Key Live Chat Statistics
Below are the most important live chat statistics every marketer should know.
- By 2023, the global live chat industry will be worth almost $1 billion.
- 41% of consumers prefer live chat support. 32% prefer phone support. 23% prefer email support. 3% prefer getting support via social media.
- Live chat has the second-highest customer satisfaction ratings at 85%, 6% less than phone support.
- Most millennial customers prefer live chat over phone, email, or other support.
- More than 20% of businesses fail to respond to live chat requests, leading to dissatisfaction among customers.
- Customers are about 4 times more likely to respond to chat prompts than open a chat themselves.
- Around 85% of online businesses had implemented chat options on their website as of 2022.
51 Live Chat Statistics You Should Know
1. Almost 85% of businesses had live chat options online by 2022.
As more and more commerce shifts online, the demand for live chat grows. This has led to an increase in the industry's overall growth.
2. More than 50% of all customers want to get a reply from a support team member within 10 minutes of submitting an inquiry.
Customers are likely to navigate away from a page if they don't receive a response within ten minutes. At that point, many believe no one is available to respond.
3. Despite overwhelming consumer demand for chat support, only about a third of business owners believe customers want live chat online.
Business owners are surprisingly ignorant about the demand for chat support, which might be hurting their business.
4. The majority of people who spend between $250 and $500 a month prefer businesses with live chat.
Frequent online consumers like the ease, convenience, and support that comes with a live chat feature.
5. More than 50% of consumers purchase again from businesses with live chat.
This indicates that customer support creates increased customer loyalty.
This may be because these businesses provide better support. They might also have better procedures for capturing leads and sending follow-up marketing emails.
6. Live chat is the top preferred form of customer service for consumers aged 18 to 49 years.
Younger consumers are the fastest growing market sector. They overwhelmingly prefer live chat over phone calls, email, and other forms of support.
7. The highest rate of satisfaction with live chat in the world is in Mexico, at a whopping 94.11%.
Mexico also has one of the longest average chat times, with chats lasting about 20 minutes each.
8. Australia and Canada have the next highest satisfaction rates, with 93.5% and 88.4% respectively.
The companies in these countries tend to have streamlined chat services that provide specific support to their customers.
9. People who chat on desktop are about twice as likely to make a purchase as those who chat on mobile.
Around 14 percent of those who start chats on desktop go on to make a purchase. That number is just 7 percent for those who start chats on their mobile phone.
10. In keeping with the increased mobile purchasing market, more than 50% of live chats start on mobile.
Mobile shopping has become more frequent than purchasing on a desktop computer. Many people use their phones more than their desktops. Around 51% of live chats are started on mobile phones.
11. Customers are about 4 times more likely to react to a chat prompt than proactively open their own chat.
Statistics show that around 7.8 percent of consumers will respond to a pop-up asking if they need help. Comparatively, only 2 percent will open a chat widget and type their own query.
12. Almost 75% of all consumers have the most satisfaction when using live chat compared to other types of communication.
Satisfaction levels come from a combination of the quick answers, easy accessibility, and overall ease of use.
13. Around 4/5 customers pick live chat options because they want an immediate answer to a question.
Consumers state that their biggest reason for opening a live chat is having a question that they want an immediate answer to.
They prefer this to making a phone call or sending an email.
14. More than 50% of customers say that multitasking is important to them, and live chat benefits this.
Talking on the phone requires your full attention. When you open a chat window, you can multitask in other tabs.
15. Almost 30% of live chats are used as a marketing tool to increase awareness about brands and products.
Instead of using chats exclusively for after-purchase support, many brands use them to generate leads and improve conversions.
16. The top two reasons for businesses to use live chat are for increased conversion and post-sales support and engagement.
Live chat is the easiest way to answer questions and provide customer support for existing consumers. It's also a good way to get contact info and turn leads into sales.
17. Millennials, the fastest-growing market sector of consumers, are significantly more likely to use a live chat feature than baby boomers.
There's about a 20 percent higher chance that a millennial will use a live chat than a baby boomer. But many baby boomers do find live chats satisfactory as well.
18. Almost two-thirds of millennials pick live chat as a preferred customer service format instead of phone or email support.
Millennials were raised using the internet, and they prefer to do their communicating over text rather than the phone.
19. More than 60% of consumers below the age of 24 prefer to avoid talking on the phone with company representatives.
Messaging apps like Whatsapp are most popular with Gen Z. They actively avoid having phone calls with customer support.
