Online client engagement is key to small business success according to new data from vCita.
In fact, the data shows that 67 percent of small businesses leveraging online engagement tools, like scheduling, payments and document sharing, reported an increase in obtaining new clientele directly through their website, compared to just 34 percent of businesses that did not have engagement tools integrated into their site.
The data also found that almost 40 percent of small businesses believe the volume of new clients they get online needs improvement. This is why engagement tools are key for small business websites, as these tools enable businesses to communicate and service clients at any time.
Lastly, vCita's study found that just 45 percent of respondents are leveraging their mobile devices to manage daily client interactions and related day-to-day backend tasks. Of those respondents, mobile devices are ony used to manage less than 10 percent of their daily activities. This means that mobile is a big area of opportunity for small businesses.
"Today, small businesses need every advantage they can get to stay relevant and compete for business against their larger counterparts, and having good client communication and retention is a huge aspect of accomplishing this task," said Itzik Levy, founder and chief executive officer of vCita. "With a successful online client engagement strategy, small businesses can ensure they drive new and repeat business and easily streamline those interactions and eliminate hours of administrative work."