LIVE CHAT INFLUENCES CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR ON ESTATE AGENCY WEBSITES
The latest research on live chat from Forrester, a global research firm, reveals that 38% of online consumers had made their purchase decision due to a live chat session* (*Source: Forrester Research Survey, 2016).
The research shows that 44% of online consumers believe that one of the most important features a website could offer is allowing customers to have their questions answered by a live person. A further 57% of online consumers said they are very likely to abandon purchase if they can’t get their questions answered quickly.
The findings reveal that 83% people surveyed required some sort of live help, while trying to make an online transaction. Even when they don’t intend to buy immediately, they need some sort of assistance to know exactly what sort of deal they can get from the website.
According to Yomdel, the UK’s number one provider of fully managed 24/7 live chat for estate agents, the number of agents signing up to the Yomdel service has more than doubled year on year, as more and more businesses embrace live chat.
Simon Bradbury, Director of Thomas Morris Sales and Lettings, has been using Yomdel since June and says offering 24/7 live chat brings a range of benefits to his agency: “Since we introduced live chat on our website, we have seen an increase in new business, happier customers, as well as direct savings on our marketing spend. We are also seeing a sharp uplift in valuation enquires ( and consequent instructions, directly from visitors to our website.
“Our first lead came through at 11.16pm on a Tuesday evening, just a couple of hours after launching web chat for the first time. Very quickly we realised that offering this round the clock gave us a great USP, giving us the opportunity find buyers, landlords and tenants faster. It is also great for vendors as we can market their properties 24/7.
“We have also secured mortgage leads, although few consumers contact us about finance. Our web chat operators have had conversations with first time buyers and have been able to find out if they have a mortgage in place.
“We have been able to reduce our exposure in the local press from 20 pages to 8 pages and have been driving new digital initiatives, including implementing 24/7 live chat from Yomdel, to improve our ROI.”
Andy Soloman, Founder and CEO of Yomdel comments: “Estate and letting agents are starting to recognise the benefits of live chat and during the last 12 months we have seen a steep rise in agent demand for online chat services.
“Live chat enables agents to build a deeper relationship with their clients and helps them to develop loyalty. What is great about live chat is that it gives consumers the freedom to talk to agents on their own terms. Web visitors can engage with agents, day or night, whether they are either on the move, or relaxing in their homes. It is incredibly convenient for consumers and Yomdel data shows 95% of people chatting on agent websites using our service say they are satisfied because their queries are answered immediately and professionally.
“We work with hundreds of agents across the UK and our findings show that we double the number of enquiries that companies get from their website. Yomdel uses intelligent methods to target people when they are on a website. For example, Yomdel may seek out people who are likely to be thinking of selling a property or a prospective landlord. This is done from looking at the pages on the website people visit, search terms they may have used and a number of other methods.
“Live chat is very powerful at converting browsers into customers. We see that 35% of all chats will result in an enquiry for an agent.”
Yomdel mostly works purely on performance and there are generally no setup fees or monthly subscriptions. Yomdel frequently updates the information it uses when chatting with people online, at no extra charge. Beyond standard lead generation, Yomdel also offers booking viewings, setting valuation appointments and dealing with tenant issues.
For further information, please visit www.yomdel.com or call 01403 616000.
Sponsored blog by Yomdel.
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