Even in this day and age people are still wary when it comes to shopping online. Many consumers need reassurance that websites are legit before they even consider typing in their personal details. A great way to boost potential customers' confidence in your business is to have a 'contact us' page and live chat tool.
If you run your business from home and do not want to provide details of your address, you should provide users with a contact us form to fill in instead.
Image source: http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4086/4841059798_a3626a22ed.jpg
Look reputable
Websites that fail to provide users with contact details tend to look a little suspicious. If your business appears fake or unprofessional it will put customers off from placing orders. By simply providing an address and contact number it will tell customers that you are real and have nothing to hide from them!
Generate sales
Many online shoppers will check that a company has a contact phone number or email address before they place an order. They like to be reassured that they will be able to get in contact with a business if they have a problem with the products or service they receive. By having a contact us page or live chat tool on your website you may secure a sale that you would have otherwise lost.
Improve customer service
How can you help customers with their queries if they cannot contact you? Providing a telephone number and email address lets customers know that you are open to communicating with them. Setting contact hours is also a great way of letting them know how soon they should expect a reply. Although some people are happy sending an email, others like to phone and speak to a human beingso it is always a good idea to provide a phone number too.
What to include on a 'contact us' page
It is important that you provide a clear link in your navigation bar to your contact us page. The page itself should state your business's name and address, a contact phone number and an email address. Some businesses also like to provide a contact form, which makes it easier for customers to send an email as they do not have to go to the trouble of setting it up themselves. Providing contact hours is a great way of informing your customers about the best times to contact you. The more information you offer up front, the more reassured your customers will be that your business is credible.
The benefits of live chat
Live chat tools are used by businesses that want to provide real time communication services and instant interaction on their websites. They can add a human touch to websites, much like staff in a physical store. Live chats not only help to personalise a website, but they also provide customers with an easy and convenient way to get answers to their questions. Rather than having to wait for a phone call or email reply, they can simply send an instant message and receive a reply within seconds.
Live chat tools can help to boost sales, as they help to increase customers' confidence in your business. They can also improve efficiency as operators are capable of managing a number of chats simultaneously. Whilst boosting efficiency you can lower your costs as you will not need to hire as many call centre staff.
Live chat tools provide online shoppers with a convenient way to get their questions answered before they commit to making a purchase.
Image source: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8147/7644427706_f1cc47d62c.jpg
Conclusion
Contact pages and live chat tools not only tell customers how they can contact you, but they also inform them that you are a legitimate business. Wary online shoppers are much more likely to make a purchase from a website with a contact us page than they are from a website that provides little to no information about the business. Today many businesses are also using live chat tools on their websites as a way of providing a quick and easy communication line with their customers. This not only improves customer service but can help to increase conversion rates too!
An article from Revive Digital Media, specialists in the design of contact us pages and implementation of live chat in websites.

If you run your business from home and do not want to provide details of your address, you should provide users with a contact us form to fill in instead.
Image source: http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4086/4841059798_a3626a22ed.jpg
Look reputable
Websites that fail to provide users with contact details tend to look a little suspicious. If your business appears fake or unprofessional it will put customers off from placing orders. By simply providing an address and contact number it will tell customers that you are real and have nothing to hide from them!
Generate sales
Many online shoppers will check that a company has a contact phone number or email address before they place an order. They like to be reassured that they will be able to get in contact with a business if they have a problem with the products or service they receive. By having a contact us page or live chat tool on your website you may secure a sale that you would have otherwise lost.
Improve customer service
How can you help customers with their queries if they cannot contact you? Providing a telephone number and email address lets customers know that you are open to communicating with them. Setting contact hours is also a great way of letting them know how soon they should expect a reply. Although some people are happy sending an email, others like to phone and speak to a human beingso it is always a good idea to provide a phone number too.
What to include on a 'contact us' page
It is important that you provide a clear link in your navigation bar to your contact us page. The page itself should state your business's name and address, a contact phone number and an email address. Some businesses also like to provide a contact form, which makes it easier for customers to send an email as they do not have to go to the trouble of setting it up themselves. Providing contact hours is a great way of informing your customers about the best times to contact you. The more information you offer up front, the more reassured your customers will be that your business is credible.
The benefits of live chat
Live chat tools are used by businesses that want to provide real time communication services and instant interaction on their websites. They can add a human touch to websites, much like staff in a physical store. Live chats not only help to personalise a website, but they also provide customers with an easy and convenient way to get answers to their questions. Rather than having to wait for a phone call or email reply, they can simply send an instant message and receive a reply within seconds.
Live chat tools can help to boost sales, as they help to increase customers' confidence in your business. They can also improve efficiency as operators are capable of managing a number of chats simultaneously. Whilst boosting efficiency you can lower your costs as you will not need to hire as many call centre staff.

Live chat tools provide online shoppers with a convenient way to get their questions answered before they commit to making a purchase.
Image source: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8147/7644427706_f1cc47d62c.jpg
Conclusion
Contact pages and live chat tools not only tell customers how they can contact you, but they also inform them that you are a legitimate business. Wary online shoppers are much more likely to make a purchase from a website with a contact us page than they are from a website that provides little to no information about the business. Today many businesses are also using live chat tools on their websites as a way of providing a quick and easy communication line with their customers. This not only improves customer service but can help to increase conversion rates too!
An article from Revive Digital Media, specialists in the design of contact us pages and implementation of live chat in websites.