‘Make a difference to whom?’, you may ask, ‘and in what way?’. Excellent questions, I like your inquiring mind. Let’s clear this up right away. In this post, I’d like to discuss certain live chat features that make a difference to everyone involved in using the software. From site admins, in terms of the level of control they have over what’s going on, to actual users, regarding how they interact with you and each other. There are multiple live chats available in the market and it may not be easy to choose the one that fits you best. Let’s take a closer look at one of them in particular, and the combination of unique features it offers, to see if it meets your requirements.
The one specific widget I’d like to focus on is Chatwee – a super easy to install group live chat with plenty of customization options.
Now, what is it that you pay the most attention to, when looking for new software to incorporate into your operations? Is it the price? Is it the design? Or is it the features it offers? The two former aspects are highly important, no doubt about it. However, I do reckon that the particular live chat features will play the most important role in your decision regarding adding a new real time interaction tool to your website.
A number of live chat features will surely be shared by multiple providers. Other will make certain platforms stand out. Stay with me to learn what functionalities Chatwee has to offer, that make it worthy of your consideration (and a free, totally non-binding trial, perhaps?).
Full URL
Alright, let’s start with the ways you can present Chatwee to your site visitors. There are two main display modes – a fixed tab (default and the most frequently used mode) and a chat box (which you can embed anywhere on the site).
You can, however, set up a separate, full-screen chat room as well.
There’s the so-called Full URL available in your Dashboard, which you can use to create anchor text anywhere on your site, that will link to the full-screen chat room, or set up a dedicated menu tab, for example, which will perform the same function.
The full-screen live chat feature may be a good option if you wish to keep the visitor interaction somewhat separate from the rest of your site, and also not have an extra element on your homepage, in case you find that to be an issue.
Welcome cloud
If a distinct chat room isn’t something you’re after, and instead, you prefer to go with a handy chat tab, sitting at the bottom of the page, ready to be used, you might want to enable a special prompt to boost the engagement of your site visitors.
This is one of those live chat feature that may come in especially handy if you’re seeing a lot of new traffic to your site. In other words, people visiting your virtual premises for the first time.
What you can do with it is devise an interesting, intriguing, or catchy slogan to proactively encourage people to join the conversation. Mind you, it only shows to actual first-time visitors. After someone has already been to your website, cookies will make sure to not display the prompt again.
Flags
I’ve been discussing the importance of online communities on this blog a lot, and this is somewhat a related topic.
If you happen to be running a website focused on attracting and keeping loyal members, this is one of Chatwee’s unique live chat features that adds a little extra flair to the community.
It allows you to show you’re hosting an international circle of people on your site, which may have certain advantages of its own to the members involved (meeting new people, learning about foreign cultures, polishing up on foreign languages, etc.). On the other hand, you can always switch the flags off if you’d prefer to not disclose the geographical location of the users for whatever reason.
File and link sharing
Among live chat features that any site should find useful are file sharing and link sharing, including image and video previews.
What this functionality does, is it enhances the quality of interaction between your site visitors with another layer of not strictly verbal communication possibilities.
Also, the easy file sharing can serve as a sort of a substitute to email for light files (the limit for a single file you can upload in Chatwee is 1 MB), so that users don’t have to switch tabs to send another chat user a file. And speaking of image and video previews, make sure to post their original URLs, do not confuse this feature with file sharing.
Powerful moderation
Essential live chat features you should be looking for with any provider include powerful moderation options.
Using Chatwee group chat widget, admins can enforce bans and blocks directly in the chat window, without having to leave the widget.
Moreover, you can set profanity filters if you wish to keep the conversation really clean, as well as user name filters, to prevent cases of stolen identity and such. If you happen to be troubled by a particularly rogue user, you can always resort to an IP ban, which can be easily administered in the Dashboard.
There are multiple moderators you can assign, the exact number depending on the plan you have. You may need them for some major live event, like a Q&A session with a guest, or simply because you’re experiencing a significant volume of traffic on a regular basis and want to keep things clean.
Single Sign-on
Last but not least, we have Single Sign-on, which is one of the most useful live chat features for sites with established online communities.
Basically, once implemented, it allows your website members to log in to their site accounts and automatically pop up in the chat as well.
This is definitely a UX booster and a convenience for your site members, who no longer have to log in twice to chat with others.
Final word on live chat features
As you can see, some of the most handy live chat features available with Chatwee can really be difference makers for both – website owners and actual chat users.
These functionalities address issues such as user experience, communication and interaction quality, as well as allow admins to keep things in check. On top of that, there’s plenty of other customization options that involve fonts and colors, log in methods, and privacy settings.
Why not explore them all for yourself by signing up for free with no commitments whatsoever today at Chatwee.com? Let me know if you have any doubts or questions down in the comments, or tweet me @Chatwee
