Introduction
Pro-active messages in live chat software for websites are automated messages that are triggered based on predefined criteria or user behavior. Instead of waiting for visitors to initiate a conversation, pro-active messages are sent by the chat system to engage users and encourage interaction.
This way of engagement can be highly effective in initiating conversations with website visitors, providing assistance, guiding them through the site, and ultimately increasing engagement and conversions. However, it's important to use them judiciously and ensure they provide value to the user rather than being intrusive or annoying.
Let's take a look into pro-active messages implementation at SignalZen.
How do pro-active messages look like?
Different live chat software has various ways of notifying website visitors about incoming pro-active message. It can be just a beep, pop up a message from the live chat icon, or open up the full live chat box.
This is how the incoming pro-active message looks like at SignalZen:
Of course, if users click on the live chat icon, the full live chat box expands showing all the messages including the pro-active one.
Let's look into ways how to define pro-active messages and what use cases SignalZen has for them.
Pro-active message attributes
At SignalZen pro-active messages has certain attributes that our clients need to understand. It is Trigger, Condition, Delay, URL path and Body.
- Trigger defines on what occasion a pro-active message should appear for the visitors or users. There are 3 triggers as of now (2024-05-01): first visit of the website, prerequisites form filled in, no answer from operators for delay of desired time.
- Condition defines on what operator status a pro-active message should appear. For instance, you can activate the message always or when operators are online, or when operators are offline.
- Delay defines the seconds that need to pass for the message to appear. For instance, you may want to start pro-active messaging only when a visitor browses your website for 20 seconds. This is why we have this setting.
- URL path is the path of the current website page of visitors that needs to be present for the pro-active message to appear.
- Body is divided into multiple text area fields per each language that you have configured on SignalZen Console. It defines the text that visitors depending on their language will see in the pro-active message.
We believe that this helps to reach needed flexibility for our clients in defining pro-active messages triggering. Now, let's look into the triggers in more depth.
First visit trigger of pro-active messaging
It's a good idea to let your website visitors know that you have a live chat solution for their questions resolution. It's even better to make it clear.
The first visit Trigger is exactly for this reason. Show a popup for your visitors after x seconds of browsing on your website. You can tell that you're here to help or show just a simple greeting message.
This is the most used trigger so far at SignalZen. It makes sense because talking pro-actively with your website visitors is a great way to engage with the visitors.
Also, please don't forget that you can use multiple messages for different pages and in this way to show relevant pro-active messages. For instance, if a visitor goes to the Pricing page, you can send a pro-active message asking if everything is clear with the pricing information.
Prerequisites form filled in trigger
This trigger is specific and useful for those who build up a prerequisite form before the live chat starts.
It makes sense to use it in case you want your visitors to acknowledge that you received their form input. Also, you can use this feature with auto-initiating of chats setting, which will start conversations from visitors side without typing a message, just right after filling in the prerequisites form. This combination is a great fit for those clients who want to be more pro-active and make visitors to think less prior to chats beginning.
No answer trigger
The no answer trigger is useful for keeping the attention of your visitors. This type pro-active message will be sent after some delay if operators are not responding.
You can combine multiple such messages, let's say in 60, 120, or 180 seconds. Each of the messages would ask visitors to wait for a reply. The last one in terms of the delay seconds could say that you will reach out later.
This is a great feature for engagement that is reached by leveraging pro-active messages setup.
Conclusion
Engaging with your website visitors, and keeping their attention to communication from the first touch point is a great conversion booster. Pro-active messages is a fairly simple but powerful feature for helping clients here at SignalZen to boost conversions.
It's important to note, that engaging with your visitors and asking questions or giving information before they ask, is a great value for building trust as well.
