Would Popping In Freak You Out?

[Allen Graves]

I have a feature on my webstats program (Woopra) that allows you to "Start a conversation" with a visitor while they are on your site.

It pops up a little window on the bottom right corner with a message that you type to try and get a conversation going.

Question...would that freak you out? Has this ever happened to you before?

AL

[Rachel Goodchild]

Originally Posted by Allen Graves

I have a feature on my webstats program (Woopra) that allows you to "Start a conversation" with a visitor while they are on your site.

It pops up a little window on the bottom right corner with a message that you type to try and get a conversation going.

Question...would that freak you out? Has this ever happened to you before?

AL

ha! can you say sometihng like...

STOP PICKING YOUR NOSE!
or...

NICE DRESSING GOWN

[Jesus Perez]

Yes. Especially if you know the referring site.

[Allen Graves]

Yes, I do know the referring site, usually.

Why do you say that?

AL

[Frank Bruno]

I used to use a live chat software years ago that allowed me to communicate with my customers in real time.

I was able to initiate chats by seeing the visitors arrive at my site.

I was always wondering the same thing if it would freak them out but I did it occasionally anyways.

This was an extremely high traffic site and there is no way I could communicate with everybody who landed on the pages.

However I think the concept is awesome. And if there was such thing as outsourcing back then I would have somebody do it for me. LOL

Frank Bruno

[Flyingpig7]

Hello Allen,
Blimy yes I think that would freak me especially if you have no warning displayed on your website. Technology never ceases to amaze me or the marketing ideas. (privately I love it!)

The other thing I would have to say is I'm deaf I do have difficulty hearing some vids,(youtube is terrible) so there could be a few limitations to using this method.

Hope that helps you Allen.

Keren

[Michael Oksa]

It may or not freak me out, but I would use it on my forum if possible.

Sometimes when I am at my forum and see a memebr is there, I will send the a PM in the hopes they will read it while we are both on-site, and start a conversation.

I don't think that really answers your question, but I can see the value in it.

~Michael

[Allen Graves]

Thanks all,

Hey Frank, so you think it could help?

I would imagine it could possibly increase conversions if used on a sales page or an opt-in page??????

AL

[twb]

It doesn't freak me out.
I was on the HP website yesterday researching features of an HP printer my daughter was interested in purchasing. A box appeared asking if I would like to chat with a live person. I declined but thought it was a nice option for customer service.

[Frank Bruno]

Originally Posted by Allen Graves

Thanks all,

Hey Frank, so you think it could help?

I would imagine it could possibly increase conversions if used on a sales page or an opt-in page??????

AL

You would have to test it out and I would be interested to hear how works out for you.

One thing that you got to keep in mind is that people are used to seeing those fake chat boxes pop up on them, so they might think it's fake.

But on the other hand you don't want them to think that you're spying on them and freak the hell out of them.

I used to pop up a message on people when they would land on a certain page and say "I notice you're viewing the xxx, if you have any questions let me know I'm a live assistant".

I would say other things like, "if you want to order xxx, I can get it to you within about 10 minutes since I'm live on the site right now, ordinarily would take me up to 24 hours "

Use your imagination and test it out to see how works for you.

Frank Bruno

[Barbara Eyre]

Allen,

I went and looked at Woopra and it looks pretty interesting.

I'm a little confused about the installation process.

Do you have to install the program on your computer, or is that optional ... and what does it do? I'm guessing it's just your Woopra account dashboard for easier access than going to the site and logging in?

For installing the script on your website (not blog) .. you just put the javascript on each page of your site, like you do with Google Analytics and other stats programs?

I am liking the idea of the chat feature. It does say you can have a module of sorts to let folks know there is live help available ... and you can do the stealth-mode chat like mentioned in this thread. Frank brought up good ways to approach that chat feature.

[Kerry Finch]

It would totally freak me out. People like to believe there is a certain anonymity when they are browsing websites - and this has a kind of 1984ish feeling about it.

