Winning customers with proactive chat

What is a proactive chat?

Proactive chat refers to a customer service strategy wherein representatives initiate conversations with website visitors before the customers reach out for assistance. It is an anticipatory approach to engage users at strategic points in their browsing or purchasing journey. This proactive outreach can be triggered by various factors, such as time spent on a page, specific actions taken on the website, or even the user's previous interactions. By leveraging data analytics and real-time monitoring tools, companies can identify opportunities to offer assistance or guidance, ultimately enhancing the overall user experience.

Why is proactive chat important for your business?

Proactive chat plays a pivotal role in improving customer engagement and satisfaction, which are vital for the success of any business. By reaching out to website visitors before they encounter difficulties or have questions, proactive chat demonstrates a commitment to customer service. This personalized approach not only helps to build trust and rapport with customers but also fosters a sense of loyalty towards the brand. Moreover, proactive chat allows businesses to address potential issues in real time, minimizing frustration and improving overall user experience. By being readily available to assist customers, companies can mitigate potential obstacles and ensure a seamless journey throughout the customer lifecycle, from initial browsing to post-purchase support.

Proactive chat can also significantly impact sales and conversion rates for businesses. By engaging users strategically, companies can offer relevant assistance and guidance, thereby increasing the likelihood of completing transactions. Whether it's answering product-related questions, providing recommendations, or offering discounts, proactive chat empowers businesses to influence purchasing decisions and drive revenue. Additionally, by proactively identifying and addressing customer concerns, companies can mitigate cart abandonment rates and optimize conversion rates. Ultimately, proactive chat enables businesses to foster stronger customer relationships, drive sales, and differentiate themselves in a competitive marketplace.

Proactive chat vs. reactive chat

Did you know that, on average, only 2% of website visitors turn into customers? The other 98% simply move on without making a purchase. Once visitors enter your website, you can turn them into customers. So, why don’t you? With proper customer engagement, you should aim to convert at least 10% of visitors into customers. This can be achieved by initiating proactive chat conversations with visitors and keeping them engaged and incentivized to buy something from you. 

However, to have conversations with website visitors, you don’t have to wait for them to show interest in your product. This makes you reactive to their interest, and if they don’t reach out, you’ve lost a potential customer. Instead, If you can create an opportunity for a discussion, it can lead to a sale for you. This way, you cultivate an interest in your product proactively until the visitor makes a purchase. 

Proactive messaging with triggers

While proactive selling has been a common strategy for e-commerce businesses for some time now, companies in other industries have struggled to capitalize on the hundreds of website visitors who land on their websites. This is where live chat comes into play. The chat widget in the bottom right corner can be triggered to pop up to start conversations with every website visitor. 

Proactive Messaging through live chat can be achieved by setting up triggers in real time. You can trigger conversations with visitors based on their webpage activities or the information they share. Trigger campaigns ensure every visitor gets personalized assistance on your website by initiating a conversation with them. Once the visitor responds to the trigger, you can talk to them through live chat or a chatbot conversation. Benefits of proactive triggers:

• Improved lead conversion

• Increased engagement on the website

• Longer time spent on page

• Reduced cart abandonment

6 best practices of using proactive chat triggers

In the realm of customer service and online engagement, mastering proactive chat can significantly elevate a business's effectiveness and customer satisfaction. Implementing proactive chat best practices enhances user experience and maximizes the potential for increased conversions and customer loyalty. By adhering to the following proven strategies and techniques, businesses can effectively leverage proactive chat to streamline interactions, address customer needs preemptively, and ultimately drive success in their online endeavors.

1. Set the right timing for it

Setting the right timing is paramount when it comes to proactive chat, as it can make the difference between a welcomed interaction and an intrusive interruption. Best practices dictate that businesses should carefully analyze user behavior and website metrics to identify optimal moments for initiating chats. This may include targeting visitors who have spent significant time on a particular page, exhibited signs of hesitation during the checkout process, or shown interest in specific products or services. By selecting the right timing, companies can ensure that proactive chat interventions feel natural and helpful rather than disruptive.

2. Personalize your messages

Personalizing proactive chat messages allows businesses to connect with customers on a deeper level and provide tailored assistance. By leveraging data such as browsing history, past interactions, and demographic information, companies can craft messages that resonate with individual preferences and needs. Whether addressing a returning customer by name or referencing their recent browsing activity, personalized proactive chat messages demonstrate a genuine interest in the customer's experience and increase the likelihood of meaningful engagement. This approach fosters a sense of rapport and trust and enables businesses to deliver more relevant and impactful support.

