To increase chat engagement, have the chat bubble say the following when visitors first land on your site:

"Thank's for your interest in [company's] [product], can I give you a tour of [whatever it is you want to engage with them on]."

The general idea is to 1) thank them for giving you something (e.g. their interest in you and your product), and then to 2) offer to give them something (e.g. a tour of xyz).

If you'd like an explanation for why this structure works, or suggestions for structures, designed around your specific product, let me know,

best,

Lee

I think you have two options or can use a combo of both. Without knowing more about your business or site, it's difficult to be very specific, but here goes...

1) Make sure the chat feature is clearly visible from every page, but not obstructing normal navigation.

2) Program live chat to pop up at key points in the buyer's journey. For example: If someone is lingering too long on a page, you could ask if they need help. If they are abandoning their cart, you can try to redirect them. You could even use live chat to suggest a complimentary item.

However, if you find that you need live chat in order to complete the majority of your sales, you may need to reassess your website to ensure it's doing the heavy lifting you need.

1. Make sure that the website - the content and design - is engaging. People should want to ask for more information, not ALL information.

2. Be online regularly. Constantly being offline is frustrating. Regular visitors will notice this.

3. Assess their voice and adjust yours as appropriate. Speak simply and provide good examples and links.

4. Never let Live Chat be a replacement for detailed product and service descriptions. It's an addendum.

I would also recommend adding Facebook Messenger as a live chat option. So many people use it and it builds trust with your brand in a medium they're familiar with. Try this integration [disclaimer - I've never tried it]. https://www.livechatinc.com/facebook-messenger/

Secondly, use the chat interactions as source material for your content marketing. Every question should already be an FAQ answer.
Also build a mailing list using the Facebook pixel from your Messenger interactions - you can do push messaging using FB direct into Messenger which is an awesome replacement for email marketing.
Happy to discuss further if you need.

The truth, however, is that you do not want to encourage chatting for its own sake without a solid strategy in place. Chat is a tool designed for certain goals, such as to increase sales, build brand awareness, or make customer service more efficient. No matter what kind of engagement you are measuring, you are doing so with certain objectives in mind. However, your real end goal is to get conversions. To begin with, make sure you identify goals related to your chat strategy. This might include increasing brand awareness, getting more opt-ins for your mailing list or selling more products. Whatever your goals are in the beginning, make sure they are clearly defined, specific, and measurable.
According to the Nielsen Norman Group, most website visitors will leave in less than a minute if they do not find what they are looking for. Of course, keeping potential customers on your site is based on many factors, including your web design, page loading speed, and ease of navigation. By chatting, customers can learn which product is most appropriate for their needs and get answers to commonly asked questions. Chat can increase conversions on e-commerce sites by providing customers with helpful information quickly.
One of the best reasons to use chat on your website is to increase brand recognition. Your website is your digital calling card and reflects your brand. When you introduce a chat feature to your website, this gives your website a real-time voice and personality. Brick and mortar businesses consider their customers when they hire staff and instruct staff on how to interact appropriately with customers. Consider your overall brand image and the way your customers prefer to be treated. One way for chat agents to engage with customers is by using emojis during chat sessions.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath