 Poster: A snowHead
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I am considering adding a Live Chat button to our webpage.
The screen would look a bit like messenger or facebook (but instant)
Not really sure if it would be used as we have our telephone number and contact us form on the contact us page.
Have you used them?
Are they any use?
Would you rather email / pick up the phone ? use a live chat option?
Do you think they are a help when considering whether or not to buy a ski holiday
etc
I have read reports that they are many used by:
Large companies - so you can be routed to the right dept.
Web based companies that don't want to publish their real address telephone Nos
Foreign companies that want to appear to be based somewhere they aren’t
etc.
So, with this in mind, does a Live Chat option make you think the Co. has something hide?
Any thoughts please before I invest 
Thanks for any feedback
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have used live chat from both ends quite a bit and find it pretty useful. If you have someone sitting there waiting for the phone then its a no brainer to include this as another way to help people.
As for the hiding, not at all.
As a caller I tend to use it over calling as I know it will get me talking to someone more quickly.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Fri 16-03-12 11:57; edited 2 times in total
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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tiffin,
Good points....cheers
Although I appreciate that any feedback from an internet forum may be a little skewed due to everybody being slightly more interwebnet literate than some others
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Wayne, just post a picture of the actual person taking the "calls", I hate seeing pictures of hotties under a heading live chat and knowing I'm talking to some fat bloke called George 
Just be clear it is Live as well - a lot of the bigger companies just have clever (ish) automated responses to key words
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Wayne, I've used live chat for various online purchases, not to book a holiday, but certainly making initial inquiries etc.
Always found them pretty useful, especially if the operators are knowledgeable.
For general inquiries they are very useful and I'm more likely to use this than to call / email (email always seems to take an age to receive any sort of response, and I think we all dread the "you are no. 7 in the queue" when calling up....).
I used the version that Zenith holidays have and found them helpful, informative etc, and it helped push us in their direction when booking. It certainly didn't make me / us think that they were in any way dodgy or trying to hide anything.
Just my opinion, but if I were you (and depending on the cost of the investment etc) I'd be tempted to go with it.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Boris, I know what you mean, (ahemmm) in relation to your second point!! Had good and bad experiences! The good was with a small operator and I got the info required straight away. The bad, was a largish company who could not be arsed to answer!
So Wayne, If you were to do it, do it correctly! Not the automated respose system of the large operation!
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| jellemr wrote: |
| depending on the cost of the investment etc) I'd be tempted to go with it. |
It's less than €100 (one-off payment), so it's not a question of cost - just if it's a good idea
| Boris wrote: |
| Wayne, just post a picture of the actual person taking the "calls |
I don't think anyone would want to see a picture of me 
But maybe any of these would do?
| Roy Hockley wrote: |
| Not the automated respose system of the large operation! |
To tell you the truth, I don't have a clue how to code stuff like that, so it wouldn't happen.
Basically it would be available when the office is open and at other times it would ask people to mail us.
Thanks for the feedback
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we have just installed livechat on our website. we have a shop and webstore but it's another way of giving customers the chance to interact. having a shop, we've learnt the value of physically being there to answer any questions. livechat allows you to impart more of your own sparkling personality immediately as opposed to pinging emails back and forward. you can display your knowledge quickly and simply. as someone above points out, there is probably more reluctance to pick up the phone.
and you can install it for free (we use olark as it is integrated with our webstore platform), so for us it was a simple decision.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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grazzenger,
Good points again. Thanks
I was looking at LiveZilla. You have to pay for it, but all the reviews I've seen are positive.
| grazzenger wrote: |
| sparkling personality |
Not sure I've seen those on our stores manifest. Will check later to see if any staff members have done to SP module and we have access to one of these.
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I like them - especially if you are trying to book something in the office - you look like you are busy typing away working and you are actually researching your next ski holiday..... not that i ever do you, you understand 
My friends have set up Skype on their website so people can email, phone a local UK number or use 'live chat' (the office is based in Chamonix). It seems to work well.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Not used for holidays, but used in other purchasing environments.
Really like it. Immediate, you know what's going on, no hanging on the telephone or waiting for an email reply.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I've certainly used it when on a ski trip.... 
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I've never used it for booking a ski trip, but I do think it is a useful tool and have used it plenty in my work. When I decide to book something on t'interweb, often its because I can't / don't want to make a phone call at that time - its frustrating when you're lacking that bit of information that will help you make your decision to book - live chat is invaluable in those situations.
