After a decade of promise, Web chat is finally coming into its own as a customer interaction channel.

 

Bravestorm, makers of BoldChat, has released a new study demonstrating the effectiveness of live chat technology. Here are some of the findings, drawn from an independent survey of over 250 U.S.-based regular Internet shoppers:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bravestorm (News - Alert) continues to develop its chat solutions to make them more feature-rich, affordable, and customer-friendly. Last month it announced a partnership with JAJAH, a global IP communications platform provider that will provide BoldCall’s online retail customers with an enhanced online customer service interface.

 

This feature will enable visitors to retailers’ Web sites to call contact center agents at the touch of a button. The phone call, which route over the JAJAH (News - Alert) IP network is free to shoppers, and because it is VoIP, is very low cost to retailers.

 

According to Steve Castro-Miller, chief executive officer of Bravestorm, Bravestorm’s and JAJAH’s technologies naturally complement each other.

 

“Together we are helping Internet retailers improve their customer service and maximize potential revenues from each customer,” he said. “JAJAH brings an extremely cost efficient way to connect shoppers directly with retailers, improving ROI for our customers.”

 

Last fall, Bravestorm made available an iContact plugin for Bravestorm’s BoldChat application. The downloadable module enables customers one-click access to their iContact lists from within the BoldChat application making it easy for organizations to grow their prospect lists on a permission basis.

 

BoldChat customers can capture contact information from prospects visiting their Web sites and, on a permission basis, add that information to an iContact list. For example, a salesperson who engages in a live chat with a visitor on their Web site might ask if they can include their contact information on a list to receive updates about sales and special offers. The plugin makes it possible for organizations to develop their prospect lists in an effective, responsible manner. iContact customers who purchase BoldChat can now tap into a powerful sales and support tool: permission-based invitational live chat.

 

“This plugin is about helping online businesses make the most of their Web site customer engagements,” Castro-Miller said. “By integrating the BoldChat and iContact capabilities, customers now have a powerful way to grow their client and prospect lists with the highly valuable Web site visitors who’ve initiated a live chat session with them. The plugin gives them a way to maintain and nurture this relationship even after the live chat session has ended.”