Analytics & a/b testing
For those sites that get a lot of traffic, real-time analytics would be a must have technology. Consider a basic a/b test, we change the color of a button from red to green. Then we let 50% of our users have the green page & the other 50% see the red page.Which does better, Red or Green?
If this is a sales page for a product or service we want to know what changes give the most sales as quickly as possible. Using a real-time analytics platform solves this problem & could give more insights into a potential behavior pattern.Reputation management
Combine sentiment analysis and a connection to social media accounts to create a real-time reports on how a brand is performing. Let's do an example though;I have accounts for Google Plus and Twitter . If a client submits a bug, service complaint, or even speaks positively -- I want to respond quickly & accurately. Because it gives me a way to show that I care & maintain a reputation as an expert in real-time web applications.
On a larger scale -- crisis management could happen quickly attaching this same principle to target keywords & sentiment scores for social media, search engine results and any other automated source.
Upselling
Yes, upselling. Ever see those little chat boxes in the corners of a website? That is what I am referencing. This gives your sales reps a way to build relationships, answer questions & upsell a visitor. Highly recommended & easy to implement, a real-time chat system can turn visitors into customers.Bugs & issues
The ease of the sale is directly proportional to how well a product or service works. So taking the time to implement a quick feedback loop for bugs or issues can be time well spent. A real-time issue tracker can make the difference between a happy or upset customer. It will either end with a quickly resolved issue or a problem that lingers & leaves customers upset.I've implemented real-time notification systems for tickets in the past & have discovered a complete turn around in customer satisfaction. It may not seem obvious, but the sooner a ticket is closed -- the happier ticket reporter is.