In recent years the growing trend of social media has led to a boom in the Web chat industry. In 2015 the number of people who had reported using a live web chat service at least once to answer a question on a company’s website overtook the number of people who had never used live web chat. This growth has continued in tandem with the growth and popularity of social media apps such as WhatsApp and Snapchat. The uptake among the 18-30 demographic is even higher; guaranteeing that live web chat is here to stay for the foreseeable future and for some time to come.
Online customers are now almost twice as likely to use live chat than to email a query. However, research shows that only 9% of businesses currently use live web chat on their website. The web chat industry is forecast to grow by a staggering 87% in the next 12-18 months alone, which reflects the growing trend for businesses starting to recognise that email is now the alternative option for communication, rather than the preferred.
