Proactive Customer Service - Strategies to Drive Sales

[mandy]

As more consumers embrace online shopping, building relationships with them could be the key to e-retailers standing out in the crowd. And relationship-building requires increased interaction between seller and buyer, many experts believe.

For example, a report sponsored by Talisma Corp. and based on research conducted by JupiterResearch LLC in September showed that consumers are open to preemptive offers of assistance. The report said 42% of online shoppers agreed they would find a proactive offer for live chat assistance useful, and 47% said they would be more likely to buy if offered upfront customer service regarding a product issue...

full article: http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=24865

[mandy]

A related article: when and where to offer live chat on an ecommerce site to drive sales

In order not to waste the time of customer service agents, web merchants are learning to offer live chat when it’s most likely to lead to a sale. Certain types of web pages and product categories are most productive. And visitors who can’t make a purchase, for instance because they’re located abroad, should not be offered chats...

Once engaged, customers will stay on a while—chats averaged 8.11 minutes in an E-Tailing Group mystery shopper survey last fall—and, to keep costs in check, agents have to learn how to gently say goodbye...

full article: http://www.internetretailer.com/dailyNews.asp?id=25472

[mandy]

More:

10 tips for employing live chat profitably
Knowing how and when to invite a customer to chat and which customers to chat with can turn live chat from a customer service convenience into a sales-generating tool...

2. Offer chat to profitable customers

Retailers can set rules so that they offer chat only to customers who have made purchases of a certain amount in the past year, identifying them by cookies placed in their browsers...

Retailers can also segment customers by how they come to the site...

full article: http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=25539

full article: http://www.internetretailer.com/article.asp?id=25539