UNIT- 3 ONLINE CHAT

Structure

3.1 Objectives

3.2 Introduction

3.3 Keyboarding Skills

3.4 Chat Etiquette

3.5 Let us Summarise

3.6 References

3.7 Answers

3.1 OBJECTIVES

At the end of this unit, you will be able to know

What is meant by “On Line Chat”

How “chat” is a powerful medium of communication in business
The importance of key-boarding skills
Do’s and Don’ts in Business Chat
How to give information/instructions clearly
The appropriate use of grammatically correct sentences

3.2 INTRODUCTION
Have you ever spent your free time chatting with your friend or friends?
It is indeed a pleasurable experience if you have done so. What exactly do we do when
we chat? We speak about everything – WE COMMUNICATE.
Are you aware that besides chatting face-to-face with people, we also do so over the
phone?
Now, with technology changing and advancing with each day, the internet has become a
media through which we can get information, pass on information, or give information to
people anywhere in the world within minutes.
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How does this help in business?
Business, nowadays, is being conducted among all the countries of the world.
Communicating by regular post or on the phone is expensive. The internet has made it
possible to communicate at a low cost and quickly by way of emails, on-line chat, audio-
conferencing, video-conferencing, etc.

“On-Line Chat” is a simple way of speaking with people by typing out what you want to
say instead of actually speaking verbally.
When you have a conversation with someone (either face to face or on the phone) and
you are asking for information, it could go like this- For example, if a call is made to a
bookstore –
Jyothi : Hello, is this The Oxford Book Store?
Shop Assistant : Good Morning. My name is Mohan. What can I do for you?
Jyothi : Well Mohan, Do you have “Personality Development” written by
Rajiv K. Mishra?
SA : Could you give me a few minutes, while I check that for you?
Jyothi : Sure, go ahead.
SA : Yes, we do. It costs Rs.195.00p. Would you like me to keep a copy
aside for you?
Jyothi : Please. I shall come by tomorrow and buy it.
SA : Could I take your name and phone number please?
Jyothi : Jyothi... Jyothi Krishnan. My number is 93415 15084.
SA : I got that. Jyothi Krishnan, 93415 15084, right?
Jyothi : Thank you.
This could be a call made to a bookstore in the same city.
Are you interested in knowing if you can communicate similarly with a person in
another country without spending too much money?
Yes, we surely can.
What if we need to get information from a bookstore in London or America?
We can make use of the “on-line chat” facility to do so. A similar conversation can take
place with the only difference being that, instead of speaking the words, we can type
them out.
Just as you can access email, you can access on line chat by using chat service providers
like MSN Chat, Google Chat, Gmail Chat, Yahoo Chat etc. Most companies have live
chat support 24/7 (which means – 24 hours a day for all the 7 days of the week).
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Business organizations could set up their own chat facilities as well.
What does a chat window look like?
When you enter a chat window, you can instantly see if an operator is available to chat
with you, to answer your questions.
The respective chat window will open and you can start chatting. Once you click the
‘Start Chatting’ button, the chat window will open up. Once the chat support executive
accepts the chat, you will automatically receive a customized greeting message.
You can now chat back and forth.
Sita : I need help to scan a picture
[An agent will be with you shortly.]
[You are now chatting with Alexis.]
Alexis : Hello Sita.
Alexis : Welcome to JPC Total Care for All-in-One products. My name is Alexis.
Please give me a few moments while I review your problem description
details.
Sita : Hi Alex, please help me.
Alexis : Could you please elaborate the difficulty you are experiencing while trying
to scan?
Sita : I have an JPC DeskJet G3216 model. I do not know how to use scan
function. Can you take me through the process?
Alexis : Sure, Sita. I will provide you my best support to scan the document using
your JPC DeskJet G3216 All-in-One Printer.
Alexis : Could you please confirm the Operating System installed on your
Computer(Windows 98, XP or Vista)?
Sita : Thank you, windows XP.
Alexis : You are most welcome.
Alexis : May I know whether the full featured All-in-One software has been
installed on your Computer?
Sita : Sorry, no clues.
Alexis : Alright.
Alexis : Let us find the installed JPC programs on your computer.
Sita : I have switched on the printer... placed the book from which to scan, but
how do I do it.
Alexis : Follow the steps below to know the installed JPC Applications.
Sita : Sure, go ahead.
Alexis : Sita, to use the scan feature on your All-in-One, the All-in-One Software
should be installed on your Computer.
Alexis : Click Start >> Control Panel >> Add/Remove programs
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Sita : Do you want me to do it now as you tell me?
Alexis : Yes, please follow the steps to confirm if the full featured software has
been installed on your Computer.
Sita : Ok, it says list is being populated. What next?
Alexis : Now look for JPC applications.
Sita : Yes, I see it.
Alexis : Click on it and it will open a window that will show all the JPC
applications.
Sita : Got that. Now what?
Alexis : Click on ‘Scan functions’ and follow the steps to scan the picture.
Sita : Yes, I can see it now. Thank you. You’ve been of great help.
Alexis : Is there anything else that I could help you with?
Sita : No, this is fine.
Alexis : Bye then. Have a great day.
Similarly, if you are the agent you can see that someone is trying to get in touch. Most
companies have their own software (suitable for their operations) installed. When you get
to work in a BPO or support center, you will be trained in the specific process.
Once the chat session has ended, you close your chat window.
How often do people use “live chat” to communicate?
Since Live Chat support is the most interactive of all online support practices in both
customer and technical areas, it is widely used. This fast growing BPO trend is extremely
useful for two reasons.
Firstly, you have a round the clock chat assistance, whereby you can share
your problems and get them resolved in the least possible time.
Secondly, Live Chat support is highly interactive - it’s more like a chat
session with a friend of yours sitting in some remote corner of the world and
assisting you on how to handle a particular situation.
Again, since Live Chat offers you the opportunity to share things then and there, it
becomes more attentive, since the executive is serving only you at a particular point of
time. His attention won’t be diverted to anything else; therefore, delivering you
promising results. This is one reason why the idea of outsourcing Live Chat support has
received positive encouragement in business.
Glossary
Access: to find or see information, especially using a computer

