Implementing Live Support
August 1, 2007 – 10:29 amThis morning, I received a proposition through my online store. You would be surprised by the kind of mail I get through my store, considering it’s not as high trafficked as I would like. I’ve had people trying to sell me their ecommerce solutions, going as far as making mock check outs from my store which I absolutely do no appreciate at all and will not do business with even if the product is useful to me.
And then there are people who would like to share their fortune with me from the millions currently stashed in some god forsaken African nation. And also there was once an enquiry on whether I ship international which I replied that I do. And then comes a follow up email, “I would like to order 10 iPods.” And I was like, “Huh? Wherever did you see any iPods on my store??”
In the mail this morning, the person told me that he stumbled upon my store from She Rambles On. I was surprised because coincidentally, I just wrote a post about getting more traffic to my store from Ramblings of an e-trader thanks to banner placements while I only have a text link to my store from this blog.
Anyway, he wrote to me this morning and told me that his company has just launched a new live chat service called ClixConnect. I already have a live chat service though, which I have not logged in for ages because I do not have the luxury to sit at the computer for long hours anymore. And even back then when I was logging in daily, only my friends came to chat with me and the real Buyers never needed any help from me, the “Support”.
I checked out ClixConnect and the difference between my traditional Live Chat module and this service is that ClixConnect does not require the webstore owner to man the chat service 24/7 because they have back up staff when the owner is not around.
So if I am subscribed to ClixConnect, I would not have to worry about being chained to my desk. But I replied to the mail saying that this is a wonderful service but I definitely can’t afford such features. I am only a small fry, you know, and the USD would bleed me 
I think if I were to use this, I would have to start selling lingerie in USD too!
I do see the value of ClixConnect and I think this feature is more suited for online stores that sell real estate or insurance or automobiles and boats, you know, sites where the rich boys go to. And I also mentioned that I am in Malaysia, surely you would not be making calls to me if staff from ClixConnect mans my live support system and needed clarification from Buyers who make an online enquiry? To my surprise, they do call worldwide even though they are based in North America.
Some time back, I read in an article, which I am unable to quote and provide a linkback (me bad), that interactive ecommerce stores that have implemented live support and the talking human, which by the way, for the life of me I can’t remember its proper term (this is what having only three hours of rest will do), can enhance sales and bring business to the next level.
Can you imagine going to an online store for the first time and not being very confident or trusting of the store but if live support is just a click away, we already have more trust for such a store, compared to one without live support, or the little talking human.
ClixConnect is giving ecommerce retailers like me a risk-free 14-day free trial but I did not take up the offer to try it out, not yet anyway. Maybe I am going to take advantage of this when I am ready to give Victoria’s Secret a run for its money sometime in the future. Who knows?
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