Recently, online interactions have evolved. Gone are the days of waiting on hold for hours with a question that will only take a few moments to answer.
Instead, more and more property management companies are improving their website experience. Using chat software, property managers are connecting with potential owners and current customers as their questions arise.
Live chat has grown dramatically in recent years and that growth is projected to continue. By 2022, over 85% of businesses will use live chat on their websites.
This growth is due to the numerous benefits that chat offers for business owners and customers alike. Read on to learn how live chat can improve your website experience.
What Is Website Chat Software?
Most people have seen the option to chat with support while browsing a website. Even if you have not used the software before, you are likely familiar with a chat box popping up on your screen.
There many chat software options available on the market, but they all have the same general uses in common. Chat is embedded into your property management website and allowing website visitors to submit questions.
Options vary from engaging live, having a form set up for after hours, and the ability to set up an automated chatbot.
Depending on the extent you have gone to set up your chatbot, it may use AI or artificial intelligence to answer questions. If it is unable to answer, it can indicate that a live person should follow up.
Live chat services that are optimized for your industry will be best positioned to address the specific use cases that arise.
The Benefits of Chat
Chat software provides an improved website experience for visitors. Here are some of the main benefits of chat that help to explain why you should implement it on your website.
Answer Questions Immediately
Chat provides an improved website experience is because it means you can answer questions immediately. Chat software facilitates talking to website visitors as their questions arise. This makes them more likely to remain engaged.
While waiting to hear back from you, potential owners will likely continue browsing elsewhere. Answering questions immediately cuts down on the likelihood that a potential owner will move on to a competitor.
Potential Owner Preferred
Everyone has their preferred way of reaching out to support teams and the ways that they work to avoid. Some people hate talking on the phone. Or, they might forget about your property management company while they are waiting to hear back from an email or form request.
One study found that 41% of consumers listed live chat as their preferred method of support. Offering chat as an option for support creates a choice for consumers and means that they are reaching out in the way that is most comfortable for them.
Increase New Property Owner Leads and Conversions
Creating the best possible experience for your website visitors will result in more conversions. When potential owners have their questions quickly answered, they will be more inclined to utilize your property management services.
Scalability and Cost
Call centers have been the go-to method for talking to potential customers for many years. However, they are expensive to operate and scale up as demand increases. Chat, on the other hand, is a much cheaper option.
Chatbots can help to filter out the questions already answered elsewhere on your site before a customer connects with a live agent. Live agents can manage multiple chats at the same time. If they are unable to answer a question, they can transfer it to another agent.
See the Engagement Through to the End
The latest chat technology asks for basic information from an individual when they request to chat with your property management company. By gathering some information about the individual, you better understand your consumer. This also allows you to remain in contact with them if they stop responding.
Build Trust
Chat is an effective way to build a trusting relationship with potential customers. When potential owners are talking with property management owners, they trust that your business is committed to helping them. Chat allows an effortless way for customers to engage with a business without picking up a phone or making an appointment.
Chat demonstrates your commitment to potential owners from the moment they first click onto your website. This sets your business apart from the competition.
Implementing Chat on Your Website
The benefits of chat are endless. Chat can dramatically increase your customers' satisfaction and result in more lead conversion.
But, to make most of the potential for sales increase, there are some important things to keep in mind while implementing chat on your website.
The speed at which you respond to chat messages matters. Just as you don't want to leave a potential customer on hold for hours on end, you do not want to wait too long before answering chat messages.
In fact, data shows that failing to respond within 5 minutes results in a dramatic decrease in leads. After just 5 minutes, there is a 10x decrease in the likelihood of connecting with a potential customer.
If you find that you are unable to respond to chat inquiries in a quick and efficient manner, you should consider hiring a virtual assistant.
Virtual assistants can take over when your team is offline. They continue to provide customers with the answers to their questions as they arise. No matter what time of day, virtual assistants keep you running.
Take Your Website Experience to the Next Level
If you committed to driving sales, your business should use live chat software on its website. Chat software benefits your property management company in countless ways. Increasing customer engagement and satisfaction leads to improved sales.
If you are interested in overhauling your website experience to make the most of each visitor to your site, PMW can help.
Contact Us today to see how chat can help your property management business to thrive!
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