Chat Feature and Web Design: Another Future Trend

chat feature on website

Chat Feature and Web Design: Another Future Trend

By: Jamie Fitzgibbons, CRS Web Designs

The chat feature is an emerging trend in web design. With the evolution of text-based communication, it seems apparent to me that people don’t like to talk on the phone that much anymore. Sure, there are people who do. I recently remember a friend getting a call and they just put the person on speaker phone and continued playing chess as the caller continued to spill out gossip. But, that is no longer the norm. In fact, people seem to prefer the expedience of delivering only what is needed via a text-based communication. The same is true in the internet business world.

One example is the food/pizza business in Boston, MA. I have worked with a number of pizza shops. They all say the same thing: online ordering is absolutely massive. I never understood how it was easier to fill out forms then just pick up the phone and tell someone. Regardless, it is an industry juggernaut that is not slowing down. Why? People are shying away from the phone in favor of text on the internet. Maybe they want to avoid the minutiae of small talk. Maybe they just want to get to the point.  You probably have your own answer as you place your dinner order online tonight.

Regardless of the reason, the result is that a website can no longer rely on the phone as the primary medium of communication with their call to action. Contact forms have been around for a while. But, in the future I think chat is going to be one of the best forms of client-to-business owner communication.

Facebook Messenger has become huge on the business side of websites because it allows business owners to be able to instantly connect with the customer. For many businesses, this made their current website less appealing. They would have to check the email, hit send and wait. People want instant response. Email does not have the urgency of a chat. After you send a chat message on your Facebook, 30 seconds seems like eternity for a response if you are having a conversation. Email? Who cares, take your time. Getting a reply in 5 minutes seems fast. But with chat, this expectation of instant response is not only doable, it is expected when you see a chat feature.

Example? Talk to us on our chat feature on CRSwebdesigns.com. You type. We answer instantly every time. You don’t need to sign into your email and wait. This is an emerging trend in the best websites. It’s not the norm yet, but it will be. Get on board early and “wow” your customers with instant service to people who don’t want to wait or talk on the phone.

You can get a chat feature no problem. It even links to your phone! Call us 617.304.3893 or better yet, send us a message straight from our homepage using the chat feature!

Speaking of chatting look for me on Skype: crswebdesigns