Why Online Group Chat is Important for your website

According to the latest statistics, the Facebook family of apps garners over 2.96 billion active users per month worldwide. Out of those, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are the leading messaging apps in terms of the active user base. 

These stats give us an idea about the sheer popularity of instant messaging and how we are making use of it. This communication model has seen an unparalleled rise since the pandemic hit. It shows that online chat communication can get a massive boost when the going gets tough.

Today, online chatting is much more than a means to maintain personal connections. It has become an indispensable tool for businesses to enhance customer experience and drive engagement. Consequently, online group chats have climbed up the popularity ladder to

become a crucial part of websites. What earlier used to be a way for friends to hang out has become a business tool for customers to connect in real time. Online group chats offer a platform to share, collaborate, discuss, and innovate. 

‍So, let’s take a look at the perks of having an online group chat for a website.

Benefits of Online Group Chat

There are a lot of practical benefits that come with integrating an online group chat for a website. 

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So, here’s a list of all the possible benefits of an online group chat that you can tap from them:

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Multitasking

It is possible to have many chats with different groups of individuals at the same time using group chat. For example, an investment broker can establish a separate group chat session for different types of investments for different customers. On a phone or video conference call, it would be impossible to talk to many people about multiple issues at the same time. Indeed, many organizations utilize chatting to supplement conference calls or Web-based presentations since it allows presenters to speak while questions and audience discussions are handled in a chat window.

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No dependence on third-party platforms

Suppose you run a website and need an online group chat feature for your users. While the obvious way out would be to link up with a third-party platform, your users would have to leave your site every time they want to connect. In addition, it would redirect traffic to the third-party chat platform and be an annoyance to users. But, a group chat plugin integrated into the website will hook your users to your site only..

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Round-the-clock connectivity

Well, this one’s a no-brainer. Group chats offer the easiest and most affordable way to connect people from all over the world. Plus, with the chat rooms integrated into the website, users can browse your site while interacting with others in their network. What’s more, this real-time communication will be independent of time zones. So, whenever any user has any query regarding your products or services, all they have to do is head to your website and start a conversation through online chat for the website.

Group chat for websites can help your users communicate with each other, share opinions, and discuss products and services of common interest. It will help build brand trust and loyalty. As a result, there will be a significant boost in engagement. More engagement means your business will gain a prominent standing in the digital space.

User Retention

Online group chats can be a great way to retain users who feel themselves ‘one’ with the group.  Group chats are personal. When you share opinions and engage in discussions, you create a bond with other humans. Eventually, this bond (or the feeling of bonding better and growing via social interactions) compels participants to come back for more. Setting up a group chat for the website is the easiest way to bond with customers and retain them for a lifetime.

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Control over Customizations

Third-party chat platforms leave you with minimal scope for customizations. But with a built-in group chat for the website, you can help make the user experience better. Since you’ll be the admin of your website’s group chat rooms, you can easily manage the customizations and settings as needed. Plus, you can use a variety of moderation tools to set limits on users’ behavior. For example, you can ban the sharing of inappropriate links or the use of abusive language.

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Opportunity to monetize

Group chats come with monetization features through ads and membership schemes. Monetized group chat for websites is beneficial for organizations to generate profits. You can create membership levels, give premium access to certain website features, or charge money per message. Plus, you can do affiliate marketing and make money by running ads in the groups.

Learning and Collaboration

Finally, one benefit of the group talking that is frequently overlooked due to client needs and requests for improved productivity is the chance for learning and cooperation that comes with group chatting. Allowing several clients to interact with each other in a group chat setting, for example, allows you as a business owner to learn from them in terms of their mutual interests and concerns. On the other hand, being able to chat in a group setting with your suppliers, partners, workers, and peers allows you to share your experiences while learning from others.

What if You Don’t Have Group Chat Rooms on Your Website?

It’s pretty clear from our previous discussion what you’ll stand to lose if you don’t have the group chat for the website. Still, here’s a brief look into the downsides of not creating an online group chat for your website:

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Loss of credibility

Your average user base can increase and stay engaged when you have the feature of a group chat for the website. For a visitor, a group chat is an indicator that this website has other ‘human’ beings who can be reached out to via group chats. It also shows that you care about the human ‘element’ in a website and do not mind users talking amongst each other (even if they badmouth the website itself!). It’s a sign that you care for the user and have gone the extra mile to let them speak and interact with other members - building a thriving community within a website. 

But without a group chat for the website, achieving this level of credibility would be a tough feat! For example, a live chat is generally programmed to make automated responses. Since live chats are created more for problem-solving purposes, the responses would also be mechanical and geared more towards problem-solving rather than creating a bond with the users. Users may feel that a genuine effort has not been made to create and maintain a truly user-interactive website. After all, they would be only responding to automated replies, making the website seem less credible.

Reduced user engagement 

Group chats are a great way to ensure that your users engage with your brand. It gives users a reason to go back to your website because they can connect with others who also take an interest in your brand. Plus, group chats allow AMAs, webinars, and video conferences which are invaluable tools to draw users. Conversely, the absence of a group chat for the website features will lead to a sharp drop in engagement.

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Lower connectivity

With group chats, you can rest assured that users can always reach out for help to fellow users on the network. Also, group chats introduce a collaborative feature where users can interact with each other, share ideas, discuss, and have fun. Without this feature, your website will turn into a lifeless platform with almost no real-time user participation.

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Get Started With AtomChat

Looking for a feature-loaded group chat plugin for your website? Then look no further! AtomChat’s group chat plugin lets you integrate private chat, group chat, audio calls, and video calls into your website. That’s not all. AtomChat plugin for group chat for websites goes a step ahead to include functionalities like whiteboards, multilingual chat, and translation to reinforce user participation and engagement. Additional features like white-label apps, tiered access, and a powerful admin panel make community, forum, social network, and website building super smooth.