20. By 2023, the global live chat industry was worth almost $1 billion.
This industry is growing at a rate of more than 7% and is expected to continue growing as more commerce shifts online.
21. A customer who uses live chat tends to spend a maximum of 60% more on each purchase.
This can be attributed to the quick support and turnaround time. Chat agents can also recommend other products and services during the chat, which increases the purchase total.
22. More than 50% of all online consumers will not make a purchase if they don't get an answer to their live chat questions.
Abandoned shopping carts are a big issue online. Besides streamlining the pages, one of the most important things businesses can do is offer quick chat support.
23. More than 60% of consumers say they are happier with and more likely to return to companies with live chats.
Live chats make a company accessible and easy to work with. Customers have a more favorable opinion of companies that offer strong consumer support.
24. Conversion rates for companies with live chats are almost 4% higher, thanks to the increased marketing and support opportunities.
At the start of a live chat, agents can ask for the customer's email to send follow up queries. This is a vital way of generating leads.
25. The implementation of live chat by Virgin Airlines led to a 23% conversion rate increase, thanks to the proactive structuring.
Instead of chatting with people after they've made a purchase, the Virgin Airlines chat is structured to draw people in. Agents answer questions and make recommendations for products to encourage customers to buy.
26. Intuit implemented live chat and saw a conversion rate of 190%, while sales increased over 200%.
This can be attributed to the number of questions people had about their taxes. By recommending products and connecting people to experts, Intuit dramatically increased their revenue.
27. A small business in Philadelphia called Rescue Spa grew their revenue by almost 300% after starting live chats.
The live chat feature drew more traffic to the website. People could get answers to their questions and book appointments in real time, leading to increased consumer engagement.
28. Almost 40% of consumers say that they have been frustrated by subpar experiences with live chat.
The most common complaint with live chats is a poor user experience. This might be caused by a difficult-to-use chat client, long wait times, or unhelpful responses.
29. Most live chat complaints are related to user experiences and a frustration with chat scripts.
Scripted chats are extremely frustrating for customers. In addition to disliking chat bots, people also dislike having to choose from scripted queries instead of being able to type their own question.
30. Customers also report frustration with having to wait a long time for responses, as well as needing to repeat their queries with new agents.
Long wait times and non-responses cause frustration. About 21 percent of businesses don't respond to queries at all. Customers get frustrated when they have to retype their issue for every new chat agent they encounter.
31. The average wait time for chat responses is 160 seconds.
That's a little under three minutes. Different areas around the globe have varying chat response times.
32. Most live chats have a goal of responding in under 30 seconds, but one recorded chat had a 9 minute wait for a response.
After a customer has waited ten minutes, they tend to assume they won't get a response. That's usually true. Thirty second response goals are good for starting chats, but they're not good for finishing them.
33. More than 1/5 of companies don't respond to live chat requests at all, which makes customers unlikely to initiate them.
Customers might doubt that they will actually get an answer to their questions. Companies need to show that they really do have good chat options.
34. Some of the biggest mistakes companies make are not asking for feedback, not providing a transcript of a conversation, and not asking for contact information to follow up later.
User feedback is vital to improving. Customers need transcripts to remember the advice and help of the support agent. Asking for contact info lets you follow up and create unique marketing strategies.
35. Almost 70% of businesses use scripted messages for their agents, which can decrease customer satisfaction.
Customers are frustrated with scripts, since this can make a chat feel automated and impersonal.
36. Phone calls are over 50% more expensive than live chat options, with some estimates showing that each web chat costs 5 dollars in comparison to 12 for phones.
The exact costs of chat and phone support vary by the business. But online chat does tend to be significantly more cost-efficient and easier to maintain.
37. By introducing live chat, businesses can measurably decrease the costs of maintaining their phone support team.
Live chats take the pressure off phone support teams because the number of active phone calls decreases.
38. Live chat satisfaction rates are highest for businesses in the transportation, healthcare, government, and manufacturing industries.
People are more likely to receive satisfactory answers to their questions and come away happy with the support.
39. Live chat also tends to have high satisfaction rates when compared to average support satisfaction in telecommunications, banking, and finance.
With these industries, people are more satisfied with live chats than they are with phone and email support.
40. Zendesk showed that their live chat support had an 85% rate of satisfaction, while their phone support had a 91% rate of satisfaction.