Anything that gives consumers more choice in how to communicate, can only be a good thing.
Good luck with it.
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You know it makes sense.
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Young and rich people = They like instant messaging on commercial sites. They have grown up with it.
Old and poor people = They are suspicious of instant messaging on commercial sites. They are unsure.
Work out the average age and wealth of your current clients and future prospects.
Those metrics will shape your final decision of yes, no, or not yet.
You can thank me later.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| Boris wrote: |
Wayne,
Just be clear it is Live as well - a lot of the bigger companies just have clever (ish) automated responses to key words |
+1. I love real live chat, I had a great experience with a compnay who talked me through something online which I coudln't figure out - he looked at his end, I keyed in at my end and while it took about 15 minutes my problem was sorted perfectly.
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Poster: A snowHead
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From my experience it falls into two camps :
Live chat where the person who knows what they are talking about and writing freely to you can be quite good.
Live chat where the person the other end is lowly paid pleb who knows 7/8ths of naff all and are just pasting stock answers and/or who aren't empowered to actually do anything or give you any first hand advice and knowledge are a complete waste of time and money. Furthermore they make the company as a whole look as intelligent as the pleb they have employed.
ie. if you are going to do it, do it well, not on the cheap. Remember it is a front line service dealing directly with your clients or potential clients. Impressions matter, whether on line or by phone.
As for your other q's. I'd avoid a company like the plague if it had no other contact methods published and only live chat.
I always as a minimum want to see the physical address of the company I am dealing with if it's a substational sized order.
I've never used it for a winter holiday, but I've used live chat for enquiring on, negotiating price, and booking a sumer villa holiday and it worked well.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
So, with this in mind, does a Live Chat option make you think the Co. has something hide?
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No. Can't think anyone would. (unless the company doesn't publish its address in the first place)
| Whitegold wrote: |
Old and poor people = They are suspicious of instant messaging on commercial sites. They are unsure. |
Old and poor people don't book holidays on the internet!
Really I don't see any negative with live chat from the customer's perspective. They would NOT think any negative of the company because of it.
Whether use it or not is a different matter. I rarely use it. But I don't book all-inclusive holidays on the web either.
For purchasing goods, sometimes if there's a very simple question which is not on the website, I would use chat. Anything more complicated, I pick up the phone instead. For a TO, I would have higher expectation of real service. So I'd rather phone and find out how quickly they respond and how helpful they are in the event things doesn't go according to plan. On the other hand, return customer would probably use chat liberally since they have no doubt about the level of service.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Wayne, whatever you do - please ensure that if 'live chat' is on then someone responds and v. quickly.
nothing more frustrating then standing on the edge of the abyss going "hello, is anybody out there" (metaphorically speaking) - it's even more of pet hatred of mine than hearing " you are currently number x in the queue, you're call is very important to us, please hold" ggrrrrrrr
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Wayne, I've also used it, though not for booking holidays - it can be very useful in the lost password situation and when I've had mix-ups with online subscriptions and credit cards and email addresses have expired or been changed.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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[quote="abc"]
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| Whitegold wrote: |
Old and poor people = They are suspicious of instant messaging on commercial sites. They are unsure. |
Old and poor people don't book holidays on the internet! |
Almost two-thirds of Expedia's customers are aged 35 to 65.
Time to get with the program, bro.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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oooooooh, now I see why people use Live Chat instead of telephone.
Only set this thing up on our site 3 days ago and I've just worked out what it's useful for.
If you send an e mail, you'll want some info, put it in the email then wait for the answer.
If you phone you'll have a chat about something and get info
With Live Chat you can ask a question, look around the website, and then ask another if you don't understand something, etc, etc and the time between questions can be of any length.
Basically you get much more time to "chat".
Of course you couldn't do this on the phone ("now" I get it). You couldn't ask a question, then keep the other person waiting, in silence, for 5 or 10mins until you think of something else.
PS - Only 3 people have used our "chat", and they have all booked small groups after the "chat", so it does work.
Next time I want to book with Crystal, Neilson, Mark Warner I'll "chat-em" 1st
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Wayne, Yep, you've got it
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[quote="Whitegold"]
| abc wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Whitegold wrote: |
Old and poor people = They are suspicious of instant messaging on commercial sites. They are unsure. |
Old and poor people don't book holidays on the internet! |
Almost two-thirds of Expedia's customers are aged 35 to 65.
Time to get with the program, bro. |
35 is 'old'?
I see, you must still be in nappies, son! 
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FAQ
