NFIB

Online Retailers Exploring Customer Service Chats
08/20/2002

While most online retail sites have a "contact us" feature that allows customers to send an email or find telephone numbers and addresses, some Web-based stores are now offering live chats with customer service representatives, the New York Times reports.

Since the majority of home Internet users with dial-up connections do not have a second phone line, an advantage of offering such a service is that customers can contact a business without having to log off the site first.

Though few companies are offering this interactive feature as of yet, the ones who are have experienced some success with it.

TechnoScout.com, for example, asks customers if they'd like help navigating the site. Though only 3.5 percent of their customers choose to be assisted by a representative, those who do have orders averaging $190, which is $40 more than customers who shop the site on their own.