topic Re: What is your favorite Live Chat app? in Lead Capture Tools

What is your favorite Live Chat app?

TC_MI — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 14:46:44 GMT

We use HubSpot's Live Chat but the fact that it is not gated to require the person's name and email makes this a less than desirable app to use. I have posted requests in the forum for this feature, and upvoted similar posts by others, but it has been YEARS with no response and no change from HubSpot. This is a simple and BASIC function that practically every live chat app offers, yet we cannot get this implemented? Are you tired of people typing their question in the name field so that a new contact is entered as "Can you tell me how..." as a first name? Bot response: "Hello Can you tell me how.... and how can we help you today? Wow, so bad. Prior to using HS chat, we had Pure Chat, which worked well and did this very basic function. So disappointed that HubSpot cannot make this very simple fix, and just tired of dealing with the poor results for lead capture as a result. Considering other chat options, and would like to hear from the community on which apps you like best for live chat?

Re: What is your favorite Live Chat app?

Jnix284 — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 14:57:29 GMT

Hi @TC_MI, happy to share some thoughts about live chat.

There have been many people I've helped with HubSpot that want email required in live chat - and my first question is always: why?

Your website is offering help in the form of live chat and the visitor clearly has a question they want answered, what value have you offered them that they should provide their email first?

Other than HubSpot chatflows, I've also used Drift.

@remingtonbegg shared this video about requiring email in live chat 5 years ago, and it couldn't be more relevant today.

Would love to know more about your use case for live chat, why you want to require email first, and gain a better understanding of how this impacts your processes.

Re: What is your favorite Live Chat app?

TC_MI — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 15:48:56 GMT

Hi Jennifer,

Very simply, I want to avoid a cluttered contact database filled with nonsense names. Capturing a name that reads "How many are in a package...." is not helpful to anyone.

While I understand your viewpoint is to add value to the person chatting in, it must also hold value to us as a company. For a moment let's forget about the email address and just discuss capturing a name correctly. This is helpful to both the chatter and to us, by allowing us to be more personable in response. That all by itself does hold value.

As for capturing the email address, in our business if they are not wanting to provide this information, they probably are not that interested in our products. For us, over 90% of our chats do require immediate follow up in the form of documentation reqested.

Does that help add context?

Re: What is your favorite Live Chat app?

Jnix284 — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 16:43:35 GMT

Hi @TC_MI, yes, this is super helpful! and I agree, first name is a different story completely. Thank you for the additional details.

Having answered live chat for over a year in a support role, it was always the worst when they ignored the prompt for first name - it's only human to want to know who you're chatting with and to call them by name.

I would love a "forced" first name prompt that was very clear and didn't conflict with the ability to type a question - I can't remember what website it was, but it had a first name form field at the top of the chat that was sticky until you added your name, while still letting you type in the chat bar.

Most of the time I would let them type their question, then respond with, "I'm happy to help with your question about x, before we jump in could I have your name so I know who I'm speaking with?" and that usually did the trick.

If they were a customer, I could usually connect the dots with a quick CRM search based on their question.

If their question required follow up, that's when I'd ask for their email - if you want the info you requested, then provide your email 🙂

You said there were already ideas in the community to improve this, if you want to drop me the link(s), I'll upvote and I'll also reach out to the Community team to see if they can get it to the product team directly.

And I completely understand that there are just some use cases where first name and email need to be provided up front - happy to help see if we can make that possible.