Back in the day, forms were one of the hottest lead capture methods out there. And while forms aren’t exactly dead, web chat consistently outpaces forms as the most popular lead capture strategy in 2020 and beyond.
Web chat is kind of like a Wal-Mart greeter, a friendly, virtual “face” to greet customers when they arrive at your online business. And because web chat is such an efficient way of addressing customer queries and capturing leads, it’s far more likely to convert than forms. Here’s why.
Web chat humanizes your biz.
Web chat adds a touch of authenticity to your business. And in a world where so many are losing trust in everything from business to government, authenticity is essential.
Humans are a social species. We find comfort in knowing there are real people working hard behind that fancy company logo.
Reliability, realness, and respectfulness are the three pillars of an authentic, trustworthy business. What do you think feels more authentic — submitting a form full of sensitive information and waiting hours (or even days) for a response, or seeing the “typing” icon after messaging a customer service rep via web chat?
Web chat saves your customers time.
It’s 2020. Your customers are just as busy as you are. They don’t have time to fill out a form with personal details that they might not feel comfortable sharing. All that, just to get a quick question answered or find out more about your product or service?
(No wonder the bounce rate is so high on forms.)
And sure, your site visitors could spend ten minutes clicking around to find out the info they need. Or they could just ask and get an instant answer.
Where lead forms can be intrusive for website visitors, web chat requires only the essentials needed to contact and qualify the lead. And it gives customers the instant gratification they’ve come to expect online, making them more likely to stick around, browse your site, and make a purchase. It’s a win-win.
Web chat ensures you never miss a lead.
If you’re running a business or leading a marketing team, you’re already drowning in emails. The last thing you need is yet another email added to your overflowing inbox when a form submission comes through.
It’s so easy for submissions to slip through the cracks. You take too long to respond (or, even worse, don’t respond at all), and you lose the lead.
With ZyraTalk’s text, desktop, and email notifications, you’ll never miss another lead again. And with automated chat, your customers still get instant answers to frequently asked questions, even when you’re not online.
The bottom line: why web chat improves online conversions
We could pull statistics and cite case studies confirming that lead forms can’t compete with web chat when it comes to conversions. (And there are dozens of them.) But we’ve got something even better: evidence from one of our very own clients:
“We transitioned to ZyraTalk and our online conversions increased automatically,” says Shawne Wilson, Director of Marketing & Advertising at George Brazil, a plumbing and electrical company based in Phoenix.
“We were able to collect the pertinent information to contact the customer immediately: name, phone number, email address, that’s it. We saw the conversions of those almost triple immediately. The customer was happy they could get the information they needed.”
Read that back: their conversions tripled almost immediately.
Need we say more?
(No, but we’ll leave you with this bit of food for thought anyway.)
Do you have to eliminate forms completely? No. But web chat is now a necessity, not a luxury.
Web chat isn’t just another marketing tool. It’s an intelligent combination of customer service and lead capture. And it proves to your customers that you’re authentic, reliable, and prompt.
The data shows web chat equals happy customers. Happy customers convert. More happy customers and more conversions equal more revenue. The equation solves itself.
Ready to skyrocket your conversions? Just click that little chat bubble at the bottom right corner and let’s chat about how ZyraTalk can transform your business and boost your sales. ?