Read time: 6 minutes.
Most businesses already lean heavily on their websites as marketing tools, but many are failing to equip them for something equally important: direct customer communication. Having done the hard work of driving traffic to their sites, these businesses are then sending customers away to speak to sales and support through other channels. There may be valid reasons for doing this, but when it’s possible to provide customers with faster and more convenient service while keeping them on site, it makes sense to do so.
When businesses do support direct communication through their websites, it’s most often through an embedded webchat widget. This makes it easy for customers to start the conversation whenever they’re ready. They simply click on a chat box and start typing, and an agent, or chatbot, gets back to them right there. Webchat, or “live chat” as it’s also known, is an incredibly effective way to ramp up the speed and convenience of customer support and engagement. But it’s not the only means of supporting direct customer communication through a website. For every ten companies offering webchat on their sites, there are only one or two that offer the perfect complement to it: webcalling. Webcalling does just what its name suggests: it lets customers call a business directly from a webpage, usually with a single click. In this article, we’ll explore why this “click-to-call” technology is becoming increasingly popular.
Webcalling is voice calling embedded in a web page. It makes it possible for customers to easily initiate a call to a business through their web browsers. They don’t have to download anything, switch devices, or even leave the page they’re browsing. Instead of copying down a number and dialling it manually, they click a single button, and are connected to someone who can help them.
From a customer’s perspective, the experience with webcalling is almost effortless. It saves them time, and costs them nothing. Since webcalling often integrates with webchat in a single floating widget, customers can usually choose if and when they want to escalate the communication from chat to voice.
From a business’s standpoint, webcalling transforms site traffic into inbound calls and serious leads.
A webcall is received in the same way as a normal inbound phone call – it can be routed into any phone system, to ring on any phone number. Businesses can even set up routing plans for calls based upon the visitor’s location or their behaviour on the site: the pages they’ve visited and how long they’ve spent there.
So does this really make webcalling a game-changer? Let’s look at the alternative. A customer is browsing your site from their laptop. They’re intrigued by what they see there, and decide to make contact. They search for a number, find it eventually, and type it into their phone. The number is geographically restricted, but luckily, in this case, it won’t cost them too much to place the call. They dial the right number, and the call is answered by a support agent. The support agent has no idea who’s calling, or what the call might be about, so the customer has some explaining to do. The agent listens, and then transfers the customer to a colleague who should be able to help.
Webcalling is, in short, everything this isn’t. Frictionless, free, and context-informed. As we’ll see in the next section, “click-to-call” functionality can provide a range of benefits not only for customers, but businesses, too.
Webcalling improves the overall customer experience through the sheer convenience it offers. It does a great job of removing barriers to calling. Customers can stay on whichever device they’re using, and there’s nothing to download, which alleviates any concerns about installing malicious software. Businesses that offer webcalling typically see better scores in customer effort surveys, as it smoothes the way to accessing support.
A single click is enough to start a call. Since there’s no need to copy and paste numbers or dial them from a different device, customers save time. On top of that, the call goes straight through to someone who can help them.
There are no calling charges. This makes webcalling especially attractive for international customers.
Webcalling brings the customer service voice channel online. Customers have an additional point of contact – one that works cross-platform on all their devices.
Simply by browsing the different pages of a website, customers are effectively pre-routing themselves. They’ll be automatically connected to the right person if they initiate a webcalling session. They won’t need to say what page they’re on, or navigate phone trees to find someone who’s ready to help them.
Webcalling helps businesses transform web traffic into sales. Studies have shown that site visitors are considerably more likely to initiate contact when a click-to-call button is present. And when visitors can reach out to businesses directly after engaging with content, they’re more likely to convert.
A click-to-call button lets customers know that you are reachable when they need you, which does a lot to build trust.
When support agents can see where customers are coming from and gain some initial context, they can provide more personalised support. The outcome is improved first contact resolution rates, and in turn, higher levels of customer satisfaction.
Unlike traditional phone systems, webcalling doesn’t require any expensive hardware installations. It’s easy and inexpensive to implement, and also to maintain.
While a normal telephone call is confined by its nature to being single-channel, webcalling is often deployed within a framework that makes it easy to move from live chat to a voice call, and from there to video, screen sharing or co-browsing.
When you can see where your customers arrive from, you can map their support journeys end-to-end, and see how individual pages contribute to your inbound call traffic. If a page isn’t generating the leads you would have expected, you have the chance to rework the content, visuals or layout as necessary.
Most of these benefits apply cross-industry and for businesses of all sizes, not just large enterprises.
By embedding webcalling on their sites, smaller businesses also stand to gain. For local service providers, such as beauty salons, spas, travel agencies, and garages, a click-to-call feature can make it faster and easier for clients to book appointments and get any support they need.
Webcalling is indeed a game-changer in customer communication. From increasing sales to improving customer experience, there’s a lot to be said in its favour. By offering customers click-to-call functionality, businesses can ensure they stay competitive in an environment that increasingly prizes speed and ease of service.
To get the most out of webcalling, it’s best to choose a platform that integrates it as part of an omnichannel customer engagement strategy. And of course, we’d like to humbly propose our own solution. Floji is an all-in-one collaboration and customer support platform that lets you talk, meet, message and provide customer support from one beautiful dashboard. Getting started with Floji couldn’t be easier. And what’s more, you can stay on a free plan for as long as you like, with all core features included. Sign up for a free Floji account today, and you’ll be able to offer webcalling and webchat across your site in no time.