3. Focus on conversation relevancy

Focusing on conversion relevancy in proactive chat is essential for maximizing the effectiveness of these interactions. Rather than initiating chats indiscriminately, businesses should strategically target users amid critical decision-making stages or exhibiting behaviors indicative of high purchase intent. By tailoring proactive chat messages to address specific pain points, offer relevant assistance, or provide incentives at key conversion points, companies can significantly increase the likelihood of guiding users toward completing desired actions, such as purchasing or signing up for a service. This approach helps streamline the conversion process and ensures that proactive chat interventions are timely, contextual, and genuinely valuable to the user.

4. Avoid sending pushy messages

Avoiding sending pushy messages is a critical proactive chat best practice that fosters a positive user experience and preserves brand reputation. While proactive chat offers assistance and support, overly aggressive or intrusive messages can alienate users and undermine trust. Instead, businesses should focus on being helpful and respectful, providing users with the information and assistance they need without pressuring them into immediate action. By taking a more consultative approach and allowing users to engage at their own pace, companies can build rapport, encourage meaningful interactions, and ultimately increase the likelihood of achieving desired outcomes without resorting to pushy tactics. This approach ensures that proactive chat interventions are perceived as genuinely beneficial rather than intrusive, cultivating stronger customer relationships and driving long-term success.

5. Use real photographs of your operators (avatars)

Using real photos or avatars of proactive chat operators adds a human touch to online interactions, enhancing trust and credibility. Users seeing a real face associated with the chat creates a sense of authenticity and personal connection, making the interaction feel more genuine. Additionally, seeing a friendly face can put users at ease and increase their willingness to engage in conversation, leading to more meaningful interactions and, ultimately, better outcomes. By humanizing the chat experience, businesses can foster stronger customer relationships and differentiate themselves in a crowded online landscape.

6. Choose a timeout period

A timeout period refers to the duration a chat window remains open without user activity before automatically closing. Choosing an appropriate timeout period for proactive chat is crucial for balancing availability with user experience. Setting a reasonable timeout period ensures that chat resources are used efficiently while minimizing user frustration. A timeout period that is too short may result in premature closure of chats, while one that is too long may lead to users feeling neglected or annoyed by lingering chat windows. By carefully considering factors such as average response times and user behavior, businesses can select a timeout period that maximizes the likelihood of meaningful engagement while optimizing resource utilization.

5 types of visitors you can target with proactive chat features

Proactive chat is all about giving a customer experience that convinces visitors to make a purchase. We’ve narrowed down the most common types of website visitors that you can target with proactive chat invitations. We have also suggested potential messages you can use to trigger a message.

1. The decision-maker 

The decision-maker is the high-quality lead who has visited your website a couple of times and mainly spent time going through your pricing and product pages. By targeting these leads, you can increase your conversion rates and sales revenue. These leads need to be gently persuaded to make the purchase. The ideal action to get them to take that step is by:

• Offering a discount: “Hi there! Now that you’ve learned about our pricing, we thought you should know about the offer we have. If you make a purchase now, you’ll get 20% off. Use the code: OFFER20.”

• Scheduling a demo: “Hi there! You’ve come as far as our pricing page—why not schedule a demo with our product experts to see how we can help you? Would you like to schedule a demo now?”

2. The idle one

These visitors come close to purchasing your product but fall short of taking action by leaving the order in their shopping cart. The longer the web visitor is idle, the higher the chances of them closing the tab and moving on with their day. By targeting these visitors, your business can quickly reduce the cart abandonment rate. To ensure the customer goes through with the purchase at checkout, you should:

• Nudge for purchase: “Hi there! It seems like you have some items in your cart. Would you like to complete your purchase right now?”

• Indicate the shortage: “Hi there! We noticed that you’ve added *Product Name* to your cart. There are only *a number of pieces* available. Make your purchase before it runs out.”

3. The avid learner

These visitors will be moving around your customer support pages, looking for the right answer to their problem. If you notice someone has come to your FAQ or help page, you can send them messages offering solutions. This will help you gain higher customer satisfaction, a higher resolution rate, and understand customer problems better. You can:

• Offer help and support:  “Hello! We can help you find the answers you are looking for. Please let us know your questions.”

• Acknowledge agent availability: “Hello! We just wanted to let you know that you can reach out to us over here if you have any questions. We’ll have an agent assist you right away.”

