The internet age has helped to improve the availability of various products and services, but this has come at a cost. Few would disagree with the fact that when businesses moved online, they lost some of their personal touch. Many industries thrive on having face-to-face interaction between company representatives and customers, but this has never really been recreated on the internet on a wide scale.
There are some moves being made to make remote services personal again, though. The technology behind chat boxes, in particular, is becoming increasingly sophisticated at a rapid rate, and this tool has helped to rekindle the client and company relationship.
What is a Chat Box?
Adding a live chat option to your website is a great way to improve customer service.
Most people have probably encountered a chat box while browsing websites. They are becoming increasingly common, and live chat is expected to grow by 87 percent within the next 18 months. Experts are advising businesses to install a chat box on their website so that customers can quickly and conveniently get the answers to their queries.
Basically, a chat box is something that pops up in the bottom corner of a website whenever you visit the page. It puts customers in touch with either a real agent or a chat bot which is programmed to answer a number of specific questions. Of course, users have the option to ignore this completely and browse at their own leisure, but it is a nice touch to know it is there in case you need it. It has been found that more than half of all customers prefer to chat with company representatives in this manner than over the phone, as it gives them an instant way to get the support they need.
Online business owners are strongly advised to install chat features in order to improve and enhance their customer service options. A time when this feature will be ubiquitous is on the horizon, and sites that don’t have it could be at risk of being left behind those that do. Chat boxes provide a more personal touch than emails and can help customers find the exact information they are looking for.
Bingo is a Great Example of an Industry that Needs it
Wink Bingo uses chat features to make the game more sociable.
Bingo has always been famous for the way it provides a great opportunity for players to socialize. Bingo lovers used to go down to their local bingo halls when they wanted to play, and this spot would be a great way to build communities. Bingo halls began to decline in the 2000s, though, due to various external factors such as the ban on smoking inside public buildings in the UK.
When bingo halls began to fade away, the game moved to an online setting. Operators have tried to replicate the feeling of the bingo halls of old by offering opportunities to socialize online. At Wink Bingo, for instance, the Bingo Chat is a hugely important aspect of the Wink experience. It allows players to get in touch with others and have a good chit chat while also playing the games they love.
This chat feature will appeal to players who used to go and play bingo in bingo halls and miss that social side to the game. But it is also a big draw for new players. This is because they can get advice about how to make use of promotional offers, get tips on playing the games, and meet likeminded people. It can be used as a way to make friends, but could also be an option when it comes to meeting a potential partner. 30 percent of adults in the USA use online dating sites as a way to meet people, but many of these people may be seeking more variety in the process. Online bingo chat, therefore, could pose an exciting alternative to simply swiping through numerous pictures on sites like Tinder. It has also been found that the demographics of online bingo are much more diverse than they were in the days of bingo halls. This adds more credence to the argument that it can be used as a way to find dates.
The most important thing about chat boxes on bingo sites, though, is that they help to change it from being an individual experience to a more sociable event.
Online Healthcare Industry Can Benefit from this Tech
There are various industries that could benefit massively from the use of live chat features on their sites. Some of the most obvious examples include sectors where there are likely to be lots of questions asked, such as the real estate and automobile industries. Online healthcare is another field in which chat boxes could make a huge difference.
A lot of healthcare agencies are now moving to an online setting and using this as the first point of response for patients who believe they may have an illness. This can be a great way for people to instantly get in touch with a medical expert and tell them their symptoms. They can then assess whether the situation is serious or if they can prescribe a home remedy.
Simply knowing that a chat option at a healthcare site is there can provide a lot of people with peace of mind. Some people go to see the doctor too frequently when nothing is actually wrong with them, while others would be reluctant to go unless they thought their symptoms were really bad. Both types of people can use chat features at health care sites to find out whether there was a reason to worry about their condition.
Chat boxes are going to be virtually everywhere within a few years, and they can really provide a personal touch to customers in their homes. The next step may be to actually use live streaming to host face-to-face conversations between businesses and customers in certain industries.