Use Support Chat Instead Of Calling Or Emailing

by Jason Faulkner on May 23, 2010 | 9 comments

One thing I have been pleasantly surprised with lately when the need to contact support for one thing or another comes up, is the usefulness of the “live chat” with a support rep. I have used both Dell and our business ISP’s several times and been able to quickly resolve my issues.

The wait time is usually only a few minutes and you don’t have to listen to all the phone options which have always changed. One thing I have noticed is you need to be able to articulate exactly what you need in a text window, but normally that should not be a problem.

So I’m curious what our readers experience has been. If you use the live chat over calling and email, do you find it to be better?

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jeff weeden
jason,
I have used the support chat with some companies with my work as an electrical / instrument engineer and its great. u can give the the information as required and they can give ya information, websites, pdf files and quotes just like that and u can copy and paste them into purchase orders. saves typing a lot and waiting for information. This is my first port of call if the option is available. As your rightly say also not phone messages, options to press and then wait in phone call holding lines.
regards Jeff.
Samuel
On the whole I do find chat to be more efficient than other venues, even if response times are not ideal.
Another nice feature with chat is the ability to get a transcript of the session which you can save to your computer for later reference.
David Kennedy
A mixed bag for me. I personally wouldn’t say it’s any better than phone or email.
Sometimes, if you have a simple, common request, it’s much better. But if you go “off script”, I’ve gotten the runaround. Or, been told I need to call the support line.
I’ve wondered if some companies don’t put their rookie reps on the chat. It’s way easier to follow a script, and you can take more time to look stuff up without sounding as bad. That’s just my suspicion, though…nothing to back that up.
http://www.freespirituniverse.org Bruce H. Johnson
Works well for me. Dell has a decent chat. I can make up my initial problem description ahead of time (OS, System and Model, etc.) then copy/paste.
Several times, they dumped in a URL to a specific fix so I could just copy/paste it.
Plus, I don’t have to hang around with the phone in my ear.
R. Alan Payne
Good and Bad
Good: Quick answers without (as you say) ‘useless phone options’. Particularly, unique procedures/restrictions unique to the manufacturer/supplier involved.
Bad: Not technologically deep. As already commented on, chat reps tend to be rookies who are not equipped (experienced enough) to handle unusual problems.
http://CandyRandyRadio.com Randall
I personally look for the Live Chat option first. I have found it to be quite efficient and the techs I have come in contact with were quite knowledgeable and able to help me resolve the issue.
And being able to save a copy of the complete session, including all links for future reference is wonderful.
http://alturl.com/o2nv Derek Iannelli-Smith
I agree with Jason, but I would also add, that it depends on what your trying to accomplish. As a Dell partner, the chat is a nice tease, but inevitably i get texted a phone number to call. I personally would prefer chats in that I can immediately log the correspondence and have the important info I need for accountability. However, I see this option still a long way off from where it needs to be. Here are some chat pet peeves (with vendors like AT&T, Comcast, Dell, HP, Cisco, etc)
1. After I have entered everything in, why does the bloke who finally answers my chat ask for it all again. I just cut and paste now and give them time to read it.
2. Many of the respondents are scripting me. Even after I tell them I am a partner, that I am an IT Consultant, that I have been in the industry for 20yrs, they still want to take me through basic troubleshooting steps that I have already done. Last week with dell, I had previously diagnosed that the wireless card in a laptop was broken, yet the tech wanted to take me through the same 1 1/2 hours of the same diagnosis that I did through remote desktop. I kept saying to him/her…. “yes, already did that… okay if you want to see the same result I got, okay….” Long story short, that was a billable hour that I was unable to recoup.
3. Don’t dump me in a general idiot pool. If I say I am a partner, technology company, etc, take me to the next level with someone who beleives me when I tell them that I have already done it. I beleive this is the biggest failing with partnerships with companies – dropping me in the general pool reminds me of this: http://www.illwillpress.com/tech.html
4. If the link says tech support, then it needs to be tech support, not post sales, or sales, or some other reason why you cannot help me.
5. Why don’t they communicate with each other. Frequently, I find the business tech support units do not have the same information. I am constantly telling AT&T, Comcast, and Dell my support case number, and the dude/dudette states, “I am sorry I do not have that case number in my files, please tell me the nature of your request…” If I had an easy button for everytime this happend… KaPOW!
Long story short, I think tech chat support has a long way to go.
It is because of these horrendous experiences that when I provide chat support I have a CRM system that sends them a ticket immediately, outlining the issue, and if the chat becomes too cumbersome, I pick up the phone for my remotely administered clients and talk to them versus forcing them to type out everything. Their time is valuable too… why not show them you appreciate them by having a 30-60 minute diagnose time cut off and take it to the next level. Many companies (like the Dell situation I mention above), take me thorugh that time and then send me a survey on how well they were doing… What do you think my response is going to be…
John Sergeant
I have had really bad experiences with the on line chat option. The latest was with Norton. I had a very simple problem with the program deleting wanted cookies. After an hours chat the problem wasn’t resolved.When I went back to them they recommended another on line chat. I told them no and asked why they couldn’t answer the question without doing the chat. They then sent me the fix which worked.
http://Website(optional) Jon
I have tried to use live chat.. My experience ‘ sucks ‘ big tyme. If I am lucky to have a ‘ Live ‘ person on the other end, they do not know how to understand simple english.
I have also found that a number are not ‘ Live ‘ chat as one would expect. It is only an AI bot that knows didly squat.
If I am going to have a Live Chat and I have to pay for the time, they better be sure who ever is on the other end knows what the heck they are doing and not keep repeating the same question, or repeat back everything you just said.
This all ads up in money for them with no help for the customer.
IMO: a majority of the companys have gotton away from helping customers, especially non business ones.
Jon