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CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 1
1. How does Live Chat help in business?
___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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2. How is on-line chat different from a telephone call?

___________________________________________________________________
________
___________________________________________________________________
________
___________________________________________________________________
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3. What are the two reasons people like to use Live Chat?
___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
________
___________________________________________________________________
________

3.3 KEYBOARDING SKILLS

Importance of Learning Keyboarding
Have you heard the word “Keyboard’?
What does it mean?
Yes, it is a flat surface which has the letters of the alphabet, numbers, and
other symbols on it. Each letter, number or symbol is placed on one key.
This whole thing is connected to the computer.
Do you know what is meant by “Keyboarding Skills”?
It is developing the skill to type accurately and with reasonable speed using
a keyboard.
What is the difference between keyboarding and typing?
The terms are basically interchangeable these days. The term typing comes from using a
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typewriter and today’s keyboards have additional features of a separate number pad and
additional keys for computer functions. Learning to touch type today, is much the same
as it always has been - learning the proper techniques, posture and hand position and
practicing through repetition. An important goal of good keyboarding is developing the
ability to compose and edit at the computer, whereas typing was simply to reproduce
material. With good keyboarding skills you should be able to type as fast as you can think
- about 35-45 words per minute; though in the beginning, a speed of 20 words per minute
is good enough. The goal of accuracy is to maintain the flow of thought processes
without having to correct mistakes.
Home Row Keys are those that have the letters – “asdfghjkl;” – you need to place your
left hand little finger on key “a” and the right hand little finger on key “;” and the other
fingers will fall into place.

Position:
The finger showing letters “RT FG YB” is your left fore finger.
The finger showing letters “YU HJ NM” is your right fore finger.
The finger showing letters “EDC” is your left middle finger.
The finger showing letters “IK,” is your right middle finger.
The finger showing “WSX” is your left ring finger.
The finger showing “OL.” is your right ring finger.
The finger showing “QAZ” is your left small finger.
The finger showing “P:/” is your right small finger.

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 Touch Typing

One Finger Typing

What is touch typing?

Touch typing is when you make use of all your fingers to type without looking down at
the keys.
There are a large number of computer users who feel that one-finger typing is as good as
touch typing. When tested, they are often surprised to learn how inefficiently they
type. Touch typing allows you to key in much faster and you don’t tire as quickly. This
skill comes after the fingers have learned to operate the keys automatically with speed
and a high level of accuracy. The fingers move without hesitation when they know where
to go.
Emphasize Accuracy, Positioning and Posture!
Accuracy, not speed, should be emphasized from the start. Speed will improve with
practice.

