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  2. Live chat statistics and trends

Live chat statistics and trends

Live chat is becoming increasingly popular as a customer service channel, with businesses using multiple systems to handle the volume of chats. Chatbots can resolve most of these chats, reducing the workload for agents. Customers appreciate live chat because it provides real-time assistance, and businesses can increase revenue by reducing cart abandonment. The average live chat queue length is just under six minutes, and agents can usually be reached within ten seconds if there is no queue. Businesses are seeing an average of 5% conversion rates from live chat, with companies receiving 50-100 visits per day. Mobile-friendly chat widgets and proactive chat support are becoming more prevalent, with 53% of chats initiated through mobile.
Live chat reps use multiple systemsAverage number of chats resolved by 1 agent each dayChatbots can resolve most chatsCustomers abandon carts because they lack real-time assistanceAverage live chat queue lengthThe time it takes to reach a live chat agentLive chat conversionLive chat leadsDaily number of live chat usersAverage live chat session timeMobile live chatsChat transfersLive chat resolution ratesResponse times on live chat vs. other channels3 hoursLive chat response timesUnanswered chatsAverage number of chats per monthProactive chats that receive a responseLive chat response speed affecting purchasesLive chat boosting loyaltyCost per chatAverage chat returnNumber of chat widgets per companyChat timeIdle timeChat abandonment rateChat answer speedsAverage after chat work timeLive chat first contact resolution ratesLive chat requests to switch channelsThe average number of answered chatsNumber of chat transfers before resolutionLive chat CSATLive chat NPSLive chat CESPost-chat happiness ratingsChats responded to vs. solvedDaily chats vs. tickets on other channelsNumber of messages exchanged on live chat every month
Live chat statistics and trends

Customers and service providers appreciate live chat because it reduces ticket volume and provides immediate solutions. Consequently, companies who realize live chat’s value place an average of 1.2  mobile-friendly chat widgets on their websites for real-time and proactive chat support (more than 53% of live chats are initiated through mobile).

Tyche estimates that 22% of customers abandon their shopping carts due to a lack of real-time assistance, resulting in significant revenue losses for businesses. Live chat can solve this problem. 

Instead of searching through a knowledge base or waiting for an email response, users can simply click on the chat button while browsing your site and receive immediate help.

The popularity of the communication channel is evident in the number of daily visitors (50-100), the number of messages exchanged between customers and businesses (12,000 a month), and the average number of chats per month (600). If we break down these statistics further, they equate to 50 conversations per day, with the average agent resolving 14.2 chats per day.

Typically, help desk agents spend up to two hours and 45 minutes resolving chats each day. The remaining time is usually spent solving other tickets or being idle (on average, companies pay employees one hour of idle time per shift.)

The average live chat session is 11 minutes and 15 seconds long. This includes transfers, waiting times between responses, and after-chat work time. According to our research, a total of 5 conversations are transferred per day on average. The number of transfers before ticket resolution is usually 0-1, depending on the company’s procedures. In terms of wrap-up tasks, they typically take 10 minutes on average.

By providing agents with help desk systems, companies can significantly reduce the time it takes to handle chats and complete tasks. At present, 80% of live chat representatives must access multiple systems to get the information they need, significantly affecting their productivity and efficiency. 

Moreover, help desk systems also ensure chats are routed and assigned to the proper agents, reducing waiting times for customers. According to our research, live chat sessions are initiated within 10 seconds if there’s no queue. If one other person is waiting in the queue, it takes approximately 2 minutes, 5 minutes with 2-4 people waiting, and 10+ minutes if five or more people are waiting in line.

The average live chat queue length is 5 minutes and 57 seconds. However, some customers consider this too long, with 28.1% of all customers abandoning chat queues. 

#ChatRepresentatives
#MultipleSystems

80%

of live chat representatives have to access multiple systems to get the information they need. CCW Digital
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#ChatsResolved

One agent resolves an average of

14.2

chats per day

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#Chatbots

More than

80%

of chat sessions could be resolved by a chatbot.

Accenture

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#CustomersAbandonCarts

22%

of customers abandon shopping carts due to a lack of real-time assistance.

Tyche Softwares

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#ChatQueueLength

The average live chat
queue time is

5 min

and 57 seconds.

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#TimeToReachAgent

A live agent can usually be reached within 10 seconds when there’s no queue,

in 2 minutes if only one person is waiting in line,
in 5 minutes when 2 to 4 people are waiting,

and in more than 10 minutes when there are five or more people in line.

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#ConversionRate

An average live chat conversion rate is

5%

and may be affected by the brand, the website design, or the industry market. 

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#LiveChatLeads

Live chat captures an average of

30 leads

per day. Surveymonkey
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#LiveChatUsers

Live chats at larger companies receive about

50-100

visits per day.

