In this blog we will talk the two strategies for converting online visitors; proactive and reactive chatting. We will also give our recommendations based on what we have come to find from our experience and results.
Let us start by explaining shortly what the difference between these two approaches is. A reactive chat means that the online visitors have to, by themselves, click on a button that would prompt the chat to start. A proactive message is an automatically configured message that appears to the visitor.
Now, let's imagine you are a sales rep in an electronics warehouse, a customer walks in and you see him looking at one product for a long time, wouldn’t you go up to him and ask if he needs any help? The likelihood is that he is looking for some information that will satisfy his requirements in order to make the purchase. Well, the same idea applies to a website.
A Forrester research study has shown that a reactive chat will give a return on investment (ROI) of 15% while engaging online visitors with proactive chat will give a return on investment (ROI) of 105%. We have also seen these same results in the field, although they vary by industries and domains. So in the end of the day, when done right, meaning carefully placing the proactive messages in order for the visitors to be prompted and converted, it is just good service.