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Proper Posture
Sit up straight with back against the chair
Place your feet in front on the floor
Look at the monitor or work that you are keying from
Keep your arms at your sides
Keep your wrists straight
Hand Positioning
Fingers curved over the keys
Hands positioned on home row keys

Keyboard Position
Keyboard pulled to the edge of your desk
Sitting position centered at “f;g;h;j” keys

Summary of key points of good keyboarding posture:

Feet should be placed flat on floor or foot rest, one foot slightly ahead of the other
Thighs should be parallel to the floor
Lower back should rest against chair back or lumbar support
Neck and head should be kept straight
Eyes able to see over screen, looking down at a slight angle
Upper arms hanging loosely from relaxed shoulders
Elbows at 90-degree angle, close but not held tight to the body
Wrists relaxed and in line with the forearms and parallel to the keyboard
Fingers relaxed and curved over home row keys
Your touch should be light on keys and mouse; avoid pressing heavily on the keys
Keyboard Covers
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How can you type by not looking at the keys?
Cover the keyboard to encourage yourself to look at the monitor or your work as you
type. This can be done by using a keyboard skin that covers the writing on the keyboard,
or using a cover above the hands to keep your eyes from looking at your fingers or the
keys. Skins are available that cover the keys and still allow you to type.

Sample of keyboard skin cover Homemade cardboard cover

As shown above, a piece of cardboard or paper can create a cover over the keyboard.
The need to look at the keys is often a matter of confidence and results from fear of
making mistakes.
What are the causes for most errors?
Having long finger nails or a heavy touch can result in pressing extra keys or the
same key many times. If you press key “j” heavily, you might see this happen on
the screen – “jjjjjjjjjj”.
Poor lighting cause result in missing keys, pressing the wrong keys, or pressing
extra keys.
Looking away from the screen will result in either missed keys or wrong keys.
Reading too far ahead results in missing keys.
Being tired or tense can make you press the wrong keys; so also when your fingers
are not anchored on the home row.
If your body is not centered properly, you would end up placing your fingers on the
wrong keys.
Keyboarding too fast could make you miss certain keys.
Keyboarding too slowly could result in extra keys being pressed.

To avoid making errors:

do not have long finger nails
do not press the keys heavily

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 use proper lighting
sit properly
strike the keys with average speed, avoid being too fast or too slow.
If you would like to tutor yourself on line, you could log on to http://www.typingtutor-
online.com.

Practice Drills
The Typing Position - Technique and Posture:
Eyes on copy
Fingers curved and upright
Wrists low
Forearms slanted with keyboard
Sit back in chair, back straight
Feet on floor

Drill 1
Place your fingers on the home row. Position fingers of the left hand on “asdf” and the
right fingers on “jkl;.”
Remember: fingers should be curved, relaxed, and upright.
Thumbs should be placed on the space bar.
Say the letters to yourself as you punch the keys.
Asdf ;lkj asdf ;lkj asdf ;lkj asdf ;lkj asdf ;lkj asdf ;lkj asdf ;lkj asdf ;lkj asdf ;lkj
Now type this exercise out for at least a whole page or more using the thumb to press the
space bar to separate “asdf” from “;lkj”
This will help you to move your fingers across the home row with ease and also teach
you to use your thumb to press the space bar.
Concentrate on accuracy.

Drill 2
Once you are comfortable and confident of using the home row keys without looking,
you can move on to moving your fingers on to the other rows.
New keys–“h, g”
Place your fingers on the home row. Your right hand fore finger is on the key “j”–move
only your right hand fore finger to your left to punch “h”–then type out a page or more
of–
h hj hj ha ha had had had h hj ah ah has has half
Place your fingers on the home row. Your left hand fore finger is on the key “f”–move
only your left hand fore finger to your right to punch “g”–then type out a page or more

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of–
g gf gf g; g; glk glk glk g gf ;g ;g glk glk g;sj

Drill 3
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach up with your left middle finger for “e”– then
type out a page or more of -
e ed ed led el jell
e ed ed eel keel keel

