I was sitting at my desk trying to find contact information for a bill company I use.  Searching, searching, searching, I find that they offer an email but no phone number.  What does this say to site visitors?  We like you but don’t really want to talk to you? 

When I visit a site the first thing I look for is contact methods, how many times it’s posted, information, and terms.  Companies tend to hide the terms and contact methods but are willing to offer all kinds of other information.  Doesn’t make sense.  If I can’t communicate with you and know you will be there I don’t want to do business with you. 

I remember a few years back my friend paid for an attorney.  The guy was the most difficult guy to get in touch with.  He would leave messages and emails all day and would not get answers for weeks.  The attorney didn’t “get it” - if you are offering a service, show people how easy and convenient it will be to do business with you. 

If you are not in sales but are a support site this could be even bigger for you because your phones ring off the hook.  Start pushing people to chat and you can handle 3 or 4 chats at a time and not have people waiting on hold for long periods of time. 

Dealerships…I can’t tell you how many dealers I call every day.  I can tell you, however, that every day I call a dealer who is having problems with their phones or it just rings or I am put on hold and sit there forever.  I can promise you that the only people waiting that long are the people that are trying to sell you something. 

Chat can solve so many problems but in the big picture it is a reassurance.  Mr. Site Visitor we welcome your questions and would be glad to assist you today.  Better yet, after you buy the car, you can still chat with me when you need new floor mats or that missing key cut.  That makes a lot of sense.  That is convenience!

Please take your time and research chat, think about all the different ways you could utilize chat on your site.  Not only will your team like it but the site visitors attitude will change completely.  I see it every day.