Introducing Dokan Multivendor Live Chat Plugin For WordPress Marketplaces
Live Chats are a hallmark of eCommerce today. When people talk about online shopping, they presume live chatting features also. Live Chats provide a faster problem resolution method and removes communication barriers between vendors and customers. Marketplace owners can vouch for the value the live chat feature brings. Consequently, it's one of the most demanded and sought for elements of an online marketplace.
Dokan Pro v2.8.2 will introduce the all new Live Chat module for the first time very soon. The Dokan Live Chat Plugin for WordPress Marketplaces is a premium module of Dokan Multivendor. This is an attribute our users have been patiently waiting for.
Previously, we have discussed the benefits of live chat for an eCommerce. Live chats are not only a faster communication means for sellers and customers, they are also preferred by buyers. Customers get to reach your vendors instantly and talk without having to wait. The real-time quality of live chats builds reliability and authenticity of the business in the minds of customers and creates a feeling of trust. Customers feel more confident about purchasing and rely on agents to solve their issues. It helps to build transparency of the business and create happier customers.
In this way, live chats help customer service agents to convert more visitors into clients and increase sales.
Dokan Live Chat features in a nutshell
Grant a better user experience to your vendors and customers with this great messaging tool. To be able to achieve this, the new module has it all figured out for you:
- Real-time messaging between merchants and buyers
- Email and push notifications
- File transfers & location sharing
- Unlimited users, unlimited messages
- Dashboard with full conversation history
How to configure Live Chat feature in few easy steps
The Dokan Live Chat module has settings for both Admins and Vendors.
Admins have to enable the live chat option from the global settings page for all vendors and configure the Chat Now button for all store and product pages. Whereas, vendors simply have to activate the live chat from dashboard for their own store.
The process of doing it is very simple and easy. All you need to do is a few clicks.
1. First, Admins need to turn on the module Live Chat.
2. After this, navigate to Dokan>Settings>Live Chat.
3. Now, activate the checkbox Enable Live Chat between seller and customer to allow vendors and customers to access this feature from the frontend.
4. Obtain the AppID and App Secret from your free or premium TalkJS account and paste it on the Admin Settings page.
5. Configure the Chat button for both store and product pages accordingly. Then click on Save Changes.
6. Finally, the Vendor has to simply activate the checkbox from the frontend settings of his dashboard to Enable Live Chat. This completes the process!
Integration with TalkJS
Dokan Live Chat is powered by one of the established and popular messaging platforms, TalkJS. Due to its rich number of capabilities and all that it allows merchants and end-users to do, TalkJS has stood out as the ideal chat tool for Dokan Multivendor-powered marketplaces.
To be precise, the Live Chat is an integration of Dokan Multivendor Pro with TalkJS. And in order to run it, you would need to have a TalkJS account. When you have the premium license for TalkJS, it will open up a host of actions for your online marketplace that will benefit both merchants and customers.
Talk from anywhere with the Live Chat pop-up
The function's interactive design allows customers to browse without fear of losing his conversation. Anywhere around the store the customer is browsing, the chat box modal window will remain within his view and on the same side of the screen. So it won't close from view without the user doing it himself.
And the same flexibility has been allowed to vendors: browse, chat, and move around the site as you desire while responding to customers.
Thus, both vendors and customers will be able to bring the chat into focus from anywhere on the webstore.
Inbox to store all conversations
The Inbox in Vendor Dashboard contains the full conversation history with all customers. This archive safely and securely stores all messages so that your vendors can get back to a conversation whenever they want.
The TalkJS Inbox View is a well-designed, easy-to-use interface. It shows your merchants all conversations with their customers and also lets them respond directly from the dashboard.
View on Store Page
Customers will be able to initiate live chats from the vendor store page if the owner has enabled it from the Admin settings.
Product Page View
Registered users can also start a conversation with a vendor from any product page.
There are two ways to display chat buttons on product pages. This can be Above the Product Tab or Inside the Product Tab. The Product Tab displays all the detail and additional information about the item being viewed and the vendor who is selling it.
Admins need to configure which view they want to allow for his marketplace stores.
Above Product Tab View
Inside Product Tab View
Email & Desktop Notifications
When vendors are offline or away from their browser, they will receive email notifications for offline messages they receive.
Similarly, customers will be informed by email when a vendor sends a message while he is offline. All the admin needs to do is configure from the TalkJS account a little tweak to get started.
Vendors and customers can choose to reply to the mail directly or through the live chat platform. The integration ensures speedy and reliable delivery.
Push notifications on desktop allow vendors to stay up-to-date and respond quickly while doing other things.
These two features coming from the TalkJS integration keeps your users aware and in the loop.
Attach images and files on message
If you are using the premium account of TalkJS, you will be able to send and receive attachments, such as, images, PDFs, Word, spreadsheets and a lot more directly from the live chat window.
Customers can send screenshots or images of products they are looking for or problems they are facing.
These attachments can be opened on the same window just by clicking on it. The file will open at the back in a new modal window.
Wrapping up
It must be noted here that Dokan has the Store Support and Product Enquiry modules that are also customer support and service features. Store Support requires creating a ticket and is only available for existing customers. On the other hand, Product Enquiry is a mainly a simple email form and is primarily for users with non-urgent queries who don't mind waiting.
Unlike these modules, however, Live Chat for Dokan provides instant communication between user and the merchant.
Customers feel they are interacting with real people, and receive quick answers and solutions which they won't from help desk tickets or contact forms. It's also a convenient method accessible for both registered users and existing clients.
Thus, with Dokan Live Chat you get to bridge the conversation gap and bring a lot more to your marketplace:
- Allow your vendors to manage communications with customers.
- Let your buyers connect instantly with merchants and creators of a product or service.
- Let buyers get the feel that they are talking to and purchasing from real people.
- Reduce unnecessary costs on phone calls.
- Save productive time of vendors from repetitive support tickets, and back and forth email communications with users.
- Provide faster solutions and answers to users who are interested in a certain product or service.
- Convert visitors into paying customers more easily with real-time conversations.
- Increase sales and happy customers.
The feature is brand new and set to grow to new heights with your feedback and support. So give it a try, let us know your thoughts, and keep an eye on the new developments!