Drill 4
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach up with you right ring finger for “o”– then
type out a page or more of –
ol ol so so do do old
of odd odd loss loss

Drill 5
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach up with your left fore finger for “t” and your
right fore finger for “u”–then type out a page or more of –
t tf tf tf to to the the the t to to dot dot told told
Tad gut hut task talk jut jute jot lot sot dot dut sut lut kats
Drill 6
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach up with your left fore finger for “r” and your
right fore finger for “y”–then type out a page or more of –
R ry rt rrp y y yap yep yh yg yt ya yeah
Pear pay plate quip quit quay water where were why whose

Drill 7
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach up with your left little finger for “q” and your
right middle finger for “i”–then type out a page or more of –
I ik ik if if fish fish I is is did did dish dish
q I q I q I quit quit put pat lap gait hut get quip equip kite late

Drill 8
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach up with your left ring finger for “w” and your
right little finger for “p”– then type out a page or more of –
P p p p; pat put past
Put pat pad gate hut lag talk talk pout spout spoil wail what wad walk

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Drill 9
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach down with your right fore finger for “n” and
your left fore finger for “b”– the type out a page or more of –
N nj nj an and land end lend B bg bg ban bg bg bt bt
Nb nb nb nb nab nab nab net nap nag hand hen bat bate bah bale bathe bale bear
boil bake bag

Drill 10
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach down with your right fore finger for “m” and
your left fore finger for “v”– the type out a page or more of –
M v m v man vein lime vim vale male main vibe
Vb vb mn mn bv bv nm nm vg vf bg bf mj mh nj nh

Drill 11
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach down with your right middle finger for “,”
and your left middle finger for “c” then type out a page or more of –
Coffee, copy, copy, coffee, coffee, copy, camel, candle, camel, candle
Books, paper, mangoes, files, zips, staplers, bananas, clips, candles

Drill 12
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach down with your left ring finger for “x” and
your right ring finger for “.” then type out a page or more of –
Xray. Xmas. Xray. Xmas. xray.

Drill 13
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach down with your left little finger for “z” and
your right little finger for “/” then type out a page or more of –
Zebra/zoo/zebra/zebra/zoo/zoo/zebra/zoo/zebra/zoo/zoo/zebra/zebra

Drill 14
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach down with your left little finger for “the shift
key”– press, type the letter you want to capitalize and then release-type out a page or
more of –
P O I U Y : L K J H Play Joke Halter
J Ja Ka L La Jake Lake P You Oil Pail Hal Hail Oak Soak Poke

Drill 15
Place your fingers on the home row. Reach down with your right little finger for “the
shift key”– press, type the letter you want to capitalize and then release-then type out a

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page or more of –
A Ail Quip Rat What Tap Shop Flip Gate A S D F G Q W E R T
Practice Ideas
Follow up home keyboard practice with practical applications.
Type your favorite recipes
Write stories
Find an interesting magazine article - type one paragraph per day from the article.
Type some jokes or tongue twisters
Type personal letters (especially repetitive thank-you notes for gifts).
Type a grocery list that you can print out and use to check off items needed each
week
Type personal inventories: a list of all your baseball cards, a list of all your CDs, or
a list of books read
Lists of anything: brands of cars, places you’d like to visit, favorite musicians. . .
Make a list of frequently called and emergency numbers to put by the phone.
Type the words to a favorite song from the jacket of a CD or tape.
Glossary
Accurately : correctly or exactly
Inventory : a list of all the things that are in a place; for example, an inventory of
stationery in an office
Posture : the position of your back, shoulders, etc. when you are standing or sitting

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS 2

1. What is more important in keyboarding skills? Accuracy or speed?
___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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2. What is meant by “home row keys”?

___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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 ___________________________________________________________________
________
3. List out the keys that are to be pressed by:
Left fore finger :
Right fore finger :
Left middle finger :
Right middle finger :
Left ring finger :
Right ring finger :
Left little finger :
Right little finger :
Left and right thumbs :

4. What is the difference between “touch typing” and “one finger typing”?
___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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5. Is posture important for keyboarding skill? If so list at least 5 points.

___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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6. How can you avoid pressing extra keys or wrong keys?

___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________
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7. Type these sentences out and check your accuracy and speed.
The lazy brown fox jumped quickly over the gate but was caught.
Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs.
* These sentences have all the 26 letters of the alphabet.

