Chat with your customers on your web site? I do. What's missing from the experience? This is my list.

1. What’s Missing
From Customer
Service Live Chat?
Phil Wolff
LetMyDataGo.org
@evanwolf
Tuesday, November 12, 13

2. Quora asked...
•
“I have seen many businesses having live chat widget on
their websites.
•
“There are few hundreds or may be thousands of such products
available on online market. Various companies have looked to
add something new to their live chat software. Some do it
intelligently while some do not. I think we have reached a limit
where there is nothing that can be added to live chat which
can bring value to it and solve pain of the business owners.
On the other hand all my logic will go in vain if some idea guru
comes up with an innovation that can lead business into a
successful one. If you were that guru what would you like to
add in a live chat software?” – http://b.qr.ae/162TJ68
Tuesday, November 12, 13

3. Q. What’s missing?
Tuesday, November 12, 13

4. • Let me see
Video
the person
I'm talking to
• The promise
of dedicated
attention vs
multitasking
Tuesday, November 12, 13

5. Tour
• Let the visitor give up control of
this browser session so the
customer service rep can take
you to a specific webpage
Tuesday, November 12, 13

6. Demo
• Let me show you my product
within a chat session. Slides, art,
video, simulations, gameplay,
etc.
Tuesday, November 12, 13

7. Audio
• Let's throttle up from text to audio
to video chat as the need arises
in the same session
Tuesday, November 12, 13

8. Persistence
• Don't let the chat expire if you
can renew the conversation later
and preserve the history of our
chat
Tuesday, November 12, 13

9. Accurate presence
• Don't just indicate if someone is
available to take your chat call
now
• Show when a person will be
coming back or how long the wait
will be
Tuesday, November 12, 13

10. RSVP
• Let the visitor make an
appointment for a chat
Tuesday, November 12, 13

11. Group shopping
• Support two or more friends
on different computers in one
chat room at the same time
•
Tuesday, November 12, 13
When you want the advice or support
of your friends or family

12. Chat without staff
• Let other visitors to a product
page talk to each other about the
product without needing a
customer service rep in the room
Tuesday, November 12, 13

13. Continue on another device
Start the new
desktop and
need to jump to
your mobile so
you can
continue the
conversation in
another room or
on the road
Tuesday, November 12, 13

14. Support screen readers
• Help the visually impaired
Tuesday, November 12, 13

15. Upload screenshots
• Useful for troubleshooting
websites and applications
Tuesday, November 12, 13

16. Real-time translation
• Support relay services for
interpreting sign languages or
other spoken languages
Tuesday, November 12, 13

17. Profile the rep
• Show a short bio
and avatar to better
humanize your agent
• You’re talking with
Mary in St. Louis
where the sky is
overcast, in the 60s
Tuesday, November 12, 13

18. Mobile friendly
• Many of the live chat apps don't
work in mobile browsers
• Fix that!
Tuesday, November 12, 13

19. Transcript by mail
Offer to send a copy of the chat
to the visitor's inbox, including
links and, especially for audio
and video chat, the text of what
you said to each other
Tuesday, November 12, 13

20. Automatic themes
• Adjust the chat box's theme to
match that of the site's CSS so it
stays consistent even when the
main site's design changes
Tuesday, November 12, 13

21. Outside the box
• Let the conversation happen
anywhere on a web page, not
just in a popup window or a
dedicated region
Tuesday, November 12, 13

22. Not a box
• Try another shape or flow
• Receding text on a Star Wars
game store like the opening intro
Tuesday, November 12, 13

23. Hold music
Tuesday, November 12, 13
Offer the option to listen to Muzak when an
operator steps away to research a question
or you're waiting for the next available
representative

24. Phil Wolff
bio
cv
blog
contact
Tuesday, November 12, 13
about.me/evanwolf
linkedin.com/in/philwolff
LetMyDataGo.org quora.com/Phil-Wolff
pwolff@gmail.com phil@letmydatago.org
@evanwolf @LetMyDataGo +1.510.343.5664