Automate with Flow Builder: Get 20% yearly discount as one of our first 100 customers!

Table of contents

WhatsApp Webchat: A Complete Live Chat Setup Guide 2023

Tutorial on setting up Live Chat or WhatsApp Webchat

Customer service is evolving alongside technology. Thanks to the internet, now the business is running round the clock and without geographical boundaries. You might base in Asia, but your customer on the other side of the world might just google your products or services out of your “office” hours.

When you enter a store, you expect that a salesperson will greet you, or at least you can find someone to help if you need it. Customers would not expect less when it comes to e-commerce stores. Who should be the 24-7 store manager? Live Chat can be your e-commerce store manager.

See more about Live Chat and e-commerce in our Shopify X Live Chat guide.

Of those who prefer live chat, 79% said they did so because they get their questions answered quickly, 51% did so because they could multi-task, and 46% agreed it was the most efficient communication method. - Econsultancy

What is a WhatsApp Webchat/ Live Chat widget?

WhatsApp Webchat/ Live chat widget is an online application you can easily install on your website to offer real-time customer support. Every brand wants to connect with its customers, and very often, a tremendous amount of marketing effort is worth reaching a single customer at the right moment. What about the moment when the customers want to find you? You can seize the opportunity with the Live Chat function. SleekFlow supports WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram message integration. Sounds right?

Read more: E-commerce Pro Tips- What is retargeting and how to build a killer strategy

How does this “store manager” look like?

Just have a look at the lower right corner now. You can see the “chat with us” icon. That is our virtual store manager, who is ready to chat with you.

WhatsApp Webchat/ Live Chat is generally displayed as a widget located at the bottom right of a website. The interface is like a chatroom. Before the conversation starts, customers are often required to enter their credentials, e.g., names, emails, phone numbers, etc. That is paramount for the seamless integration between your CRM, social channels, and the Live Chat function. Also, customer support will know who they are speaking to. On some popular CRM integration platforms such as SleekFlow, the agent can retrieve the chat history or even the purchase history in a second. That enables a more tailor-made and fruitful conversation for your customers.

SleekFlow integrate social channels and Live chats

Installing a WhatsApp Webchat/ Live Chat function on your website is effective. Instead of opening a new tab and drafting an email, the customers can seek support while staying and browsing your website. Compared to emails, customers expect a shorter response time.

How can WhatsApp Webchat/ Live Chat help your business?

“Live chat has the highest satisfaction levels for any customer service channel, at 73%, compared with 61% for email and 44% for phone.” - Econsultancy

The popularity of WhatsApp Webchat/ Live Chat is increasing. You can randomly go to some websites, and sometimes you will be welcomed by a pop sound from the widget. Let me list out five things.

1. Live Chat is fast

WhatsApp Webchat/ Live Chat is fast

Live Chat can provide straightforward 24/7 support for your site visitors no matter when and where. It is not hard to imagine customers will have greater satisfaction when their inquiries can be answered right away.

2. Live Chat can boost sales

It helps sales from lead acquisition to onboarding. Since they cannot see the physical products, customers need support when making an online purchase. That is the reason why they are more likely to convert on sites with Live Chat.

After the purchase, an order confirmation can be automatically generated on the Live Chat Chatroom. This allows more effortless follow-up for the customers.

Consumers who use chat are 2.8 times more likely to convert than those who don’t.

– Forrester

SleekFlow Live Chat interface

3. Live Chat can save money

Apparently, it takes a long time to draft an email reply. It might also involve lengthy back and forth. It needs more people to maintain a hotline call center. But Live Chat agents can manage multiple conversations simultaneously. Also, a chatroom environment allows short answers to address the customers’ issues quickly.

4. Live Chat is customer-friendly

Live Chat is convenient and easy to use as the customers are familiar with the Chatroom interface. Besides, it is embedded on the website so that customers can get immediate help on the spot.

In conclusion, Live Chat can improve the overall support experience for customers and raise the ROI. It is more responsive and engaging.  It can be your comparative advantage before it becomes more prevalent.

Top 6 WhatsApp Webchat/ Live Chat features for your e-commerce business

Are you interested in installing the WhatsApp Webchat/ Live Chat function? Welcome on board! There are many Live Chat widgets in the market providing a wide range of features. You don’t need to have them all. Instead, you should pick the right combination. Let’s take a look at the six practical features.