3.4 CHAT ETIQUETTE

What is meant etiquette?
Rules about what is polite, correct and professional behavior is “Etiquette”.
Just like any professional conversation demands etiquette, a Live Chat session has its
own etiquette that needs to be followed - perhaps more closely and efficiently than in
other communication channels. Whenever one chats with a Live Customer Support
Agent, people tend to closely observe even the shortest of sentences which are more
likely to be ignored in a face-to-face or phone conversation. Errors made on a Live Chat
session is, therefore, more likely to be noticed.
There are many steps in a Live Chat, from greeting a web visitor to closing the chat,
where etiquette needs to be observed.

What do you do when you meet a person you do not know?

Introduce yourself
Whenever greeting a web visitor, the Live Chat Customer Support Agent must introduce
her/himself by name and then continue with a greeting that is appropriate for the business
model of the website. The name introduction can be avoided only in cases where the Live
Chat window is displaying the Agent’s name. Start a conversation in the same way as you
would in a business telephone call e.g. “Hello, I’m Mani Gopalan from kpc.com”, not
“Hi there!”

What kind of language is to be used while chatting?

Use polite language and do not be judgmental
A Live Agent, when providing customer support on a website, must always remember the
business model of the website and thus the expected visitors on the website. This will
help the agent in choosing the proper words for the kinds of visitors expected. For
example, a law firm’s website may be extremely particular in using (and not using)
certain professional words or phrases. On the other hand, a music company that caters
largely to teenagers will have much less formal approach towards the language used by
Live Customer Support Agents on its website.
During a business chat, spelling, grammar and tone are very important.
Begin all new sentences with capital letters, capitalize all proper nouns, and do not forget
to capitalize the pronoun ‘I’, irrespective of where you use it in a sentence. Be careful
with spelling. Keep a list of most commonly mispronounced word pairs within your reach
or paste it on your workstation. For instance, principle/ principle, their/there,
advice/advise, etc.

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It’s rude to say “Sit Down”– it is polite to say “Please take your seat”- This should be the
tone of your language when you chat with customers.
It is interesting to note here that many aspects like language to be used; grammar,
spelling and tone follow similar rules in both email writing and live chat channels.
Many people may not be as comfortable as you are in using the keyboard. Give them
time to respond. Not only will such people be slow to respond, but their responses may
seem too brief, curt or may even sound rude. Try not to judge the person based on the
initial conversation. Try to understand and empathize with the other person. You remain
polite and professional. It is alright if the other person does not use “please” and “thank
you”; however, you need to make these words an important part of your everyday
language. Remember, when you speak to a person either face-to-face or on the phone, the
tone of you voice conveys a lot – like your tone could be polite, helpful, patient, rude,
aggressive, bored etc., but while chatting you are only writing your conversation and
neither the other person nor you will be able to hear the tone. The only thing that conveys
the tone in written communication is your choice of words. Take care to use simple
sentences in a polite tone.
For example:
“Wait. I have to check and find out.” (This could sound very abrupt)
“Could you please wait for five minutes? I shall check and let you know.” (This is a
better way of communicating)
Use positive language as far as possible.
Do not say: “I do not know.”
Instead say: “Please give me some time and I can find that out for you.”
Care must be taken when you structure your sentences as well.
“If you complete the report,” sounds rude.
Restructure it to say,” When you complete the report.”
The former sounds aggressive and may put someone on the defensive.
To show that you are paying attention, do use when appropriate words like, “OK”,
“alright”, “sure”, “definitely”, “great”, and “absolutely.
You can also use phrases like “I understand”, “please go ahead” or “I can understand how
upsetting that must be for you.” You need to show that you empathize, that you care for
the customer as a human being and not a machine.
It helps to be cooperative during a chat. For example, if a client asks a difficult question,
instead of replying with “no clues” or “beats me”, answer with something along the lines
of: “Good question, Mr. Shivakumar. I’ll find that out for you”. The few extra keystrokes
may help you land the deal or at least become a preferred representative that Mr.
Shivakumar likes to deal with.
It is possible to politely refuse or redirect a customer’s unreasonable demand, and sound
polite, professional and courteous with the right choice or words. Here are some standard
chat phrases you can use:
“I’m sorry, please let me redirect you to my (insert title) who will be able to

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help you.”
“How may I help you today?”
“Thank you for being so patient.”
“We value your input.”
“I’ll get right back to you.”
“I’m glad, I could help you.”
“Would you like me to review anything else with you?”
“I’ll take care of that right away.”

