In today’s mobile centric online environment, making the User-Experience (UX) as easy and effortless as possible should be a major goal for website designers and business brands. While people are spending an ever increasing amount of time shopping on their mobile phones, when it comes to customer service, people often still want to connect to a live person if at all possible. To that end, most retailers and business websites now offer a live chat function as part of their customer service communication triad (telephone, email, chat). Today’s online consumers tend to gravitate toward using chat to connect to a human representative rather than being stuck in queue via telephone listening to mind numbing hold music or waiting endlessly for the email response that typically takes two business days to materialize.
To further tap into the popularity of the chat functionality, online retailers are now offering a virtual telephone feature that allows users to click a “Click-to-Call” (CTC) button to reach a customer service representative. What is unique about CTC functionality is that when an online user clicks a CTC button, the CTC alerts the agent to the user’s online request for assistance. Within just a few seconds, the agent will respond to the user using Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. What is great for retailers and businesses alike is that when a user clicks the CTC button, the online agent receives personal information about the user, including which web page they are on, their IP address, their phone number and other information that marketers can use to improve the online user-experience or for future marketing and sales efforts.
Per new Forrester Research, click-to-call functionality improves return on investment by an average of 143%. Users that actually make an effort to reach out to company representatives are more likely to purchase products from that company in the near future. In 2017, Forrester Research predicted that online consumers would spend over one trillion dollars via CTC functionality, That was trillion with a “t”.
If the trillion dollars didn’t catch your attention, below are five (5) other reasons your business may want to consider incorporating the use of CTC functionality on its website.
- Improves User Experience
User-experience (UX) is everything online. Positive online user experiences typically lead to users converting to paying consumers and from paying consumers to repeat customers. The availability of CTC creates an instant connection between the user and your corporate brand. Online consumers who have their inquiries responded to immediately via CTC tend to have positive user experiences and increased sense of brand loyalty
- Increases Lead Conversion
Online users that fail to find what they are looking for in only a few seconds become frustrated and leave your site. CTC buttons serve as a form of digital incentive in that they keep the online visitor tied to your site while the customer service agent(s) respond to their questions. More time spent on your website tends to lead to more sales.
- Its Cost-Effective
Since CTC communication occurs over VoLP, companies avoid the expense of domestic and international telephone charges. Furthermore, customer service agents, now in one location, can service customers from across the globe thereby limiting the need for and expense of agents in specific states or countries.
- Users don’t have to memorize your customer service phone number(s)
CTC buttons take all the work and frustration out of having to remember your company’s customer service numbers. All online users have to do is click the CTC button and a customer service agent will contact them. Again, ease of use means customer retention.
- Improves customer segmentation
CTC buttons allow users to either select their question topics from a drop-down menu or to enter their question(s) manually. Unlike a call to a customer service center, which requires listening to and selecting from a group of options, CTC functionality segments the customer issue internally so that it can be addressed promptly by the correct department and/or agent.
The incorporation of customer service tools like CTC functionality will do wonders in improving the user-experience on your business website while also increasing sales leads and brand loyalty.
If you would like to learn more about how incorporating CTC functionality into your website’s design can improve your bottom line, call the experts at Proctor Digital at 773.664.5819. We love supporting businesses in surpassing their goals through powerful digital marketing strategies.