Virgin Atlantic enhances customer experience with real-time proactive chat

NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPSN), a provider of real-time engagement solutions that increase conversions and improve customer experience, today announces Virgin Atlantic's successful implementation of the LivePerson Chat solution.  

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Virgin Atlantic deployed LP Chat to address two main goals: to enable customers to have their questions answered in real-time online, saving them from emailing or calling, and to improve online ticket sales conversion rates and catch website visitors who were dropping off before completing the booking process. Not only did Virgin Atlantic boost booking conversions and improve customer satisfaction, they reduced costs. By moving customer inquiries away from email and directing them to chat, Virgin Atlantic significantly decreased resolution times and reduced the cost per interaction when compared to email and phone channels.

"LP Chat has become a core feature of our customer service program, particularly in crisis situations, allowing us to reach a large number of customers with personalized support," said John Giddings, General Manager, Virgin Atlantic Contact Centers US and UK. "The results we've experienced with LP Chat in terms of conversions have exceeded expectations so much so that we plan to increase the number of agents available via live chat to best service our customers."

LivePerson worked with Virgin Atlantic to utilize live chat precisely where it would drive incremental revenue and increase average order values. The sophisticated business rules engine built into LP Chat works intelligently, identifying and prioritizing higher revenue opportunities and determining the proper time to offer real-time help during the booking process to convert sales.

The results speak for themselves:

• Improved conversion rates: Customers who chat convert at nearly 3.5 times the rate of those who do not
• Increase in average order value: Customers who chat have an average order value of more than 15% over those who self serve
• Reduced costs: Cost per chat is cheaper than both phone and email, saving on labor costs
• Improved customer experience: Customers' needs are met in real-time, raising Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores to over 80%
• Better resource planning: LP Chat has reduced email volume and backlog, allowing customer inquiries to be dealt with at first contact

"Virgin Atlantic is well known for its innovative and customer-centric approach to airline passenger services. By implementing LP Chat, Virgin Atlantic is able to provide an online engagement experience that is both consistent with their leading brand and valuable to their business," Tony Heyworth, Director International Marketing, LivePerson.

Virgin's video testimonial can be viewed here. The full case study, containing more detailed metrics, is available here.

About LivePerson

LivePerson, Inc. (NASDAQ: LPSN) offers a platform that enables businesses to proactively connect in real-time with their customers via chat, voice, and content delivery at the right time, through the right channel, including websites, social media, and mobile devices. This "intelligent engagement" is driven by real-time behavioral analytics, producing connections based on a true understanding of business objectives and customer needs.

More than 8,500 companies rely on LivePerson's platform to increase conversions and improve customer experience, including Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, Verizon, Sky, Walt Disney, PNC, QVC and Orbitz.

LivePerson has received the CODiE award for Best Ecommerce Solution in 2011, and has been named one of America's 25 Fastest-Growing Tech Companies by Forbes in 2011, and a Company of the Year by Frost and Sullivan in 2010.  LivePerson is headquartered in New York City with offices in San Francisco, Tel Aviv, Atlanta, London and Melbourne, Australia.

For more information, please visit www.liveperson.com.

About Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic has continually broken new ground in airline passenger service since its launch in 1984, with a mission statement of building an airline 'where people love to fly and where people love to work'. Now the UK's second largest long haul airline, Virgin flies to 32 global destinations and continues to push innovation in all areas of customer service, holding true to their brand motto of 'everyday pioneers'.

For more information, please visit http://www.virgin-atlantic.com.   

Media contact:
Erin Kang
212-609-4256
[email protected]

Related Links:
LivePerson
LivePerson Solutions for Travel Industry
LP Chat

SOURCE LivePerson, Inc.