Online Chat

[GoodScout]

Just added an Online Chat component to our website. Interested if anyone else has tried this, and if so, whether it was a benefit or a curse.
Our biggest issue is we're rarely sitting in front of our computer, so not sure if website visitors will see a benefit.
I accept that millennial are less likely to just pick up a phone. Will be an interesting experiment.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

Might be frustrating if someone wants to 'chat' when you aren't available.
Perhaps hang a 'sign' with office hours? Or a promise to check in?
Something like, "We are out running errands and will be checking in during the afternoon. We look forward to answering your questions then!"

 

[Morticia]

Definitely have the online chat turned off when you are not around.
It wouldn't work for us as, like you, we're not sitting there dedicated to fielding chat room questions.
I've had Facebook queries go unanswered for days because I just don't look for guest queries on fb.
Had one guy email, call and then hit Facebook because we were serving breakfast and not answering him immediately!!! He'd be the person peeved that the online chat never connected.

 

[GoodScout]

Nice thing about this particular system I'm trying is that you can have a customized away message - ours talks about being out taking care of guests. And people can leave a message.
It also has an email function that sends me an email if a visitor does that so i can respond quickly.

 

[Morticia]

Nice thing about this particular system I'm trying is that you can have a customized away message - ours talks about being out taking care of guests. And people can leave a message.
It also has an email function that sends me an email if a visitor does that so i can respond quickly..

Ok, that sounds like you've got things covered.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

Nice thing about this particular system I'm trying is that you can have a customized away message - ours talks about being out taking care of guests. And people can leave a message.
It also has an email function that sends me an email if a visitor does that so i can respond quickly..

sounds like a good system. This danger is in the word, "chat." People see that and expect a room full of people just waiting to ....well.....chat.

 

[EmptyNest]

Nice thing about this particular system I'm trying is that you can have a customized away message - ours talks about being out taking care of guests. And people can leave a message.
It also has an email function that sends me an email if a visitor does that so i can respond quickly..

Ok, that sounds like you've got things covered.
.

Just tried it out ..worked fine
think I will download the plugin as I have someone in mind you might use it

 

[EmptyNest]

Nice thing about this particular system I'm trying is that you can have a customized away message - ours talks about being out taking care of guests. And people can leave a message.
It also has an email function that sends me an email if a visitor does that so i can respond quickly..

Ok, that sounds like you've got things covered.
.

Duplicat

 

[Lee2014]

My experience with Online Chat. I open the website page. Chat box pops up. Click "No thanks!". I scan what the website has to offer. Open up what I want. Chat box pops up. Click it shut. Go back and reopen what I want. "Chat with so-and-so. They can help you" comes up. Click shut.....Twenty minutes later I leave website and I still didn't get to see what I was trying to open. I find another website without chat so I can shop in peace and don't feel like I'm being spied on.

 

[Morticia]

My experience with Online Chat. I open the website page. Chat box pops up. Click "No thanks!". I scan what the website has to offer. Open up what I want. Chat box pops up. Click it shut. Go back and reopen what I want. "Chat with so-and-so. They can help you" comes up. Click shut.....Twenty minutes later I leave website and I still didn't get to see what I was trying to open. I find another website without chat so I can shop in peace and don't feel like I'm being spied on..

There's that, too. So maybe it shouldn't auto load.

 

[EmptyNest]

My experience with Online Chat. I open the website page. Chat box pops up. Click "No thanks!". I scan what the website has to offer. Open up what I want. Chat box pops up. Click it shut. Go back and reopen what I want. "Chat with so-and-so. They can help you" comes up. Click shut.....Twenty minutes later I leave website and I still didn't get to see what I was trying to open. I find another website without chat so I can shop in peace and don't feel like I'm being spied on..

There's that, too. So maybe it shouldn't auto load.
.

It is very unobtrusive on Phineas site. Just a little chat button down in the lower right hand corner. No big pop up

 

[Lee2014]

My experience with Online Chat. I open the website page. Chat box pops up. Click "No thanks!". I scan what the website has to offer. Open up what I want. Chat box pops up. Click it shut. Go back and reopen what I want. "Chat with so-and-so. They can help you" comes up. Click shut.....Twenty minutes later I leave website and I still didn't get to see what I was trying to open. I find another website without chat so I can shop in peace and don't feel like I'm being spied on..

There's that, too. So maybe it shouldn't auto load.
.

It is very unobtrusive on Phineas site. Just a little chat button down in the lower right hand corner. No big pop up
.

