Tracking Chat Conversions on WP?

[KempRugeLawGroup]

We have a WordPress site where we use the plugin Chatra for our chats. It works great...except, that you cannot track conversions from Google Ads. There is another plugin called Apex that allows tracking, but their people answer the phone instead of ours.

So does anyone know a way or a plugin where we can have chat enable on our website that our people are solely responsible for responding to that allows you to track conversions from Google Ads?

Thanks,

Ruben

[effectdigital]

This is a really technical, really interesting question. Something to clarify is, what is the exact nature of the chat plugin? When I think of chat plugins, I think of stuff like ZenDesk where, users click a little bubble at the bottom and chat via text with an operator. But you mention phones, right? How is that fitting into it?

I think what you are saying is, you want to know:

When someone converts on your site, shortly after they have 'chatted' (phone / text?) to an advisor, but only when they originally hit your website through Google's Ads (PPC, display etc)

Is that right?

The difficulty would be binding the chat to the actual conversion. What I need to know is, which of these formats is correct:

a) The user clicks a Google ad, the user comes to your site, the user 'chats', the user goes off the chat - back to the site, and then converts

b) The user clicks a Google ad, the user comes to your site, the user 'chats', the user stays on the chat and converts with (via) the chat agent

Depending upon your answer, tracking could be implemented in radically different ways

I don't know of a simple plugin, off-the top of my head that could do what you want. I may not have the answer you need either, but I'm giving it a go!

[KempRugeLawGroup]

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond! It's b. b) The user clicks a Google ad, the user comes to your site, the user 'chats', the user stays on the chat and converts with (via) the chat agent.

Thanks,

Ruben

[effectdigital]

Thanks for the info! So what this means is that, although Analytics (where people typically analyse all their funnels, by porting their AdWords data into GA) would be able to track that users are visiting pages, and Analytics (if you have set it up right) will be able to know where users came from (e.g: AdWords / Ads) - Analytics will not be able to determine that open chats (leads) are occurring and it will not be able to determine the value of any successful conversion

For that to happen, your chat plugin (and your AdWords account) would actually have to talk to Google Analytics. For example, if your chat plugin were coded to fire a confirmation message from the operator to the chat-user (which contained the amount they had paid and the fact they had converted) - that information could be wrapped into events fired to Google Analytics via JavaScript. From there you could easily filter down to users from paid-search (PPC / Ads) only and then just view the number of conversions, and the value which were ascribed to them

What we have identified is that the weak point you have, is one of these 3:

1. Your AdWords / Ads is not talking to GA properly (maybe you don't have Google Analytics? In which case... that would be your centre-point where all the data needs to go, you need to get it)
2. Your chat plugin is not sending data to GA, which could then be married (within Google Analytics) to your AdWords / PPC data
3. Both of the above at the same time

So the steps I can see are:

1. Step one would be (if you don't already have it) setting up Google Analytics
2. Then having it properly integrated with your AdWords so both talk to each other
3. Then making your chat plugin, also talk to Google Analytics
4. Finally - deriving all your wonderful insights, in the Google Analytics back-end

For example, ZenDesk properly integrates with Google Analytics (see this post). Luckily your chat plugin (Chatra) also has this functionality (see here).

One concession with my answer here, I haven't told you how to get AdWords data into Chatra, or Chatra data into AdWords. Sorry about that, but trust me when I say - an Analytics (GA is free) integration will be better for you. Sorry I'm not 'exactly' answering the question here, still doing my best :')

You must confirm with Chatra, as part of their Analytics integration - exactly what data will Chatra send to Google Analytics? For example, maybe the Chatra / GA integration, only sends number of chats and length of chats, but not chat-based conversions (as you specified earlier: users convert on the chat, so that conversion data MUST come from Chatra or similar). If that's the case, you'd then have a problem and have to seriously consider other alternatives like ZenDesk or something else

For each plugin you think of trying, you'd have to email them with the same question. What data can the flow from their service, to your Google Analytics? If you don't like what you hear - it's the WRONG plugin for you

Hope that helps