How to add Live Chat in WordPress Directory Website and Benefit from it

According to G2.com,

About 42% customers prefer Live Chat as their preferred online communication mode.

What does it mean? It means having a live chat feature is must if you wish to turn your website visitors into customers. Especially if your site contains valuable conversion actions such as direct purchase, lead form submission, find locations or phone numbers.

For online platform owners, a live chat feature is just like an oasis in a desert. Why? Because it lets visitors directly interact with website admins or moderators. It gives the visitors a feel that the site is not dead or stranded. In the case of a directory website, it lets visitors know that someone is here to guide you if you need any assistance.

Our today’s article is about directory websites and live chat. We will discuss the importance of Live Chat in WordPress based directory platforms and guide you to adding the feature in your platform. So don’t get distracted. Stay focused as we will deep dive into the art of live communication and how it boosts online conversion immediately.

How Live Chat in WordPress Websites Work

Live chat feature in WordPress websites work in a similar way to any other platform. Typically businesses install and integrate a WordPress Live Chat plugin to their platform and invites visitors to connect via it. Users can directly handly their chats, keep records and view reports all from their backend dashboard without signing into another cloud solution.

In Custom development websites, users integrate various live chat solutions using scripts and they run all the time. Then users login to those chat service providers panel and serve their customers from their. In case of WordPress, WordPress live chat plugins also run in the background to keep the communication mode active. But you don’t need to move to another panel.

When you blend this flexibility of WordPress with a powerful business directory plugins, it paves the way for your directory website growth. Wondering how? Let’s see some practical cases to learn.

How Live Chat functions in a Directory Website

Directory websites contain thousands of listings owned by hundreds of users. Some may have 5-10 and some may have more than a hundred. Each listing has it’s own user base, visitor and stakeholders. They often require information that they cannot find in listing description.

One common way to collect such information is by calling the listing owner directly. But this can get costly, users might not be available for phone calls and most importantly a voice call hardly keeps record of a conversation.

Another way is by submitting a form asking questions and expecting replies. However, this can be time consuming as queries initially goes to site owners who forward it to respective owners. Then listing owners respond to queries via email which becomes very slow and reduces conversion. Live chat feature can be a saviour in such case.

Live chat connects peer to peer; visitors to businesses or visitors to site owner or sometimes businesses to site owners. In all case, live chat deliver real-time answers, promotes positive sentiment and impact the conversion instantly.

Therefore the importance of Live Chat is crucial to the success of a directory website. It reduces response time of businesses and limits bad review in listing for poor customer support. Users get quick information or resolution and businesses uplift their customer satisfaction level.

Benefits of Live Chat in your Directory Website

A live chat feature in directory website benefits all stakeholders.

Benefits of Listing Owners

It helps the listing owners in numerous ways:

Enhances Conversion Rate

Faster Lead Response = Higher Conversion.

Directory visitors usually compare multiple listings before making a decision. Live chat allows listing owners to respond instantly to inquiries, significantly increasing the chance of converting a visitor into a lead or customer.

Builds Trust and Credibility

Live chat builds trust to the visitors. Visitors ask and gets their queries answered instantly instead of waiting for a time-consuming email response or an expensive phone call. So, the listing owners really need live chat feature in place.

Improves Lead Quality

Live chat lets listing owners collect more information of a prospect over real-time Q&A making sure that the lead is qualified. On the other land, leads generated via a lead form may not qualify often due to only providing set of question answers.

Reduces Customer Acquisition Cost

Although to continue chatting with customers, you need to spend on agents but in the long run it saves money. Live chat allows businesses to filter out quality leads quickly and they spend most of their effort serving those who are likely to convert instead of wasting time and money calling and emailing all leads over and over.

Benefits of Visitors/Customers

Adding live chat feature will give you a competitive advantage as not all other directory website has this feature.

Better decision-making

Visitors can get quick answer when live chat features are in place. It helps them make quick decisions without browsing through tons of listings. Plus, when wait time is shorter, it makes them satisfied and customer satisfaction boosts retention.

Saving time and effort with proper information

Visitors often get confused by multiple features or services and cannot make the right choice. Chatting directly with service providers or product owners help them understand their need and choose the right solution. As a result, it reduces customer’s pain of going through a return/complaint process if expectations are not met.

Stay Up-to-date with Changes

Many users who visit a directory after long time cannot recall where to find information or desired service. To remain up-to-date, live chats can be a great guidance. Not only the live agents but also welcome messages informs them that the directory is up-to-date with proper information that they can rely on.

Easy file transfer or interaction mode

Live chat allows the visitors and the listing owners to share links, images and attachments without using any third party platforms which is really handy. As a result, users can also collect various files and links and share theirs with respective business in the fastest way.

Implementing a live chat in WordPress directory platforms can have many benefits that you haven’t anticipated yet. Now that we’ve aligned you with those benefits, let’s jump on to the next part.

How to add Live Chat on WordPress Directory Website

In this part we will show step by step guide of how to add live chat on WordPress based directory website. To get this done, you’ll need the Directorist core free plugin activated. If you’re using any other business directory plugin or solution to handle your directory, first you need to migrate to Directorist to get started.

For new users who are getting started with Directorist can read these articles.

• How to Create a Multi Directory Website with a WordPress
• How to Create a Niche Directory Website with WordPress

Once you have the free Directorist Core installed and the setup of your directory is complete, you can move on to Directorist Live Chat which is a premium add-on. You can purchase it from here or you can buy a Directorist bundle plan to access all pro add-ons. Here are the steps to get it done.

Step 1: Install and Active the Live Chat Extension

The extension purchase process is simple.

1. Sign in or up to Directorist
2. Complete purchase of Live Chat extension
3. Download the plugin from your dashboard

Once you get the plugin file, navigate to the WP Admin Dashboard > Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin > Choose File > Install Now.

Now, activate the plugin like any other WordPress plugin.

Step 2: Configuring Live Chat

Navigate to the WP Admin Dashboard > Directory Listings > Directory Builder > Edit Directory > Single Page Layout > Contents > Drag-&-drop the “Live Chat” field to the builder > Update.

That’s it. You have added Live Chat in WordPress directory and enabled quick assistance for your visitors.

Please note that you have to register and be logged in to be able to chat with a listing owner.

Key Features of Directorist Live Chat Extension

Directorist live chat extension comes with a number of features to help you make your customer experience up to the mark. Here’s a quick summary:

• Real-time Private Messaging without Delay: Chat with visitors in real-time privately. Your customers message will be securely stored in the back of your WordPress.
• Chat with Multiple Users Simultaneously: Using Directorist live chat feature, listing owners can chat with multiple visitors at the same time. No need to wait in queue to get connected.
• Get Notified over Email: When a new chat conversation starts, listing owner gets notified by email so that they don’t miss any customer.
• Delete Unwanted Conversation: Any unwanted conversation can be removed.
• Responsive Design across Devices: The live chat option appears seamlessly across all devices as it is fully responsive.

Learn More about Directorist Live Chat Extension

Want to learn more about this WordPress live chat plugin? Checkout our detailed documentation of Directorist Live Chat here.

Once you register or log in to the website as a regular visitor, you will find the chat button below. You can initiate a conversation by clicking the button. Directorist Live Chat gives you a familiar interface similar to Facebook messenger.

Frequently Asked Questions about WordPress Live Chat Feature

Wrapping up

Adding a live chat in the WordPress directory website is that easy with Directorist. If you want to really engage your users with each other, nothing can beat the idea of implementing a live chat feature on your listing website. Undoubtedly, it will give you a boost to your website’s credibility and popularity. So why wait? Get the tool and make your website more user-friendly right now!

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