1. Mobile Application

The CS team can communicate with customers on mobile phones with an app. 

SleekFlow Live Chat Interface 2

2. Live Chat Triggers

You can customize the live chat response according to different triggers. For example, you can set greeting messages according to the page content.

3. Quick Reply Function

There is no need to repeatedly type the same thing if you have a set of ready-to-use FAQs that agents can use when dealing with customers who have similar questions.

4. Widget Customization

You can customize your Widgets, such as selecting which social channels to connect with the Live Chat or the procedures of starting the conversation, e.g., entering the name and email first.

5. Chatbot

Preset autoreply. For instance, if the customer press “1”, he or she triggers a preset action. It can be frequently-asked information such as shop addresses.

6. Integration with Social Channels

The customer can start the conversation on Live Chat or other social messaging channels by clicking the buttons on the Live Chatbox. If the customer closes the browser, the conversation could be continued through other social channels.

SleekFlow interface Mock Up

Try SleekFlow Live Chat now!

Do the right thing for your Live Chat manners.

To unleash the full power of Live Chat, here is a quick note of the best practice.

Best Practices of Live Chat
AppearanceAppear on every crucial page where leads most likely coming from. Easily visible with eye-catching icons or colors. Place your Live Chat window strategically based on past analytics on visitors’ behaviors.
FeaturesAI Chatbot can take care of those FAQs first. Live Chat tracking to ensure the service standard.
External integrationProvide alternative communication channels, e.g., WhatsApp, WeChat Integrate with your CRM system

Live Chat manners

  1. Greet the customers with their names- address your customer by using the visitor’s name

  2. Human touch- no one wants to talk to a robot. The tone should be more friendly instead of sounding automatic and making good use of emojis.

  3. Precise and concise answers

  4. A proper goodbye- don’t end the conversation until the customers want to. Make sure they have no further questions at that moment.

Beyond customer support, how SleekFlow Live Chat helps

WhatsApp Webchat/ Live Chat is often interpreted as a tool mainly for customer support. However, it is a powerful tool that the sales, marketing team, and management should also love.

1. Lead Generation through SleekFlow Live Chat

On SleekFlow Live Chat, customers can be required to enter their basic personal details before starting the chat. Contact information is hence recorded and immediately sent to your SleekFlow platform. If they are new, a new contact is created. If they are return customers, old purchase history or chat history can be retrieved. A more tailor-made service is hence possible.  

Since customers enquire about your service and products, these are often hot leads. They are particularly ready to engage with you. A good opportunity is here. You can also skip the credentials entering. It depends on different business needs.

2. Labeling your customers for later retargeting

Marketing is all about reaching your customer at the right time with the right message. That’s why retargeting is essential. Now you have the leads and the chat history, with the labeling function provided by the SleekFlow platform, you can easily categorize your customers. Different retargeting materials can be sent later.

Read more: What’s new in SleekFlow- native Shopify integration to reinforce your e-commerce ecosystem

3. Bridging the gap between Social Channels and the Real-time Customers on your website

When the browser is closed, the chat is forced to end. This could be the worst nightmare for desperate customers who want to solve their issues as soon as possible. It is also bad for the company, which might have just lost a valuable new lead. Therefore, bridging your Live Chat with your social channels and CRM platform is the right thing to do.

Again, please have a look at our Live Chat widget. Customers can choose to continue the conversation via social channels, e.g., WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, etc. The discussion can be continued on mobile via WhatsApp or WeChat after the customer leaves the website. More sophisticated features can be set. For instance, when a customer returns to your site, your specific sales agent can receive a notification and greet the customer via his or her most used social messaging apps.

What should we expect next?

With a more sophisticated setting, customer support staff can read the message supplied by the customer while also reviewing other valuable customer information. For instance, an indication of which page the customer is currently viewing (specific products, testimonial pages, etc.) and previous interactions (any special notes from the last conversation). This does not just streamline the operation but can elevate your customer experience to a new level.

So it’s time to set up a Live Chat everybody loves!

Try SleekFlow Live Chat now!

Recommended for you

Automate your growth with SleekFlow

Get started for free and supercharge your customer engagement.