Apply HN: Let’s Fix Live Chat/Support | Hacker News Reader

Apply HN: Let’s Fix Live Chat/Support

3 pointsakcreek5 comments

Problem:

1.) Conversations are on the operator’s time and not my own. If I don’t respond quickly enough they’ll exit the chat and I have to start over.

2.) I have to be on their website using their chat software. This ties me not only to whatever device I start with, but the specific browser session in many cases.

3.) I can typically only use text to communicate.

Example:

I’m talking to customer service about installing a new headlight on my car and I need to send them an image or a video of what I’m seeing so they can walk me through it. I have to take the conversation to email, which means the back and forth really slows down and it could be days before I have the answer I need.

Solution:

Live chat needs to be more flexible with integration between the various channels. The same conversation needs to fluidly move from a web-based chat to SMS/MMS to phone as necessary.

Support via SMS/MMS would allow text, images and video to be sent directly from a mobile phone. A chat could also be converted directly to a phone call.

This allows the conversation to be on my time and terms. I believe this is what other consumers want and if implemented and used properly I’m confident customer satisfaction would improve.

About Me:

I sold my last business (10 years, ecommerce) in January and am currently exploring ideas for my next. I do have another business operating currently (web-based translation services) which is profitable and has a staff so it doesn’t require my time. The point of mentioning all that is that I have the time, expertise and funds for living so I can start another business and give it my focus.

I’m applying to YC for the guidance and network, which I believe would both be important factors in me making this idea a success since it is a scale I’ve not worked at before. Previously I’ve had revenue in 7 figures, but I want to shoot for 8 or 9 with this next business.

I agree that it would be a much more pleasurable experience if conversations were on the operators time, however, wouldn't this be a tough sell to a business? How would you convince the business that this approach could yield better results (outside of customer satisfaction within support)?

When live chat came on the scene customers loved it, but many businesses were slow to adopt since it comes with additional expense (software, staff, etc).

Increased customer satisfaction, increased conversion rate (for some), reduced time per ticket all helped ease businesses into it, but more than anything I think businesses see their competitors using live chat and feel they must to keep up. Live chat hit a critical mass at some point a few years ago and then it exploded to where even the smallest businesses utilize it.

I believe that people would rather communicate via text when they can so consumer demand could drive adoption of this platform much quicker than live chat. It's also not as big of an ask for a business in a lot of ways as switching from email to live chat was, if they are already using live chat.

We can either integrate with the existing chat and just add on SMS/MMS as a channel or offer the live chat portion on the same platform. The biggest issue I think will be the additional cost.

I don't think cost is enough to stop it if it is truly what consumers want. Think about free shipping - it is a serious loss for many small ecommerce businesses, but they still do it to be competitive.

A few other tid-bits:

Business Case:

Potential customers are nearly endless since all businesses need customer service and even the smallest are now offering live chat. The market is extremely large as proven by the volume and size of current live chat companies. There are many ways to find an initial customer base; builtwith searching for businesses using the various live chat services and reaching out to them, YC’s network, acquiring a live chat service, partnering and integrating with platforms such as Shopify, etc.

Issues:

SMS/MMS has a cost per send. With volume this cost is very low, but still real. I believe this is a cost of doing business that is worthwhile to improve customer satisfaction.

There are others working in the same area. Intercom.io is kind of on this track. They have the platform to integrate the channels, but they don't have all the channels.

Test:

I took a couple of hours and built a quick SMS/MMS demo using the Twilio API and tested it with some friends - playing out customer service situations. It felt great being able to use the standard text interface I use all day long to get service. I was able to send images, video, pickup the conversation on my macbook (messages), etc. A small taste of the vision, but it was very nice indeed!

It seems like the actual problem is that it's painful and/or impossible to keep one conversation going across multiple channels. If you solve that it applies to tons of things, maybe starting with customer support conversations.

I'd like a way to just manage "my conversation with Bob" in one place, regardless of choosing email, voice, text, video, multimedia, etc at the moment. Then "Bob" can be swapped out for anyone else, even "Company Inc customer support".

I am actually thinking about the issues and solutions in customer service. Here is my solution:

An app/website with functionalities like: 1. Stores accounts and passwords. Users' info is encrypted so we don't know it. Users can update those accounts and passwords at once. 2. For example, if user needs to contact Amazon customer service, we will do that for you. Just send us a voice message in our app describing the problem, we'll contact Amazon and get back to user with answers or solutions. 3. If multiple users experience same issue with a product, we will notify them and probably propose a group solution (contact manufacturers, lawsuit, etc.) on behalf of users.

This may sound crazy because it is actually asking users to hand over confidential info. But I believe it's achievable because: 1. I know there are algorithms that is already been invented for this encryption. 2. With good reputation, apps like Apple's Wallet is used by many people.

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