Brad Stothkamp, financial services analyst at Forrester Research has a new report published today that looks at the business case for using interactive help -- click to call and click to chat -- on financial service websites.

While the report is focused on financial services, it does highlight best practices in the use of these technologies that could be applied across verticals, such as:

• Proactively targeting Web site visitors
• Focusing efforts on “engaged” visitors
• Moving shoppers from the Web to the phone

A summary of the report states, that these technologies have come of age. "That's a good thing, considering tomorrow's financial services shoppers will increasingly be found online. Financial firms contemplating their long-term eBusiness strategy need to consider the role of interactive help. Firms like E*TRADE Mortgage and Dell Financial Services have found such technologies to be an integral part of meeting their Web sales goals."