What should you do to avoid making mistakes?

Pay Attention
How would you feel, if you were to go to a store and the shop assistant while assisting
you is also on the phone – discussing a movie with a friend – and is unable to give you
his complete attention? Would you like it? After all, it is his job to attend to customers,
not make personal conversation during working hours.
Similarly, it is your job to give complete attention to the person who is chatting with you.
If you have multiple conversations happening or are allowing other issues to distract you,
you may miss something important.
A word of caution – Distraction can result in wrong information being conveyed.

Jargon, slang, abbreviations and sms language

What is meant by “jargon”?
“Jargon” is a term used to describe words and phrases used by particular groups of people
that are difficult for the others to understand.
For example: Doctors may speak about “influenza” or “myocardial infarction” which to
us common people may be confusing. All they mean is “flu” or “heart attack”.
What is “slang”?
“Slang” is informal language that is used by people and definitely cannot be used in
business communication.
What are abbreviations?
“Abbreviations” are short forms of words – for example,
POA = Plan of Action
WTC = World Trade Center
Regd. = regards
Req. = request
NOTE: Sometimes abbreviations are widely used and accepted as most people can
understand them. However, at times we create our own abbreviations which may not
make sense to the others.
What is meant by “sms” language?

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Almost every other person uses cell phones these days. Messaging has become a common
way of communication. Nevertheless, we use all kinds of short-cuts to write our
messages.
For example –
“Pls kl me b4 u com 2 the off” – What does that mean?
“Please call me before you come to the office”.
Jargon, abbreviations and slang used in live chat and instant messaging come across as
being unprofessional to the person you are communicating with.
Also, if the other person isn’t familiar with such language, it may totally confuse him/her.
Until you get to know the person better, or you see them using the same lingo avoid using
any of these confusing short cuts.
On all web sites though, slang words, jargon and profane language must not be used. In a
broad sense of the term, appropriate use of language in a Live Chat will take into account
these things:
Business model of the website
Overall mood of the website
The purpose of Live Chat on that website

Can humor be used while chatting?

Humor–be careful
Humor usually helps make uncomfortable situations less nasty, but it can also
boomerang. So be very careful with humor. Sometimes, what seems good humor to you
may be in bad taste to the other person. Unless you are very sure about the cultural
background of the person you are chatting with and their mood, do not try using humor.
What is meant by Font, Text Size & Color?
Fonts are the different styles of letters and symbols available for use on your computer.
Do not use fancy font, very large or very small font and loud colors.
Use fonts like “Times Roman” or “Arial” and not fancy one like, “alba super” or
“Blackadder ITC”.
Each font may vary in size – choose what is comfortable and clear to read. Arial 12 may
be larger than Times Roman 12.
It would be advisable to use either “black” or “blue” when you are on text chat. The
other colors may not be suitable, especially in business text chat.
Be prepared to answer whatever questions or asked
In a business environment, most people won’t want to chat just for the sake of chatting;
they have too many other things to do. Be well informed about your product to be able to
sound confident and deal with the customers professionally.
Is it okay to type all the letters in upper case?
TYPING YOUR MESSAGES IN UPPERCASE is extremely rude - it’s considered
shouting and expresses aggressive behavior.
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Can you expect a reply immediately from the person you are chatting with?
Give people time to respond

