By: Joanna Ellis-Escobar —

We live in an age of click-and-you-shall-receive, and the days where you can expect a customer to visit your site, fill out a form and wait for a customer service representative to respond to a question are gone. If you’re a franchise consumer marketing exec or franchisee who is not providing immediate, live response to visitors on your site, chances are you’re losing customers regularly. In terms of an all-important business metric, then, the more customers you’re able to acquire for the same marketing investment, the higher your return on investment (ROI).

Respond Immediately

A recent study indicated that 71% of consumer expect their question to be answered within 5 minutes and 31 % of those prefer answers immediately.

Nearly 80% of consumers who prefer live chat agree that getting their questions answered quickly is the number 1 benefit.

InsideSales.com & M.I.T. conducted research that concludes, if you wait 30 minutes versus 5 minutes to respond to an online inquiry, you decrease your chance of sealing the deal by 21 times.

Now think about what an immediate response via live chat could offer! Add the fact that over 50% of all leads are generated before and after business hours and you can begin to see how your new business potential and ROI can soar.

 
Using a 24/7 Live Chat Service

To ensure your meeting online visitors’ expectations for real time response, install live chat on your website, use it in your blogs, newsletter and anywhere else you market on the web. Be sure you use an externally monitored 24/7 service, since, as noted above, over half of leads are generated before and after business hours.

An externally monitored live chat service can be installed in minutes on your website with script review taking less than half an hour. Pricing varies depending on the vendor from a monthly minimum, where you bear the financial risk, to pay-per lead, where the chat vendor bears the financial risk.

 
To Optimize Marketing ROI, Build Brand Reputation and Increase Customer Satisfaction

Demand for live chat is growing.

The use of live chat results in more satisfied customers than any other method of communication and results in multiple benefits for your brand

These include improved brand perception, improved online experience, visitors who are more likely to purchase and return to your site, and a higher level of trust with your customers.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, chat transcripts not only alert you to leads but also to

•Consumer and employment prospects
•Website and sales team issues
•Customer service concerns
•Vendor opportunities

What this means for you as a franchise consumer marketing exec or franchisee is a higher conversion rate, which translates to a higher return on your investment (ROI).

For more information on how you can increase your marketing ROI, visit Chat 24/7 Live, the industry leader for Franchising at www.Franchise.Chat247Live.Com or Chat with us  to experience our service first hand.