I like the option of "would you like to talk to a real person?" pop up, and agree its OK for forums, but otherwise, I don't like it.

Regards
Kerry

[TiffanyDow]

It's happened to me twice and freaked me out (as well as annoyed me) both times.

I don't have time to chat when I'm surfing.

What's worse is because I had left a comment on their blog before, they knew who I was...I didn't like it.

Tiff

[Allen Graves]

Originally Posted by Barbara Eyre

Allen,

I went and looked at Woopra and it looks pretty interesting.

I'm a little confused about the installation process.

Do you have to install the program on your computer, or is that optional ... and what does it do? I'm guessing it's just your Woopra account dashboard for easier access than going to the site and logging in?

For installing the script on your website (not blog) .. you just put the javascript on each page of your site, like you do with Google Analytics and other stats programs?

I am liking the idea of the chat feature. It does say you can have a module of sorts to let folks know there is live help available ... and you can do the stealth-mode chat like mentioned in this thread. Frank brought up good ways to approach that chat feature.

Barbara,

Everything you said is correct. The desktop feature allows you to see all the cool graphs and maps and stuff, while the online version pretty much just shows you text (and numbers) data.

You have to wait a few weeks to get accepted into their program and will not be free forever. But when they do start charging, I'm paying!!!

AL

[Ricter]

I'm again' it. Put a box or light bulb on the page that lights up when you're on and available to chat. Die popups die.

: )

[Tuzic]

hi,

yes has happened to me many time bofre & it doesnt freak me out, glad it happens saves me emailing

[Sirius Lin]

I won't be freaked out, because I used to surf around a lot while looking for a webhost, and the middle to high-end hosts almost always have a live chat service. Some of them will initiate a conversation with me, and I think they are psychic or something, because almost everytime the salesperson initiate the conversation, I do have questions to ask. There was only one time where I had to say "just browsing, thanks"

So I'd say it depends on your customer base and if they are familiar with such pop-ups.

~ Sirius

[Allen Graves]

OK, this should be interesting. I am going to watch it today and pop in on a few people who are "acting" like they are serious prospects.

I will update this thread when I get a few results.

LOL - This should be fun.

AL

[Alan Petersen]

It's happened to me before. A few times. Once at a web hosting company site. I find it annoying and left the site. I like to have the option of live chat but at my discretion.

Reading about a product or service and having a window popup asking me if "I need assistance" freaked me out.

I'm looking forward to reading about your results with your test!

[SEO-IM7]

Hmm.. I have ran into a few pop ups in my day
I personally Do not like them. Especially when i'm just relaxing and all of sudden it hits your screen. I prefer clicking on the chat link for myself when I'm ready, not them

SEO-IM7

[Jesus Perez]

If mentioned it can encourage the freak-out factor.

"Hi, welcome to my site. I see you were recently at Amazon.com."

*I look around nervously*

"How's that cheeseburger and fries? Aren't you supposed to be on a diet?"

*I run out the house.*

Originally Posted by Allen Graves

Yes, I do know the referring site, usually.

Why do you say that?

AL

[talfighel]

Hey Al,

You can test it out and see if it is doing you any good. If you see that your visitors actually ignore you then it may not work.

Don't be scared to test.

Tal

[tommygadget]

I would not like it at all. There was a time when something like that would make me jump out of my chair. Most people still have the image of being anonymous on the internet and something that shows them they're not won't be very popular.

TomG.

[Bon508]

Let us know how your test goes, Al.

Personally, I would not like it if I were on a site and such a pop-up appeared. It would make me think I was being spied on... like someone "out there" in Internet land was monitoring my every keystroke. YUK! That would definitely turn me off and I'd never go back to that website.

The alternative that I like better is to have the website visitors be in control of the chat. Have a button that they click to initiate a chat. Many sites do it that way. Less intrusive, but still offers help to those who have questions.

[Scott Ames]

My first reaction would be that its one of those automated scripts and not a real live person. Usually I don't like to be bothered when I am trying to read something. Not everyone would feel like me I'm sure.

