Pioneer Millworks Increased Average Opportunity Value by 16%

The challenge

Pioneer Millworks had talked about using a chat system for years 

Before switching to LiveChat, Pioneer Millworks used a basic chat system that didn’t offer much more than just chatting. They realized that they needed a more robust system — something that they could plug into their CRM to quickly find customers they were chatting with to link questions to projects and help customers find product or order samples on the Pioneer Millworks website.

They chose LiveChat because it allowed them to take a gradual step up from what they were using instead of taking a giant leap. They integrated LiveChat with Shopify and Salesforce, making a seamless continuation of information for their sales team to use. Also, it didn’t break their budget and offered space for the company to grow. Deanna Varble, Marketing & Creative Director at Pioneer Millworks, said:

With LiveChat, we are able to answer questions far more quickly and seamlessly so we can help customers make better product choices for their projects.

Deanna Varble, Pioneer Millworks

The solution

LiveChat brings Pioneer Millworks sales and customer service teams closer together 

Pioneer Millworks always looked at customer service as something that happens after the close of the sale. But LiveChat allowed their customer service team to be more integrated in the sales process, making the handoff a lot smoother. 

Their customer service team handles all the chats without using a chatbot. They hand opportunities over to the sales team further down the sales funnel when they really need a salesperson for closing, or when they’re talking about major projects a salesperson is already working on. 

That’s where the integration with Salesforce is beneficial. It doesn’t take as many questions to get to the point of handing off the customer to a salesperson when it’s a project that’s already in progress. With LiveChat, Pioneer Millworks brought the customer service team into the sales process far earlier and more consistently than ever before.

(Image courtesy of Jess Bernstein)

The integration with Shopify helps to close opportunities faster 

The Shopify integration enables the Pioneer Millworks team to get samples into customers’ hands a lot easier than just sending them a link to the online sample store. Agents can show customers how to get to a certain product in real time or just add them to their cart for them. Being able to help customers manage their carts and get to samples a lot faster is crucial for their sales team. 

Because of integrations with Shopify and Salesforce, the agents can quickly understand the person they’re talking to without asking a lot of upfront questions that potentially slow the conversation down. These integrations make it seamless for their team and the person they’re chatting with and allow them to get to the point much quicker. 

The company is also starting to be more proactive with their chats by using automated greetings that invite visitors to chat with questions like, “Are you finding everything you’re looking for?” or “Can I tell you more about this product?” This helps Pioneer Millworks engage the customers in conversation and get them to ask for a sample faster.

Getting a sample in the hands of their customers is a really good way to get them more ingrained in the Pioneer Millwork brand. While the customer service team is answering questions about the product, they can also say, “Would you like me to send you a sample card or start building a cart for you with some samples in it?” Varble added:

Helping the customer put together what that cart looks like and get them closer to that final step is far more effective than letting a customer browse the website themselves and hoping that they’ll end up in that sample process.

Deanna Varble, Pioneer Millworks

LiveChat helps Pioneer Millworks close more projects

With Pioneer Millworks sales cycle being really long with multiple decision-makers along the way, it’s difficult to close many sales using chat. That said, because of LiveChat and the other digital investments the company has made, the sales team increased the average opportunity value by 16% this year.

With every person starting a chat and asking about a project, they can easily pull up information about that project, connect that person to the project itself, and then continue that sales cycle.

Since the sales team can get chat transcripts with a click of a button, they can open the conversation when they pick up the phone to call somebody and seamlessly continue the sales cycle. They can also talk with customer service agents about better ways to manage a conversation if the transcript is too long or went wonky along the way.

(Image courtesy of Daniel Zetterstrom)

The result

Pioneer Millworks online transactions grew after installing LiveChat

The chat helps agents get customers into the sales funnel a lot quicker than just hoping they end up on a contact form or shopping cart. Upgrading to LiveChat helped their online samples transaction rate grow by 5% — helping more conversations with customers end up converting into opportunities. Varble said:

Bridging that gap between what marketing thinks is going on and what sales knows is going on is a lot easier with the chat than before we had it.

Deanna Varble, Pioneer Millworks

Conversely, the number of calls and emails upped because of LiveChat

The company considers this a good thing because it’s the result of LiveChat helping them get into the conversation with the customers much quicker. Pioneer Millworks clients don’t place orders for final products over chat — most of that still happens via phone because their products can be complicated, and the order sizes can be large and big-ticket.

Pioneer Millworks also retains those customers thanks to LiveChat They can engage customers sooner, leading to more emails and phone calls, which is what their sales team ultimately wants.

Toward the end of the interview, Varble pointed at their Triple Bottom Line ethos of People, Planet, and Profit and how they make decisions about every dollar they spend through those lenses. What surprised her was that even though they’re not using the highest plan, the LiveChat support team is always there for them. She concluded:

Since people are such a huge part of who we are in our ethos, it's really nice to work with a partner who has invested in its people. I always get to talk directly with people, not a bot, who can help me solve problems. The LiveChat team is really invested in seeing us succeed. This has made the technology and integration part of our journey really easy.

Deanna Varble, Pioneer Millworks

Kuba Rogalski

LiveChat