More and more automotive brands are recognizing the value of live chat and OEMs such as Nissan and GM are suggesting that their dealerships use allocated funds towards chat. At ActivEngage, we are our own largest customer.  We use the very same live chat and real-time analytics reporting software we sell to dealers every day to engage visitors on our own website and to provide the managed live chat service for which we are so respected.

The analysis of more than one million live chat conversations allowed us to develop the following live chat deployment best practices. These are the same strategies that we employ on our website and recommend to our clients for the greatest success:

1) Avoid chat graphic styles and designs that blend in with the content and background of the webpage.
Chat graphics should be eye-catching and pop from the page so consumers take note of their location and availability. These graphics can help promote your brand, but should be quickly noticeable too!

2) Place chat buttons on the header of each web page.
If chat buttons are placed at the top of the page, they are more quickly and easily recognized by consumers. Our data shows the higher the button’s placement on the page, the higher the conversion rate of visitors to chats for your website.

3) Make sure the placement and design of chat graphics are consistent on all pages.  

Consistency allows users to easily recall chat button locations and readily engage in chat without having to search the website.

4) Keep visitors on your site while they engage with your social media.
A connectivity toolbar on each web-page will created an integrated social shopping experience for website visitors by allowing them to engage with your social content without leaving your site.  When used in conjunction with “forced” proactive invitations, connectivity toolbars achieve the highest conversion rate on non-inventory pages.

If you find that your website is lacking these strategies to great success, call your website/chat provider and they should be able to handle it. If not, give ActivEngage a call, we can help you. ;-)

Heads up! Todd is doing a webinar this Thursday, June 7th on Digital Dealer: Check it out!