4. First-time visitor

First-time visitors are people who are just learning about your product; you don’t want to miss a chance to engage with them. They’ve probably entered your website through an ad or a landing page. You’ll have to make sure they find what they are looking for. By targeting new visitors, you expand your prospect base and get more chances of gaining new customers. Your pop-up trigger should:

• Welcome them to your website:  “Well, hello there! You’ve come to the right place for *Enter your service*. We want to make sure you get what you are looking for. I’m a product expert, and I can answer any questions that you may have.”

5. The chosen one 

If you are looking to increase sales in a particular region or you’re running an event in a particular city, you want to make sure the website visitors from that area are kept updated. By targeting these visitors, you can achieve increased engagement in the selected regions and more extensive registrations for events.

• Send updates and reminders:  “Hi! Our annual conference is right around the corner in your city. If you would like to register, simply send in your email address here.” 

• Personalize messages in native languages: “We are now offering services in your country. Would you like to know more? We can schedule a demo for you right away!”

How to train your customer service team to be proactive?

Training customer service teams to be proactive rather than reactive involves a comprehensive approach focused on empowering agents with the skills, tools, and mindset necessary to anticipate and address customer needs preemptively. Firstly, it's essential to instil a customer-centric culture within the team, emphasizing the importance of actively listening to customers, understanding their pain points, and proactively seeking opportunities to add value to their experience. This involves training agents to analyze customer behavior and data effectively, enabling them to identify patterns, anticipate common issues, and tailor proactive solutions accordingly. It requires you to provide ongoing coaching and feedback that helps reinforce proactive behaviors, encouraging agents to take initiative and go above and beyond to exceed customer expectations. Additionally, ongoing training in communication skills, problem-solving techniques, and product knowledge ensures that agents have the confidence and expertise to engage proactively with customers.

Equipping customer service teams with the right technology and resources is also crucial for enabling proactive engagement. This includes implementing customer relationship management (CRM) systems, chatbots, and data analytics tools that provide insights into customer behavior and preferences in real time. By leveraging these technologies, agents can identify opportunities for proactive outreach, such as reaching out to customers who have abandoned their carts or providing personalized recommendations based on past purchases.

How to measure proactive chat success

Measuring the success of proactive chat initiatives involves tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) that reflect both the effectiveness of the proactive engagement strategy and its impact on overall business objectives. One crucial metric is the engagement rate, which measures the percentage of website visitors who initiate a chat session or respond positively to proactive chat invitations. A high engagement rate indicates that proactive chat interventions are resonating with users and effectively capturing their attention. Monitoring the conversion rate attributed to proactive chat interactions provides insight into how well these initiatives are driving desired outcomes, such as increased sales, sign-ups, or customer inquiries. By comparing conversion rates between users who engage with proactive chat and those who do not, businesses can assess the incremental value generated by proactive engagement efforts.

In addition, customer satisfaction metrics, such as customer feedback scores and Net Promoter Score (NPS), offer valuable insights into the quality of proactive chat interactions and their impact on overall user experience. Collecting feedback from customers who have engaged with proactive chat allows businesses to gauge satisfaction levels, identify areas for improvement, and refine their proactive engagement strategies accordingly. Tracking customer retention and loyalty metrics over time can also help assess the long-term impact of proactive chat initiatives on customer lifetime value and brand loyalty. By continuously monitoring these metrics and iterating on proactive chat strategies based on performance data, businesses can optimize their approach, drive meaningful engagement, and achieve sustainable success.

Create proactive chat campaigns

When looking for a live chat software tool for creating proactive chat campaigns, look for two key features: 

The campaigns feature of Freshworks enables proactive chat messages.

1. Triggered Messages – You can send visitors and customers messages based on where they come from, who they are, and what they do. You can create chat trigger options based on activities like time on page, number of page views, number of visits in combination with visitor location, browser language, and other user properties. 

2. Targeted Messages – You can send messages to users in specific categories to engage them or make an announcement. You can segment users into categories based on properties such as their language, location, device, email address, phone number, etc.

Conclusion

Proactive live chat can level up your customer experience game. In addition, use it strategically—like for chatting with customers during a checkout page or when they show exit intent on your website. Use it to upsell or cross-sell them into different products in a SaaS or e-commerce experience. Use proactive chat to decrease your bounce rate on websites (by chatting with a newly landing customer and having a welcome message or initiating a chat conversation at the right moment). Or to help returning visitors more easily access your knowledge base or show off new functionality within a product. A proactive live chat strategy is incredibly useful to consider for product, marketing, and engineering teams to use.