Live chat has emerged as a better solution for customer support teams. Live chat allows businesses to communicate instantly with customers, unlike traditional methods like emails. Through this dynamic platform, customers can interact with support agents, ask questions, resolve issues, and get assistance quickly and conveniently.

In this blog, we'll explore how live chat and the WhatsApp Business platform work together to deliver exceptional customer service. We'll guide you through the setup process using Cue. Additionally, we'll provide practical examples of how various industries can make the most of live chat.

Why businesses should use live chat

In addition to improving customer experience and streamlining support operations, live chat offers several key advantages. Live chat support increases a company's conversion rate by about 3.87%, according to Popupsmart. It’s also reported that 51% of customers will buy again if a company offers live chat support. Let's explore the benefits offered by live chat and discover practical use cases.

Instant support

Customers no longer have to wait on hold or send emails and then wait for responses. Live chat provides almost instant access to assistance. Customers shopping online at a retail store could encounter an issue with the payment process. With live chat, they can instantly connect with a support agent who guides them through the payment, ensuring a smooth shopping experience.

Convenience

Live chat allows customers to multitask while getting their questions answered. They can chat with your business using the same app they use to chat with friends and family. A car dealership's website visitor could have questions about a specific model's features. Live chat allows them to chat with an agent while simultaneously browsing vehicle listings, providing convenience and quick access to information. 

Personalisation

Live chat allows for personalised interactions, making customers feel valued and appreciated. For example, a student exploring an education provider’s website has inquiries about enrollment requirements. Live chat allows you to engage personally with the student, answering their questions and offering tailored guidance on course selection.

Live chat is a powerful tool on its own, but when integrated with the WhatsApp Business platform, its capabilities expand even further. This integration improves customer support by providing a smooth, trusted, and convenient channel for communication.

Setting up live chat

To make the most of live chat on WhatsApp Business, you need a platform to facilitate and set up this integration. Cue offers an Inbox where you can have live chat conversations with your customers. The best part? Chatbots can easily direct customers to live chat if their queries cannot be resolved through automation alone.

Setting up live chat in your Cue workspace is a straightforward process:

Create a flow

You need to start by creating a flow. Flows allow you to create structured user journeys for your customers when they message you through your connected channels.

The Cue flow builder allows you to create steps. The first step is to create a welcome message for your customers when they message you. You can also create buttons that allow customers to easily categorise their issues

Create a live chat ticket

Once the customer has made a selection in the previous step, they need to be directed to the relevant department. The Cue Flow Builder lets you set this up. Create a live chat ticket and set the subject to be the name of the issue they chose. When creating a ticket, you can set the priority of the ticket and the team. 

Transfer the user's session

Create a next step in your flow to transfer the user’s session. This would typically include a message informing the user that you are transferring them to the relevant department. The flow builder then allows you to create another step to transfer the user once your transfer message has been triggered.

Here’s a video showing you how to set up your live chat, step by step: 

What you can do with Cue live chat

Cue's live chat feature empowers businesses to deliver exceptional customer service. Beyond being able to interact with customers in real-time, Cue Live Chat allows you to do the following:

• Create quick replies: Create pre-written messages for commonly asked questions, providing quick and accurate responses. To create a quick reply, while in the Live Chat inbox press “Shift + Q” and create your quick reply. To use a quick reply, while viewing a ticket, press “Q” to bring up the list of Quick Replies

• Create resolution flows: Automatically direct users back to relevant flows to address specific issues or tasks. This can be used to send thank you messages, ask them how satisfied they are, ask for a rating, etc.

Incorporating live chat into your customer service can significantly improve how you engage with your audience, providing them with fast, personalised, and efficient support. It's a valuable tool that boosts customer satisfaction and team productivity and helps you handle high volumes of inquiries.

Practical use cases for live chat

Live chat is a versatile tool that can benefit businesses across various industries. Here are some practical examples for various industries:

Live chat for insurance business

Insurance businesses can use live chat to assist customers with policy inquiries, claims processing, and renewal reminders. King Price Insurance was looking for new channels to both service their 156K+ existing customers and attract new clients. They noticed a 23% instant quote conversion rate after using the Cue-Powered live chat and chatbot.

Live chat for car dealerships

Car dealerships can provide instant support for vehicle inquiries, service scheduling, and warranty information.

AutoZone traditionally communicated with its customers via email and telephone, but they were quick to realise that they needed to streamline and modernise their customer communication. Since many of their customers used WhatsApp, they sought to introduce their own WhatsApp Business chat. AutoZone chose Cue to power their WhatsApp chatbot and live chat solution, resulting in reduced email and call engagements by 40% in the first month while growing overall engagement by 13%.

Live chat for education providers

Education providers can offer academic support, course enrollment guidance, and information about programs and resources. Richfield chose to switch from phone calling prospects to using a broadcast and live chat solution on WhatsApp powered by Cue to increase response rates. Switching to Cue resulted in a 7x increase in response rates and a 65% increase in call-to-action rates.

A hypothetical scenario: Chatbot to live chat transition

Let's consider a hypothetical scenario: Jane, a customer of an online retail store, initiates a conversation on a website. A chatbot welcomes her and asks how it can assist. Jane inquires about the availability of a particular dress in her size and preferred colour. The chatbot searches the inventory and provides the information.

However, Jane has a follow-up question about the dress's return policy, and the chatbot isn't equipped to answer. Recognising this, the chatbot transfers the conversation to a live chat agent. Jane is connected with a human agent who promptly answers her query, explains the return process, and even helps her complete the return request. The transition from chatbot to live chat ensures Jane's query is resolved effectively and enhances her overall shopping experience.

Get started with live chat on WhatsApp

Live chat, when combined with WhatsApp Business, can greatly improve your customer service. By understanding its significance, setting it up effectively, and creating chatbots with flows, you'll be well on your way to providing exceptional support and building lasting customer relationships. Get started with Cue's live chat and improve your customer service today.