Live chat beat out email and article support options, but it still lagged behind phone calls in terms of support. Other companies have seen more satisfaction with chats than phones.
41. 1/5 total consumers today would rather use a live chat option than talk to a business using any other form of support.
Live chats are the go-to method of communication for about 20 percent of consumers. These people may actively seek out businesses with live chat options.
42. Higher wait times can sometimes mean higher satisfaction -- if the wait is because of well-researched, helpful answers.
It's better for chat agents to spend time researching and writing thorough responses than to type as quickly as possible.
43. Around 3/4 consumers say that they want their time to be valued when engaging in any kind of customer support.
Customers are frustrated when they feel that their time is being wasted, which can happen with long phone wait times and long wait times for email responses.
44. Longer chats tend to have a higher rate of customer satisfaction, likely because they address concerns more in depth.
With a longer chat, a representative can answer questions thoroughly, make recommendations, and ensure that the customer does not have any other queries. They can also ensure that the customer doesn't feel rushed.
45. 19/20 consumers say that they prefer high quality and thorough customer service rather than speed.
Speed is not a high priority in comparison to the quality of service.
46. Similarly, 19/20 customers say they would not mind slower customer support if they were getting higher quality help.
Because of this, companies should focus on high quality support above quick chat times.
47. It can be frustrating for customers to be transferred from a chatbot to a live person to have their questions answered.
Transfers are also frustrating when customers receive phone support.
48. Almost 70% of adults that shop online prefer to use stores that have consistent online and offline customer service.
The quality of customer service makes a big difference in whether customers will make a purchase.
49. In 2010, almost 50% of all online customers said that access to a live person for their questions mid-purchase was very important.
The need for live support when shopping online has only grown in the decade since then.
50. Around 38% of consumers who made a purchase after a live chat said that it was because of that chat.
Chats are an opportunity to reassure customers, make recommendations, and show quality support.
51. Around 4/5 businesses say that they have seen a positive impact on their sales and customer loyalty thanks to implementing live chat features.
Live chats decrease support costs, increase engagement, and can make or break an online sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some of the most common questions that business owners have about live chat features.
Why is live chat so popular?
Live chat is popular for a few different reasons.
First, it tends to be easier than phone support. People can multitask while they wait for chat responses. Meanwhile, speaking on the phone tends to require your full attention for the full call.
Live chat is also quicker and simpler than email. You can get a response to your queries in minutes rather than waiting several hours for an email response.
Talking to a live chat agent makes it easier to get direct answers to your questions than paging through help articles. This can make live chat more accessible to people who struggle with online literacy.
What is a good chat response time?
The length of time for a "good" chat response varies. The global average for live chat responses is under three minutes. There are some agents who can send responses in less than 30 seconds.
However, aiming for speed over quality will lead to decreased customer satisfaction. Customers say that they will wait longer for responses if they get high quality answers.
In fact, chats with the slowest response times tend to have higher customer satisfaction rates. This is because the agent has the opportunity to be thorough and to consider all of the customer's needs.
The first chat response should be relatively fast, so the customer knows that someone on the other side is listening. But after that, the responses can dwindle so the agent is able to give the best answers possible.
Why is voice support better than chat?
Voice support is not always better than chat, but it can be. For example, Zendesk statistics show that 91 percent of people are satisfied with phone support, while 85 percent of people are satisfied with chat support.
Some of this may be because voice support connects you immediately to a real person. Chatbot statistics show that chats are often answered by chatbots before people are transferred to a real agent for more complicated questions.
Customer service members on phone support might also be able to provide better de-escalation with upset customers. It's easier to listen and to make them feel heard over the phone.
But studies also show that increasing numbers of consumers prefer chat support to voice support. Chat support is also more efficient and cheaper to finance than phone support.
Why do customers use live chat?
The biggest reasons that customers use live chat are as follows:
- They have a question about a product or service.
- They have a question about a brand.
- They have a question about the business's industry that needs to be handled by an expert.
- They are reaching out for support with an issue after making a purchase.
When customers can chat live, they are much more likely to finish a purchase than abandon it.
In addition, live chat provides much needed aftermarket support. Businesses with live chat features are more likely to see repeat customers than those without.
Conclusion
Live chat is an important customer service tool. Businesses who offer this tool are more likely to retain and grow their customer bases.
You can use chats to answer questions, provide support, and reach out to consumers for future purchases.