LiveChat, as the name suggests, allows you to chat in real time with your website visitors, be they customers or potential ones.
It’s a stand alone app that you can access via the web, or on a desktop or mobile phone app, which we then connect up to your website. You manage it through the web app, not your website admin area.
So here’s how to get set up and use LiveChat.
- Accessing LiveChat via the web or an app
- Setting up your profile
- Using chat
- The customer’s experience of LiveChat
- Working with chat as a team
- Bonus tips to get the most out of LiveChat
Accessing LiveChat
You can access LiveChat on the web here: LiveChat login
Or via a desktop app (Windows, Mac or iOS) or Android or Apple mobile app. You can get them here: Download LiveChat apps or by your usual method.
Setting up your profile
When we set up your account, LiveChat will send you an invitation email with a link to allow you to log in for the first time and set your password. It looks like this:
Your profile details
Once you’ve set up your password, you’ll need to set up your profile as it will be seen by customers through the live chat, and understand your notifications and settings.
There’s a guide to that here: LiveChat getting started guide
Big important thing: When you’re available, make sure you set your status to accept chats. It’s easy to forget. Alternatively you can leave it set to Accepting Chats and you’ll be available as soon as you log in.
Using chat
Chat is initiated by a customer on your site who clicks on the chat button on your website. They will (usually) be asked to fill in their name and email before using a chat, and within the app you will be able to see their (approximate) location and also which pages they have viewed.
You can also open a chat with a customer on the site, but to be honest that’s weird and a little creepy, and we don’t recommend it!
Also, if you can’t deal with a customer’s question immediately, you can store it as a support ticket to be dealt with later.
There’s much more on this and the features available in the LiveChat agent user guide
The customer’s experience of LiveChat
Your website visitors can initiate a chat by clicking on the chat link, which differs from site to site.
The link opens the chat window but the website visitor needs to fill in their name and email address before they can start the chat. Your agents will get a notification when the customer does this.
Then the visitor enters their question and talks with the agent, hopefully resolving their problem. When they end the chat, they are asked for their feedback on the conversation. They can also have a copy of the chat emailed to them.
Using LiveChat as a team
LiveChat is made for team working, so it’s packed with features to help teams work collaboratively.
These include canned responses (handy for when you get asked the same question over and over again), switching a chat from one team member to another, and supervision.
There’s more in LiveChat’s guide to Team collaboration.
Bonus tips to get the most out of LiveChat
LiveChat has lots of advice on best practice and getting the most out of chat. You can find that here: Useful tips from LiveChat’s sales and support teams.