Making use of Google’s free live chat function

If you have ever searched for a business on Google, you may have discovered the panel that opens on the right-hand side of your screen. This panel provides you with a quick overview of the business, including opening hours, photographs, location, and even when you last visited. Also contained in that box, depending on the options chosen by the business, are links to view the website, make a call, or even enter live chat.

‍

The Google live chat function is a relatively new service that brings together several Google tools. Businesses need to opt into this powerful product via the "My Business" dashboard. However, once set up, it provides a fantastic way to connect with potential and current customers in real-time

‍

Of course, once you enable live chat, you need to be sure to have staff available to respond to the queries in real-time.

‍

Automating Live Chat

There is an alternative. Using Google's Business Messages and a chatbot platform such as Google’s DialogFlow, it is possible to set up an automated series of responses, i.e. a chatbot, that can handle customer queries automatically. This chatbot will welcome your customers, ask them qualifying questions and even collect contact information for you to follow up later.

‍

This is probably the most potent option for using Google's chat, providing businesses with a way to satisfy customers' need for near-instant information. This chatbot can perform 2-way conversations to help field basic questions and queries and provide qualified sales links, leaving your staff free to deal with more complex issues.

‍

‍

So why should your business include this function? Unlike live chat functionality accessed through your website, customers do not even need to visit your page to access the live chat link. We term this a no-click interaction, where the user can obtain all the information they require through 2-way chat and not from clicking into your site and digging through pages of information.

‍

‍

Google is, as ever, actively pushing to make its results the only thing customers need to answer all their queries. Companies that do not enable the live chat function sacrifice an easy route for engaging with customers.

‍

‍

Implementing the Live Chat Change

While enabling the live chat function is simple, automating the chat responses in the likes of DialogFlow is certainly not non-technical. It is recommended that businesses seek specialists to help them bridge the gap between Business Messages, DialogFlow, and their chosen CRM platforms. Here at Disruption Works, we are actively creating an out-of-box bridging solution for customers that is significantly more accessible for most users to implement conversational ai into the Google live chat and Business Messages process.

‍

‍

The importance of embracing each Google function cannot be overstated. For example, by implementing the live chat and Business Message opportunity, you also open your business up to the possibility of customers finding you through voice searches via Google Assistant enabled devices. The world opens up significantly as you enter the entity that is the Google business ecosystem, which can be transformative for your organisation.

‍

‍

If you would like to discuss how to fully automate your Google live chat implementation, get in touch, we'll be happy to provide you with guidance on this rapidly evolving topic.

‍