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#ChatSessionTime

The average chat duration is

11 min

and 15 seconds.

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#MobileChats

53.1%

of chats are initiated via mobile.

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#ChatTransfers
#TransferPerDay

There are

5 chat

transfers per day on average. LiveAgent
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#ResolutionRates

Live chat has a

90%

resolution rate. The majority of the live chats are either resolved immediately or by email.

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#ResponseTimes

Live chat’s response time is often the same as call center service, usually within a few seconds if an agent is online. Social media and email support’s response time is typically

3 hours

sometimes even 24 hours. 

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#ResponseTimes

The fastest response time on chat is around

5 sec

the average is around 15 seconds, and anything above 30 seconds is considered slow.

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#UnansweredChats

The number of unanswered live chats is almost

zero.

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#ChatsPerMonth

The average number of chat sessions per month is

600

Accenture

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#ProactiveChats

The conversion rate for proactive chats is around

1%

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#ResponseSpeed
#IncreasePurchase

A faster response speed can increase purchase rates by

0.5%

CCW Digital

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Once a live chat is in session, agents are quick to answer customer questions. According to industry benchmarks, the fastest response time on chat is around 5 seconds, the average around 15 seconds, and everything more than 30 seconds is considered slow.

If the agent assisting a customer on live chat doesn’t know how to help them, they’ll usually follow up via email. There are generally only up to 10 requests per day to be contacted via different channels. However, chats are never left unanswered.

Compared to other communication channels, live chat is relatively faster, which is why it makes up 15% of all customer communications. If agents are available, the response time for live chat is usually within a few seconds, similar to call centers. On the other hand, social media and email support are generally slower, with customers receiving replies within 3 hours and sometimes even after 24 hours.

Due to its speed, convenience, and high-resolution rates, live chat users report an 81.2% satisfaction rate, a customer effort score of 7, and a net promoter score of +40. In addition, most customers rate their live chat experiences a 9 out of 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.

According to our data, the average live chat first contact resolution rate is 75%. The total resolution rate is 90%, and the ratio of tickets that have been opened to closed is 9.5 to 10. Despite being a great support channel, live chat is also a highly effective lead gathering tool. On average, live chat widgets can identify 30 new, unique leads per day. However, this varies based on the number of website visits, quality of web content, CTAs, and industry. With new leads come new sales opportunities. The live chat conversion rate is around 5% on average. Live chat also increases loyalty, which, in turn, increases sales by about 5%, with the average chat return for a single chat being 1.5. Interestingly enough, live chat response speed affects purchases marginally (by 0.5% only), and proactive chats have a low conversion rate (1%). Despite being loved by both customers and agents, live chat is a costly communication tool. Live chat resolution costs are usually three times higher than email/social media support and two times cheaper than a call center. However, companies can reduce live chat resolution costs through the use of chatbots. According to Accenture, more than 80% of chat sessions can be resolved by a chatbot. 

#BoostingLoyalty

A live chat boosts sales by around

5%

on average, which leads to an increased sense of customer loyalty.

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#CostPerChat

A live chat ticket price is usually

3x higher

than an email or social media ticket and around 2x lower than a call center ticket.

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#ChatReturn

The average return for a single chat is about

1.5

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#ChatWidgets

The average number of chat widgets per company is approximately

1.2

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#ChatTime

Every agent spends an average of

2h 45min

on chat each day.

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#IdleTime

The company pays its employees an average idle time of

one hour

per shift.

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#AbandonmentRate
#ChatQueues

28.1%

of all customers abandon chat queues.

LiveChat

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#AnswerSpeeds

The average speed of an answer is

15 sec

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#ChatWorkTime

It takes an average of

10 min

to do wrap-up work after a live chat session.

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#ResolutionRates

The first contact resolution rate for live chat is

75%

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#RequestsToSwitchChannels

Each day, up to

10 live

chatters request to be contacted via different channels.

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#AnsweredChats

The average number of chats answered per day is

50.

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#ChatTransfers

Most companies transfer live chats between

0 to 1

times before the chat is resolved.

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#CSAT
#SatisfactionRate

Live chat users report an

81.2%

satisfaction rate. LiveChat
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#NPS

The average NPS score for live chat is

+40

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#CES

The average customer effort score for live chat is

+7

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#HappinessRatings

On average,

9/10

people are satisfied after a live chat session.

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#RespondedToVsSolved

Each day, up to

9,5
to 10

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#DailyChats

Chats usually make up

15%

of all communication.

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#MessagesExchangedViaChat

On average, there are

12,000

messages exchanged via live chat every month.

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Table of content
Customer service statistics
Call center statistics
Help desk statistics
Live chat statistics
Knowledge base statistics

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