Tyneside chat service for businesses bags £50k investment for expansion

A managed web chat service is aiming to expand following £50k investment from the North East Small Loan Fund Supported By The European Regional Development Fund.

North Tyneside-based Chat Heroes helps clients convert website traffic into business leads by providing a chat system managed by a team at its Wallsend Town Hall offices.

The four-year-old firm worked with regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers to bring in the £50k investment, which provides the growth capital required for it to compete for more contracts with bigger businesses.

A team of 10 agents currently manages Chat Heroes’ services, with this figure expecting to grow as the business expands.

Gosforth-based RMT Accountants & Business Advisors has supported the Chat Heroes with the development of its growth plan. Chat Heroes works with UK businesses, with many clients comin from direct recommendation.

Paul Lawton, founder and commercial director at Chat Heroes, said: “It’s a real responsibility when a client effectively trusts you with their brand and reputation.

“Our staff are trained to deal with a wide range of customer situations, and the return on investment we provide for clients through the conversion rate of enquiries into new business is extremely strong.

“Understanding of how web chat services work and the business benefits they can bring is growing among the quality SME community, and our aim is to continue to capitalise on this by accelerating the pace at which we scale up.

“RMT was the first professional services firm to adopt our services themselves and their support and advocacy of the work we do continues to be very important.”

Part of the £120m North East Fund and aimed predominantly at smaller SMEs, the £9m North East Small Loan Fund typically offers loans to businesses in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Northumberland.

It is designed to assist with the creation of over 1,200 new regional jobs in more than 320 SMEs over the life of the fund.

Jane Siddle, investment executive at NEL Fund Managers, added: “Chat Heroes has established a strong reputation in a growing market and their ambition to make an even bigger mark is very impressive.”

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