Glad to hear that!

 

[Arks]

I brought this up about 3 months ago. We talked about it some then. Some didn't think it was a good idea. I never did anything with it. Glad somebody took the plunge! Keep us posted on how it's going and whether it's worth having. Thanks!

 

[Arks]

I'm online a lot, but nothing I'm doing online is more important to me than answering guest's inquiries, if it leads to heads in beds. Might as well give it a try and see. If it's extra trouble or makes guests frustrated, you could always remove it. But if it's helpful, let us know!

 

[GoodScout]

Well here's an update after the first 48 hours:
Pluses: Actually got a booking via chat! Had a guest that had a question about a 2 night minimum on a night that showed 3. I was able to find a room that weekend that had 2 nights open and just slotted them right in! Another wedding guest had some questions about sending a deposit and decided to chat rather than call. Worked fine.
Neutral: The software has an iPhone app where you can respond to chat by your phone. Am carrying it around the property and did chat briefly once with one of my innspiring friends. Online reviews of the app suggest it's hit or miss, and many people said they missed chat requests. Will have to see.
Negative: Chat does tend to tether you to your computer or phone. Right now, I don't want to be away much since it's new, but i suspect later on many guests will get the "we're out helping guests at the moment, will have to call you back" message. It's just like the phones -- you have to decide how tied down you want to be.

 

[dumitru]

My one suggestion would be to be clear and attentive to what you are saying and agreeing to in the chat.
For example if you give away a special rate or the guest makes a special request. If it is for a later date - you might forget it. When you have an email - you can always jump back to it, mark it as important, etc. While chat sessions are usually kept for a very short time by the software and you might lose some important (legal?) information.
The customer might claim one day that a month ago you agreed to a special rate or that you will prepare them brownies in the morning.
So just make sure to keep duplicates of your transcripts.

 

[JBloggs]

Why do you want to have chat exactly, as an amenity to answer questions? Will it put of more people than it helps if they want to chat and have a question and you are not online?
thanks for sharing your update.

 

[Arks]

My one suggestion would be to be clear and attentive to what you are saying and agreeing to in the chat.
For example if you give away a special rate or the guest makes a special request. If it is for a later date - you might forget it. When you have an email - you can always jump back to it, mark it as important, etc. While chat sessions are usually kept for a very short time by the software and you might lose some important (legal?) information.
The customer might claim one day that a month ago you agreed to a special rate or that you will prepare them brownies in the morning.
So just make sure to keep duplicates of your transcripts..

So just make sure to keep duplicates of your transcripts.

Excellent suggestion, because we all know these things happen.

 

[JBloggs]

My one suggestion would be to be clear and attentive to what you are saying and agreeing to in the chat.
For example if you give away a special rate or the guest makes a special request. If it is for a later date - you might forget it. When you have an email - you can always jump back to it, mark it as important, etc. While chat sessions are usually kept for a very short time by the software and you might lose some important (legal?) information.
The customer might claim one day that a month ago you agreed to a special rate or that you will prepare them brownies in the morning.
So just make sure to keep duplicates of your transcripts..

Good advice D.

 

[Jcam]

My one suggestion would be to be clear and attentive to what you are saying and agreeing to in the chat.
For example if you give away a special rate or the guest makes a special request. If it is for a later date - you might forget it. When you have an email - you can always jump back to it, mark it as important, etc. While chat sessions are usually kept for a very short time by the software and you might lose some important (legal?) information.
The customer might claim one day that a month ago you agreed to a special rate or that you will prepare them brownies in the morning.
So just make sure to keep duplicates of your transcripts..

This happens all over and is very good advice - I do a lot of cross stitch which requires specialist and custom framing - chap who does it for me normally doesn't require paying in advance but I like to as I know where I am then. Was in yesterday and this is what had happened
(1) lady had come in wanted a particular frame but when he priced it up she said it was too expensive and picked out something else cheaper
(2) came back for it and insisted it wasn't what she had ordered and refused to pay - luckily another woman came in with similar sized items wanting the frames woman 1 had refused so he remade them all for the second customer and sold them but was more work and he was out of pocket
(3) pictures for woman 1 are still on his bench to hand back to her with no frames as he is now going to refuse to do it.
Said to him you are doing custom work it should be paid for then and there - those frames are no use to anyone else plus he has a basement full of stuff people never came back for - at least then he would be paid.
Said he should make people sign for what they have picked out so there is none of this rubbish and then pay - you have to pay for it in the end anyway so what's 2 weeks?