In live chat NEVER say: "i cannot answer this, please send your question support@blahblahblah .com" because that will p*ss your clients off and make them leave you as I experienced with my old web host

Thanks for the tip - we'll try our hardest to make sure *we* don't make that mistake too often. :-)

Roj

That's too broad.

There is certain things that can *ONLY* be answered in pure static text. There is also certain protocols that may need to be followed. Required passwords (submitted via https, or other encryption).


Simon

Simon is right. Lately, we've been getting very particular about how to handle questions in the live chat and into what depth we should go into answering them right there in the chat (or sending them to the helpdesk instead).

9/10 times the reason why the guy is telling you to send the question to the helpdesk is because the support is outsourced. It's a sad but true thing - I've tested it myself by going to various websites and trying to have the operator answer simple questions.

Roj

Greetings,

Basically if the person behind the live window is sales specialized, he might be able to answer some basic technical questions and not really technical ones. Thus asking the visitor to send a ticket to technical department for further assistance is harmless.

Bests,
Amir Golestan

What if you really can't answer the question? Reword the response.

Instead of saying "I can't answer this question..."

Say something along the lines of "I'll have to look into that further and provide you with a better response -- may I contact you with an answer by e-mail?"


JP

We instruct our support staff to use the following response, should they need to get a manager or sys admin involved, etc

"I'm sorry but I will need to escalate this issue to a manager/sys admin, and it will need to be handled by them through the helpdesk. I can submit the ticket for you, on your behalf, if you'd like."

Customers that simply don't understand that some things can't be handled instantly, are customers I think any host would dread having.

Very good thread to read. I am looking into setting up live chat support on my site, and reading opinions and experiences like this help me to engineer my service better. Thanks for the pointers.

If you hire somebody in Live Support who cant answer every possible question then they obviously shouldnt be in there. Remember, never hire somebody just because they can be on support all day, always make sure you get someone with the knowledge and capability to do the job, remember this and you will never face this!

Crap! Every host is going to have to fire their staff! GAH We're all sunk

Hehehe! Only God can answer every possible question.

(I do understand the basic idea though Zach.)

That's right! Never say I dont knows! Take time in the live chat, don't rush it! And also, never never never never never close the chat screen before your client! Keep it open until she/he signs off or close.

something else to never say......

"So.......what are you wearing?"

Good one Mark!

Well, when we get a nation of of super-humans, this will apply

I disagree with your logic. There is certain tech's that will specialise in certain aspects more than others.

For instance, there is no way on earth you will get a system admin on live chat. And considering a sys admin's wage (80k), you're darn sure not going to waste him on the off-chance that someone may ask that one question that could stump a "regular" tech.

What you're suggesting is that every technician shouldbe fluent in every aspect - that is not plausible.

There is absolutely nothing wrong in defering a question to someone with more expertise in the field.

Simon