77 percent of live chat software vendor Bold Software's clients believe that live chat is critical with 34 perent saying it (live chat) was very or extremely critical. 

Some other interesting information from the survey includes: 

- 23 percent of the e-commerce sites surveyed said that of those customers that engaged with them in a live chat, more than 40 percent converted to an active lead or sale, 

- While 54 percent reported a conversion rate of 20 percent or more. And for those who used proactive chat over the holidays, 55 percent said that it yielded higher conversion rates than chats initiated by the website visitor.

“The surveys we conduct annually continue to validate the increasing benefits that live chat delivers to businesses and their customers and prospects,” said Steve Castro-Miller, president and CEO of Bold Software. “These results further demonstrate that live chat is a highly effective communication channel that facilitates meaningful engagements between people, bolstering both sales and service efforts as a result.”