When I applied to college over a decade ago, I would have loved to ask questions of admissions online. And as a student, getting degree info or career guidance from my dorm room would have been amazing! 

As more and more higher ed institutions adopt live chat, modern students, applicants, and alumni don’t always need to wait on a phone line or walk over to an office. You’ll capture and answer questions that students ask at any time, even after hours. Live chat opens up a line of 24/7 communication between universities and their students.

Live chat and business-to-business (B2B) companies haven’t been friends as long as other sectors like business-to-consumer (B2C). At my last B2B company, we had our quote forms and email support. And we went on Twitter if we wanted to be *really* fast at responding! 

Setting up times with busy customers and prospects can be a headache.

“Monday at 5 or Friday at noon?”
“No, how about next week, 3pm on Wednesday?”

You’re chatting with a potential customer and they’re a little confused about your policy.

“What do you mean?” they keep asking. Zoom (or Google Meet, or other platforms) could help you clear things up fast, but you don’t want to irritate them while you fiddle with links.

I love sending long, breezy emails to friends. But I’ve been busier than ever these days and find myself texting a lot, while emails sit untouched. I know I’m not alone. You’re probably saying, “Yeah, welcome to the 21st century!” 

This move towards speed and low-friction communication is a huge trend, especially among my generation, Millennials (and Gen Z). 

Live chat can mean the difference between a potential customer clicking “buy” and walking away from your store forever. Let me tell you a quick story...

No question, the holidays are big for your business. Those sales can make up 20-30% of annual revenue. But that spike in business, as you know, comes with a spike in customer service requests!