[webmasterworld.com...]
...but i have never seen it... i suppose it has not been widely released, and only appears when a rep is available to chat with you.
...i suppose it has not been widely released, and only appears when a rep is available to chat with you.
That's exactly correct.
I'm really interested in this means of working with advertisers, and keep my ear close to the ground. This early test seems quite promising, with lots of good comments from those who've used chat.
If anyone here who has worked with support in this way wants to leave comments here about their experience (whether positive or not), I'll be sure to pass them on. (I've already done this with a few comments already, btw, and they were much appreciated.)
AWA
Turned into more of a story than the short post I intended, but should be good feedback...
I field a few questions everyday from individuals who have written into support and received an email from Google that looks like the Googler in charge did a search on the AdWords FAQs, found an answer (I didn't say the right one, just an answer) and pasted it into the email.
Having dealt with mass support before, usually there are a few dozen or so questions which make up 90%+ of all inquiries. These pasted responses from Google don't surprise me as it probably solves most of their advertiser's questions. However, anyone advanced in the AdWords system quickly gets fed up with this support as they immediately write back with something to the effect of 'Did you even read the question?', and another day or two of waiting ensues.
Along comes live chat. Immediately I think that this system, even if the person can't answer the question, would bypass that first round of support and at least the person would be in the que for a real answer.
So, I start using a few proxies, a few refreshes, and *pop* there comes the chat box.
I had a nice chat with someone who could answer any basic question. The answer lag time on most of the questions was short enough that I didn't feel like the answerer was doing a search through the AdWords FAQ. Although, it did appear that some of the questions might be using the 'auto insert' function of chats for some very basic questions (and if Google isn't - they should look into this feature). Curiosity satisfied that this person could handle 95% of all questions, I thanked the person and went on my way.
However, as we all know, one person is never a real test. Off through a few more proxies, *pop* there comes the chat box again. Style seemed different enough, I thought it was a different person (who knows, could have been the same one). The answers, lag time, etc were very similar to my first experience. However, on some tougher questions, I received a quicker response to have someone look into it rather than an answer.
I did try it a third time, and my experience was pretty similar to the first time.
Overall, a definite success.
For first tier support, chat seems very good.
For expediting more difficult questions for which one has to go through first tier to reach someone who will look into it, chat seems a very good option.
For difficult questions that one knows will bypass first tier support on the first try, chat isn't a viable option as Google will want an example, and it's just easier to phrase some of that info in an email or clarify on the phone.
Hope everyone didn't fall asleep during that post, just my experience w/ chat.
Thanks!
AWA
