More and more communication takes place online these days, mostly via text and social media — which means that contractors who add a chat tool on their websites are reaching more customers by the method they prefer. According to a 2016 study from cloud communications platform Twilio, 89 percent of consumers prefer to message a business rather than call, yet only 49 percent of businesses are set up for receiving these messages. The number of users is only growing as consumers of all ages use their phones less and less to make actual calls.
“There’s a gap between supply and demand,” said Kenneth Lee, director of growth and marketing for ApexChat.