Chat – Sales Support
Get the most out of a purchase
What Is Sales Support
Sales support is the assistance that a company gives to customers who need help in buying a product or service. A sales support employee may answer questions regarding a product or service as well as recommend products or services upon learning the needs of a potential customer. While customer service is the general assistance that a company gives to customers, sales support is the assistance that a company gives to customers who need help in buying-related matters specifically.
A sales support employee can also be responsible for cross-selling and up-selling products or services. For the former’s example, the sales support employee can suggest a t-shirt that matches the pair of pants that a customer is eyeing to buy. For the latter’s example, on the other hand, a sales support agent can suggest a TV subscription that has more channels for a price just a tidbit higher than the initial TV subscription that a customer wants to avail.
Sales Support via Chat
Before, a business can only provide sales support through traditional channels such as face-to-face and phone. As you know, this is not the case anymore today. With the advancements in technology, a business can now provide sales support through live chat as well.
With today’s buyers performing research online, you should not even ponder anymore whether you should implement live chat for sales support on your website or not. The answer is a downright yes. Sales support can help your business maximize every possibility for a sale. It can also help in leaving a good impression among potential customers.
A business can provide sales support via chat in a reactive or proactive way, or even both. The reactive approach in providing sales support through chat is pretty much self-explanatory. It only means that you will provide sales support once a website browser initiates a contact. The proactive approach, on the other hand, means that it’s you or the sales support agent on your behalf who will initiate the chat conversation.
In providing sales support proactively, timing is everything. A business should be strategic and cautious in choosing the time when the chat box should appear. The goal is for customers to see the proactive sales chat as something helpful and not intrusive nor self-serving.
Still, it should also serve the purpose of maximizing every sales possibility. For example, the proactive chat will only appear once a web visitor has been on a particular page for thirty seconds or so. It’s different, however, if the web visitor is on a pricing page. This implies that he or she has interest so the proactive chat should appear at a much earlier time. Nonetheless, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Try to experiment when is the best time for the proactive chat to appear based on your web data.
Outsourcing Sales Chat
To provide efficient sales support, it is essential to have sales representatives with excellent written communication skills. They should know the ins and outs of a product or service well to persuade and support customers successfully. True enough, sales support requires expertise. It is for this reason that many businesses choose to outsource sales support instead.
Outsourcing solutions providers are known experts in managing non-core functions such as customer service, transcription, and sales support. They have the best practices and talents for this type of tasks. As a result, a company is able to focus more on its core business function. This is just one among the benefits of outsourcing.
Other benefits of outsourcing may include reduced operational expenses and maximized business productivity. Needless to say, you can only reap the benefits of outsourcing with the right BPO Company.
Benefits of Outsourcing Sales Support via Chat
For the benefits of outsourcing sales support via chat, check out the list below.
A boost in sales
As mentioned, BPO companies are experts in managing non-core business functions including sales support. They have the mature processes and practices to help your business improve bottom lines. Although it will coordinate with you, it will hold the full responsibility for training agents especially in terms of product knowledge.
By the end of the training, already seasoned sales representatives can appear as ambassadors of your brand. Not only will you be able to improve sales, but you can also leave a good impression among potential buyers.
Save time and money in hiring and training staff
Finding and hiring a competent sales representatives within your country can take time and money. This is why many businesses love outsourcing. At a fraction of a cost, they can already obtain a competent agent who can provide efficient sales support among potential buyers.
Additionally, outsourcing helps lower down operational expenses. A business will no longer worry about the space, workstation, equipment, and utilities that the outsourced sales representative shall need. The BPO Company will be responsible for all of it.
Greater focus on running business operations
This is one of the core benefits of outsourcing. With an expert team on your side, you can remove the burden of managing sales support operations. In return, you are able to have time to focus on your core business function or improve other areas of your business without worry.
Industries That Outsource Sales Support
The most common industry to outsource sales support is e-commerce, for obvious reasons. Besides sales support, e-commerce businesses are also likely to outsource email support, an inbound call center, and an outbound call center. E-commerce businesses that sell the following are the common types to outsource sales support:
Apparel
Online Courses and Training
Cosmetics
Accessories
Digital Products
The following industries also outsource sales support:
Retail
Marketing
Hospitality
Logistics
Advertising
Tourism
Insurance
Food and Beverage
Education
Banking and Finance
When to Outsource Sales Support
Consider outsourcing sales support through chat if you want to:
- Improve bottom lines
- Reduce operational expenses
- Maximize all sales possibilities
- Save time in hiring additional staff
- Access competent sales representatives
- Greater focus on core business function
- Spend key resources on core business function
- Remove the burden of managing and training staff
- Access the best practices for sales support operations
- Make a good first impression among potential buyers
- Start strong in building a relationship with a customer
Please note, however, that these can only be possible if you choose the right outsourcing partner.