We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum... Read More »
We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Online support services and chats.
Options

HollyJM1985
Posts: 3 Newbie
Hi
I was just wondering if anybody had ever used an online support service or chat to talk to a company? You have probably at least seen them - there is usually a pop up ad or a button that says 'Talk To A Live Agent Now' and it connects you to an MSN style chat.
If you have used one of these before, what was your thoughts and reactions to it? Did you find it added to or detracted from the customer service experience and if it did detract why? Has anyone found that it is harder to read reactions via MSN style chats? I would very interested to hear anybody's opinions as this seems to be a medium of customer contact that is becoming more and more used however if you look there is minimal training and guidance on how e-communications should be used. It is a really big trend in the US and people can be trained to degree level in E-Comms however over here it seems to be less valued.
What do you think?
I was just wondering if anybody had ever used an online support service or chat to talk to a company? You have probably at least seen them - there is usually a pop up ad or a button that says 'Talk To A Live Agent Now' and it connects you to an MSN style chat.
If you have used one of these before, what was your thoughts and reactions to it? Did you find it added to or detracted from the customer service experience and if it did detract why? Has anyone found that it is harder to read reactions via MSN style chats? I would very interested to hear anybody's opinions as this seems to be a medium of customer contact that is becoming more and more used however if you look there is minimal training and guidance on how e-communications should be used. It is a really big trend in the US and people can be trained to degree level in E-Comms however over here it seems to be less valued.
What do you think?
0
Comments
-
i have used this with vodaphone on a couple of occassions and found it easy to use, more convenient than using the phone and i get a copy of what has been said in response to my query:)
i suppose it is like everything else when dealing with a customer service operator in that if you get a good one the experience is fine0 -
Dells was good and they solved the problem, but it took them 3 goes and a visit but the did cure it.I'd rather be an Optimist and be proved wrong than a Pessimist and be proved right.0
-
Thanks, I am trying to put together some training for the agents I work with who use the chat services - quite often they are finding that something they would say in a verbal conversation that would be taken in the right way, can be taken entirely out of context on the chats - anyone had any problems with this before? One thing I did want to think about is having a picture or avatar of the agent to which you are speaking in the chat box, would you find this distracting or would it be nice to see the face of the agent you are speaking to?0
-
I used it with JustEat once and found it very annoying.
However, what I didn't consider was the fact that (as said above) we have a copy of everything said. That's a nice advantage.0 -
HTC is good. Means I can chat to them at my desk at work without having to phone them0
-
I like them, I think they're great. I think photos won't make much difference - most people will just assume it's some random stock photo.0
-
I am assuming most of these services are offshore to give the 24h cover? Either way, I find them generally just fine, it means the operative at the other end can run several chats at once so is cost/time effective, and is great for dealing with simple tier-1 problems. It can be handy to have them to triage a problem and escalate to tier-2 who may be timezone-based.0
-
I've used them a few times and found them useful. I tend to type out my intial query in a wp programme first as my typing is carp as is often demonstrated on here.0
-
I've used it with eBay and o2 and found them more convenient than picking up the phone. And obviously more instant than emailing.
I've generally had my query resolved but to be honest I would only ever use them for a simple query, nothing too complex so neither of us get confused. For anything complex I'd phone up.carpe diem :cool:
[STRIKE]Santander OD- £0/£870[/STRIKE]
[STRIKE]Mint cc - £0/£6500[/STRIKE]
[FONT="]HOF cc - £640/£750 [/FONT][FONT="]A&L Loan - £2497/£7500[/FONT]0 -
Hi I have used the Amazon one and found it quite helpful, saved on the phone call tooI’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Old style MoneySaving boards.
If you need any help on these boards, please let me know.
Please report any posts you spot that are in breach of the Forum Rules by using the Report button, or by e-mailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.
All views are my own and not of MoneySavingExpert.com0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply

Categories
- All Categories
- 350.9K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 453.5K Spending & Discounts
- 243.9K Work, Benefits & Business
- 598.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 176.9K Life & Family
- 257.2K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.6K Read-Only Boards