I also don't like clerks in stores asking "Is there anything I can help you find?" I like them to be available if I do have a question, but I don't like taking the time to chat with them when I'm busy looking at something.

[DebbieB]

I can answer this from a real-life perspective. A former client tested this out on his ecommerce site which sells high end items. Invariably, visitors have questions before they buy, and they were using the Live Chat feature extensively.

My client wanted to see if offering to chat first made a difference. It did. Let's just say that the test was very short-lived. The response from potential buyers was uniformly negative.

Just one test in one situation. Make of it what you will.

Debbie

[chatwithapro]

This is a great thread... right up my alley!

It is absolutely crucial that Live Chat be used responsibly...
It is only a tool and like any tool it is only as good as the person operating it.

I am a huge Live Chat Enthusiast as it allows visitors to get instant information and remain anonymous as long as they choose to.

The chat invitation can be abused and overused and thus "freak" people out...

Wrong Way: "I see you are on our "x" page, looking at our "x" product and you have been on the page for "x" minutes and you were referred from "x" want to chat?

Right Way: "Hi, you may just be browsing but wanted to let you know that we are available to assist you."
- this tells the visitor that it's ok to keep looking around but that help is available if needed.

Rule of Thumb: Treat a live chat like you would treat an in-person interaction. If someone walked into your store would you swarm them asking them what they want to buy? No, you would greet them and tell them that if they needed assistance you would be happy to help.

ngagelive.com is the only know live chat software that allows you to send custom on-the-fly chat invitation messages... others let you change the message but not on-the-fly in real time.

In Conclusion: Live Chat is a terrific bridge between visitors and operators but just like email it must be used responsibly to be effective.

[AskJesusLeon]

This has happened to me before, they were "fake" though, so I was pretty heated

[Allen Graves]

Awesome, thanks for the info.

AL

p.s. Woopra has on-the-fly custom chat invitation too. And it is free (for now)

[Marhelper]

I agree with Kerry, it would really trip me out. There is a certain surfing anonymity that is assumed and that being violated without warning would be unsettling.

[Zachary R. Skinner]

Yes it would freak me out a little simply because I would not be expecting it.

But I think its pretty good idea. I'd really like to learn more about it actually.

[Allen Graves]

Better hurry if you want Woopra, they are only accepting about 5,000 more websites and those spots are going fast. Then you have to pay for it!

I like chatwithapro's approach of something like this:

"Hi, you may just be browsing but wanted to let you know that we are available to assist you."

That may be about the best way to pop in on someone.

AL

[sylviad]

I'd much rather a chat window that truly does have a live person at the other end. I absolutely hate those stupid boxes that say, "A live person is ready to answer your questions", or something like that. But it isn't a lvie person. It's some computer-generated response system that doesn't answer your questions. Total waste of time.

Now, if you're talking about what I think you are... then, I'd think it would be rather neat. Kind of like walking into a retail outlet and having a sales person come up and make a comment. What I wouldn't like, though, is if the communication was the typical sales staff pitch. "Can I help you with something?" Grrrr! 'no... go away and let me focus'.

Unlike my response if I get a chatty salesperson or another customer who is open to discussing anything interesting... their opinion about a certain product, or where they found a better deal.


Sylvia

[rosetrees]

I know that if something unexpected pops up on one of my client's screens I tell them not to click on it or use it in case it's spyware. I imagine that would be many people's reaction - they wouldn't realise it was a legitimate pop-up. Not only would they not interact with it, they would leave the site and not return as they would believe it to contain spyware.

I guess if you use it you would need to forewarn the customer somehow in a way that would give them confidence to realise it wasn't spyware.

[Allen Graves]

Just as an addition to the OP - The product in question is in the IM niche, so most people would be familiar with the concept.

AL

[chatwithapro]

Al,

I'd love to see Woopra's on-the-fly invitation. Can we coordinate a time when you can give me a demo? I'll come to your site and you can send me the invite.

Thanks,

kcurtis@ngagelive.com
619-489-5556