How and Why to Integrate Live Chat: Crucial Reasons and Simple Steps

Retention and engagement growth are crucial goals, and they can be significantly enhanced by implementing community-based live chat features. Users naturally gravitate towards platforms where they can share experiences with others who share their interests, whether in sports, foreign languages, or TV series. Imagine someone excitedly sharing details about your website over coffee — community-based live chat creates that space where users can connect with like-minded individuals and share their enthusiasm.

But what can be included in this strategy, and how can you achieve your goals once the decision to implement live chat has been made?

Why?

Let’s start from the beginning — community-based live chat features are essential for your platform for various reasons. So, why are they beneficial, and how can they help you?

Regain users from social media platforms

Companies invest heavily in attracting users on social media, gathering thousands of followers. Without a live chat feature, users seeking engagement will turn to social media to discuss their experiences. However, providing an in-app chat function ensures that users can engage in discussions without needing to leave.

By fostering engagement within your platform, you encourage users to spend more time interacting with both the platform and other users. This enhances user satisfaction and strengthens brand loyalty.

A prime example is La Liga. While having millions of followers on social media, they lacked direct access to first-party user data. They implemented a second-screen experience that led users to their app to address this. By scanning a QR code, users gained exclusive benefits and participated in fan communities. This approach brought fans closer to their favourite league while allowing La Liga to understand their needs, desires, and behaviour more effectively.

Stand out from the competition

If users are choosing between similar services, they are more likely to select the one offering a unique, engaging experience. Consider social media behaviour: users return frequently to check messages, comments, and updates. By integrating community-based live chat within your platform, you create a similar incentive — users return not just for your content but to interact with their mates. This level of engagement makes your platform more sticky and reduces the risk of losing users to competitors. Additionally, it eliminates the exposure to competitor ads, which is common on social networks.

Improved retention rates

The benefits outlined above naturally lead to better retention. Customers can be fickle with their preferences, making it difficult to keep them engaged over time. If they don’t find ongoing value in your platform, they will move on to competitors. However, live chat can boost retention by keeping users engaged and invested in your community.

Understand your customers’ needs and pains

Community live chats offer direct insights into user behaviour, preferences, and concerns. Unlike support tickets, which only capture negative experiences, live chat lets you observe real-time interactions. Why do users engage with specific content? What time of day do they use your platform? What do they discuss most? These insights help refine your platform’s offerings and improve the user experience.

How?

There are several steps to launching an in-app community chat for real-time messaging. Key technologies include SDKs, web views, and chat APIs. Using webview and iframe integration simplifies implementation, allowing clients to access new updates and features immediately without being tied to release cycles.

Steps to Implement In-App Live Chat:

1. Define chat visibility: decide whether users can see the chat before logging in or after authentication. Chat can function similarly to media paywalls, where users must subscribe or, at least, log in to participate.

2. Choose an authentication method: will customers interact using their main profile names and avatars, or will they remain anonymous with specific chat nicknames?

3. Determine the chat entry point: this varies by industry. Some platforms benefit from placing chat lobbies on the homepage, while others integrate chat within content pages for context-driven discussions.

4. Customise the chat and enable moderation: activate necessary moderation levels (or all of them) and ensure users are aware of the new feature. Engagement tools like in-app live streaming, quizzes, and interactive widgets can further encourage participation.

By following these steps, you can create an engaging community that drives user retention, improves brand loyalty, and enhances the overall experience on your platform.

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If you want to integrate community-based live chat or other social tools into your website or app, fill out the form below. We will help you find the best solution for your engagement strategy.