Could Chat give us a little more info on what the customer is working on?

[Cat]

I get several chat messages per week that read something like: "Could I get this in the color blue?" I have no idea which product the customer is referencing, nor if they've already customized and/or purchased it. If there's some way we could get that information it would be a huge help.

It's not that I mind copy/pasting my "this system doesn't let me see what you're working on" message, the problem is that figuring out what they're talking about usually takes 3-4 messages back and forth, and at least half of the time, they give up somewhere in that process so the sale is lost. If I could just get a little bit more information, I'd be able to provide them with a quicker answer without all of the back and forth.

Here's the info I'd dearly love to have.

1) Which product is the customer referencing? Originally, the chat system included a link to the product, but that feature disappeared within a month or so and has never come back. It would be SUPER helpful to have that feature back.

2) Is the customer messaging about a product that they've already purchased? So often customers assume that I can see their order history and will know what they're asking about. If I could know that they've already made the purchase, it would save all the back and forth to figure that out and to get them over to customer service so they can get the help they need. Often these customers want to make a change to something they just bought - and by the time we get through with all of the back and forth the item is already in the print queue and it's too late for them to cancel and redo it. 

3) Has the customer already customized the item? If they have, could the system give them the option to share their work in progress with me? It would save SOOOO much time and hassle if I didn't have to walk people through the process of sending me a share link so I can help them. 

Thanks for considering this stuff!

[Cat]

OK, case in point. I got a message last night that read: "Hi! Can I upgrade to a more firm format so that it will stay on an easel?"

I responded within 15 minutes telling her that I didn't know what she was referring to, but that all of my signs & seating charts are also available on foam core boards, and if she could tell me which one she was interested in I would send her the appropriate link.

Got no response until this morning when she finally checked her messages. Turned out she'd already placed an order for a seating chart (poster) and wanted it to me moved to a foam board - but by the time she got my message it was already in the print queue so it was too late. 

So now it's a much more complicated mess than it needs to be. Anyhow, I'm working with her to sort it out, but it would just be so much better for everyone involved if the system did a better job of getting the right information to the people who need it (including letting the customer know that we don't actually produce the products.)

[WHS_Designs]

@Cat 

a preamble or callout (that encapsulates the points you've mentioned) the customer *has* to read first before entering chat would be nice.

I don't get many chat requests, but I have had to play that guessing game with requests that are so vague that they should be ignored from the outset.

[Cat]

@WHS_Designs Yes! That would be super helpful. I literally spent 3 hours trying to help this customer - we just were NOT communicating because she couldn't wrap her brain around the idea that I don't manufacture and ship the products!

I'm sitting here trying to think up some sort of infographic that I could attach to every chat that would explain that this isn't Etsy and that they're ordering from Zazzle NOT from me! I just can't seem to come up with anything that isn't wordy - because we all know that people won't read more than a few words. It's just really hard to get them to understand when they think they know how it works and they don't!

[WHS_Designs]

@Cat 

you've hit upon a very good suggestion -- infographic (IMHO, another huge improvement for chat if we could include pictures, because some customers just don't read).

[Cat]

@WHS_Designs You can include a picture by clicking on the little icon to the right of the typing area:

But it doesn't embed the image in the message - they just see an icon which they have to click on to see full sized, so yeah, it would be helpful if the image was embedded in the message so they couldn't miss it.

[WHS_Designs]

@Cat 

That is a facepalm moment for me. I always saw the little mountain icon in the lower right corner and completely ignored it (now where's that sheepish emoticon?)

(So if I miss it, what does that say about the customer?)

You're right, an embedded image would be so much more useful that an attached one.

[Cat]

@WHS_Designs Ha! Don't even get me started on so-called "intuitive" software design - because that which communicates intuitively to one person, is a complete head-scratching mystery to the next! I don't think I'll ever adjust to communication via osmosis. Maybe I'm just a dinosaur, but it seems to me that life was just so much easier when people actually used words and sentences to convey thoughts rather than making everyone guess at what they meant!

[WHS_Designs]

@Cat you'll be a dinosaur only when science perfects mind-reading abilities. 😉

anyway ... you've made several good suggestions for improvement to the chat experience. my two cents anyway!

[Pádraig]

Hi @Cat,

Thanks for your feedback on this and your ideas on how we may improve this function. I'll pass it along to our team for you to see if there is anything we can do.

All the best,

Pádraig.

[Cat]

Another twist on this issue came up this morning. Someone wanted to make a change to their seating chart after purchasing. I was just about to send them my "you have to cancel & reorder" message, and then it occurred to me that they might have ordered a digital download - turns out that was indeed the case and I very nearly gave them the wrong information. I searched through my order history for a seating chart ordered by someone with that first name, but they had just placed the order so it wasn't yet appearing in the list.

Anyhow, yet another reason it would be super helpful to know what they're messaging about.