be asking a question or trying to resolve an issue. However, a little small talk, addressing the customer by name, thanking the customer for waiting, thanking the customer for their business, etc., can go a long way.
5. Use canned responses
Canned responses create efficiency and convey a sense of authority and the ability to solve customer problems. It is always beneficial for companies to have a set of predetermined responses to certain common queries. This is one of the reasons why automated chatbots can sometimes work so well.
However, it’s also important to know when to use canned responses. For example, if an emotionally charged situation arises, or you’re at risk of losing a customer, it’s better to add a more customized and personal touch to the Live Chat experience.
6. Offer Discounts and Promotions
People love to spend less or get a beneficial product from a business. Knowing how and when to offer this content in a live chat session can be a valuable tool. One of the most obvious examples is an abandoned cart or service recovery situation when you are trying to complete a task.
In other words, something went wrong at your company, and you’re working to correct the situation. While you don’t want others to think you’re just throwing money at the situation, you can address the current problem and offer a discount or promotion just to show how sorry you are.
For example, if a shipping delay is inconveniencing a customer, you can change the shipping priority and offer a 10% discount coupon for a subsequent purchase.
7. Upsell and cross-sell
It’s easy to see why upselling and cross-selling successfully increase sales. Doing so means customers spend more money. The key to doing this correctly is to appeal to the customer’s needs and show the value in it. You don’t want to look like you’re just trying to make more money for the business, even if that’s exactly what you want to do.
Maybe you offer three services deb directory that your customers need, but only one is taken from you, and the other two come from other vendors. You can upsell by highlighting the fact that you offer all three services, and when they are under the same roof, manageability is easier and the overall cost may be lower.
8. Collect feedback
Without feedback, people can’t grow, and neither can businesses. Feedback is important because it helps you continue to do what you’re good at and change what you’re not good at. Let’s be honest, looking at things from an outside perspective is the best way to see things you can’t see.
You can also collect feedback during a live chat session by simply asking your customers how their experience was, or after the interaction is over by offering a survey at the end of the live chat.
9. Personalized Experience
Maybe it’s the dopamine release, but people love personalized experiences and responses. It’s nice to know that someone or even a business recognizes you and your needs. This is one reason you need to be careful about when and how you use canned responses.
Ask the customer how they are, address them by name, mention something nice about their location, etc. You are simply trying to convey your unique perspective on them and what they want.
10. Follow up after the chat
This is where a lot of businesses fail. The chat happens, it ends, and that’s it. That customer may never hear from you again until they have another issue. Following up can provide you with valuable feedback, and it’s another way to show that you care, which may improve customer retention.
Two dentist offices can provide the same services, but the one that calls every few days to check on you during the first week after your extraction is the one you will remember.
Summarize
Getting holiday sales is crucial, and you need everyone working together to do it. By optimizing your live chat app experience, you’re putting yourself in a position where customers are more likely to respond favorably to your products and services. Use the 10 tips above to make that happen!
