How to Add Live Chat to Your Website (Plus Best Practices)

Live chat connects your customer to your team in times of need. 

It makes your website interactive and, most importantly, gives you a channel to rely on when customers expect an immediate response.

Live chat improves the customer experience. Customers leave your website satisfied that they have received a relevant response or that someone is looking into their query or request. 

You can add a live chat plugin to your website by following a few simple steps. 

How to Add a Live Chat Feature to Your Website

Adding a live chat widget to a web page instantly allows visitors to have real-time conversations with you. They won’t have to pick up their phone or type a lengthy email to connect.

You can get started by following the steps below. 

1. Choose your live chat software

The first step is to pick the right tool. Research the market and compare tools that best fit your needs. Consider the following: 

• How much does it cost per agent seat? 
• Does the tool have the option to use canned responses?
• Does it have a customization option? 
• Is there a mobile app available to manage chats on the go?
• How easy is it to set up the tool?
• Does the tool offer analytics? 
• Does it have conversational AI functionalities (if required by your support team)?

Research these areas and choose a tool that best aligns with your needs. 

When looking for a customizable channel that offers omnichannel support, automation, and analytics features, many businesses prefer Nextiva.

If you go with Nextiva, you’ll get: 

• A seamless communication solution. Integrate email, SMS, social media, and voice communication channels. 
• Streamlined customer communication. Automate pre-configured responses and chatbot features.
• Robust reporting. Discover chat performance analytics and customer satisfaction metrics.
• A customizable interface. Accommodate your branding needs and expectations. 

2. Configure your live chat settings

If you choose to go with Nextiva, simply log into your account and navigate to the Onboarding Menu. From there, select Live Chat.

You’ll be asked to complete the required details, as shown in the image below. 

Embed your brand name and logo. Select a theme to set the primary color of the chat window. Choose a font. When you’re finished, click the Publish Live Chat button. 

3. Add live chat support to your website

You have a few options for adding a live chat tool to your website. You can insert the chat code yourself or send it to your developer for upload.

If you’re inserting the chat code, copy the code snippet and paste it into each page’s HTML where you want the live chat to appear. This process might vary based on your website platform. For example, WordPress websites will have a Nextiva plugin that you can use. 

When you send the code (Javascript) to a developer via WordPress, they can directly upload it to the website. A simple popup asking for the developer’s email will appear, and you’re all set.

See our FAQs and tutorial on adding live chat to your website on GoDaddy, Square Space, Wix, Shopify, or WordPress. 

Related: What You Need to Know Before You Use Chatbots for Your Website

Best Practices When Configuring Your Live Chat

Follow these best practices to configure the live chat widget on your website.  

Engage customers instantly

Customers or potential customers prefer live chat for instant answers. Make sure you can respond to them in real time with live chat software. Instant communication builds trust and aids customer satisfaction. 

According to the eDigital Customer Service Benchmark survey, live chat has the highest customer satisfaction level at 73%, followed by email support at 61% and traditional phone support at 44%. 

Instantaneous communication allows you to address multiple inquiries at once. It reduces wait time and quickly supports site visitors with everything they need. It gives customers a better experience, as they don’t have to hop between different departments to sort out their issues. 

Set a welcome message

When customers start to chat, give them a warm welcome. Start with something like, “Hey, how can we help you today?” This shows you’re ready to listen and sets the stage for their positive experience. 

You can tailor your welcome message to reflect your brand voice, ensuring it resonates with your audience. 

Here are a few examples of welcome messages you can use: 

• Hey! I’m here to help.
• Hi! My name is Randy. I’ll guide you through the app. 
• Hey! Let me help you with your questions. 
• Hey, looking for something specific? Let me make it easy for you.
• Didn’t find what you were looking for? Let me help. 

These are just a few general welcome messages. Based on the nature of your business, you can craft messages based on your audience’s needs and expectations. 

Collect information upfront

Ask the customer to fill in details to help you identify them and to avoid asking repetitive questions. You can ask for their name, email address, and what type of help they want. This enables you to suggest solutions quickly and respect their need for instant service or support. 

Having this information also allows you to personalize the chat experience for your customers. If a live agent is talking to them, they can quickly review the history of the previous conversation and chat in the same context.

Modern intelligent virtual assistants (IVAs) automatically review conversation history and give human-like responses on live chat.

Gather feedback

A live chat tool makes it easier for you to collect feedback. As an asynchronous channel, customers aren’t on the spot to give feedback based on what’s on their minds; they can take the time to convey genuine feedback. 

Live chat also helps you assess customer satisfaction and net promoter scores, giving you a hint of how likely customers are to refer you. This feedback reveals a lot about what you’re doing well and what needs to happen to make your service great. 

In some cases, you’ll also hear criticism. Rather than taking it personally, use the feedback constructively. See what you can do to optimize or change to provide better service to your customers.

Maintain availability

If you’re not using AI chat options and are only available for set hours, mention it on the chat. You can say, “Our team is currently away. We’re available from 9 am to 5 pm on weekdays.”

After saying this, always ask for customers’ contact information so you can follow up with them when you’re back at work. Proactively conveying your availability sets the right expectations with customers. 

However, it’s advisable to use AI chat features. As 90% of customer interactions don’t need an agent’s expertise, you can easily automate service delivery to these customers through AI features. Nextiva AI automates these interactions, cutting your costs by 30%.

Use multiple channels

Make it easy for customers to reach your business. Allow them to choose their preferred communication channel, for example: 

• WhatsApp
• Facebook Messenger
• Other social media applications

This flexibility nourishes their satisfaction with the customer experience, helping you initiate conversations on a positive note, which can have a significant impact on your relationship.

Although many customers aren’t inclined to use social media for chat, it can be helpful to keep it as an option. As Generation Z enters business, their preference might differ from your larger share of customers. 

Enable chat history

Chat history allows you to reference past conversations, helping you to understand the context through previous issues and to offer better follow-up support. Customers don’t have to repeat their problems, and your team can offer more personalized service based on prior interactions. 

With chat history, you can track your customers’ preferences to improve future communication. Overall, it ensures an informed customer service experience every time. 

Customize the appearance

Ensure the colors of your chat window and font complement your brand’s tone and overall color scheme. Also, ensure your logo is prominently displayed and creates a cohesive and professional design. 

A well-designed chat tool will make the interface more familiar and comfortable for customers and will be easier for them to trust and interact with.  

Integrate support channels

Ensure all your support channels are integrated into one platform (like a CRM) to provide a streamlined service. This directly impacts your customer service when dealing with complex cases.

You can connect voice, chat, and email support into one platform, quickly giving your team members access to all relevant information.

This will improve your response time and allow the team to handle inquiries more effectively, leading to better customer support. 

Looking to Bolster Your Live Chat Solution?

With Nextiva, adding and setting up a live chat solution on your website is simple. However, in the age of AI, facilitating a chat with a live agent isn’t sufficient.

Bain and Company’s research suggests that the adoption rate of generative AI in customer service was 23% in October 2023. After five months, the rate had increased to 33%, reflecting the need for organizations to offer 24/7 customer support. 

Nextiva’s conversational AI empowers modern contact center teams with always-on availability, automation, and escalation to live agent capability. 

Related: Chatbot for Ecommerce: Features to Look for [+ Best Picks]