Do not rush your customers. Many questions sent to a recipient before they’ve had a
chance to answer can seem more like a questioning session rather than a conversation.
Pose a question, and then give the other person a chance to respond - they may not be
able to type as fast as you or may have been distracted. You can be courteous by asking a
single question in each message and acknowledging the person’s answer when they do
respond.
Know your product and be careful with confidential information
Know your product– It is important that your customers feel confident with whom they
chat. Make sure you are trained to answer as many questions as possible without any
additional assistance, or sending them through various levels of support. This will help
keep the conversation ‘flowing’ more smoothly.
Solve the Problem– Make sure your customers are satisfied with your response. It is not
only important to give the correct response, but to make sure your customer understands
it. Once the problem is solved, you should ask “Is there anything else I can help you
with?” or something of that nature. Follow up with the customer, whether it is through an
e-mail form or a phone call.
Personal touch – Chats are not meant to be a business reply form. Make sure you
remember and sound like you are communicating with a human being. Use their name.
This lets your customer know you have their full attention, and they are not just another
problem ticket number.
“Yes, Linda. I got that. You do want to place an order for an ebony coffee table, right?”
Know the customer- In case the customer is one who has been using your live chat
facility, review all of the basic information of that customer before you start your chat. It
will give you insight on who you are dealing with, and what past problems the individual
may have had.
Friendliness is key– Make sure your responses are courteous. Tone in written responses
is often difficult to understand. A “please” and a “thank you” will help to add a positive
tone.
Be direct - Answer the questions you’ve been asked ... don’t sound like a documentary.
It is more difficult to type and read, than to have a speaking conversation. Try to keep
each response to about twenty words. If more is needed, simply break up the response
into several sentences. This will allow your customer to read and keep up with the
conversation.

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No single word responses– While using short sentences is good, one-word answers will
probably irritate some customers. People often take a while before they type their
questions. One-word responses are rude and will make your service look cold.
Quick responses- Keep the conversation moving. Try to avoid long pauses between
responses. It is important that your customer feels connected to you. Let them know what
you’re doing. If a long pause is necessary, either let them know (try “One moment please,
while I check”) or ask them if you can get right back to them by phone or by e-mail.
Type the way you speak - Keep your tone more conversational. If you’re constantly
trying to write a perfect business response it will take forever, and your customer will
lose interest and move on. Use simple and direct sentences.
The internet is not very safe to exchange confidential information. Avoid communicating
any information that may be confidential and harmful.
Think before hitting the enter key
If you’re in a conversation that’s getting too much for you to handle because your
customer is very angry, either break it off politely or finish it on the phone. As with
email, chat conversations lack the advantages of physical signals such as body language
and vocal intonation. In situations where people are very angry, one wrong word can turn
a difficult situation into an explosive one.
How do you end a conversation?
It’s important to properly end a session - you may think the chat is over, but the other
person may not. While you’re off doing other things, they may be sitting there staring at
the screen waiting for further communication from you.
At the end of the conversation, summarize the discussion; ask the other person if they
have any more questions and if not, thank them for their time and then take leave.
Some good reasons to use Live Chat for
Business
Multi-Task: The best live chat programs let you chat with several clients at once,
connect to others online and/or redirect calls to others in your company - all with a click
of your mouse. This saves you and your customers’ time and money.
Instant Leads: Visitors who use your chat solution are usually highly interested and
through chatting, you can ask for as much detail as you need to effectively service them.
Some programs let you initiate a chat call to any website visitor or even add a live chat
link to your email or Google ads!
Better First Impression: Visitors who get quick answers to their questions stay longer,
buy more products, and show more confidence in your company. That’s why hundreds of
smart businesses worldwide rely on live chat as a point of contact on their website as a
means to building trusting, solid customer relationships.
Customer Feedback: You can create a post-chat survey to let visitors evaluate their
experience or ask any questions about improving customer service and expanding quality
support.
Glossary

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Judgmental: quick to criticize people
Profane: showing no respect to rules of morality
CHECK YOU PROGRESS 3
1. What do you understand by “etiquette”?
___________________________________________________________________
________
___________________________________________________________________
________
___________________________________________________________________
________

2. Make a list of the do’s and don’ts of chat etiquette.

Do’s Don’ts

3.5 LET US SUMMARISE

In this unit we have learnt:
That on line chat is a popular channel used in business today
That it is easy and quick and helps people solve issues
That we can communicate anywhere in the world
That chat is a conversation that is written
Keyboarding skills
The advantages of using all the fingers while typing
The correct posture while working long hours at the computer
The causes for making mistakes while using the keyboard and how to avoid them
Some guidelines to be followed to become a good Live Chat Agent
What we need to avoid while chatting on line

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3.6 REFERENCES
askmen.com
www.rediff.com/getahead/2006/jul/25.chat.html
www.tamingthebeast.net/articles6/messaging-chat-etiquette.htm
3.7 ANSWERS
Check your progress 1
1. Business has now become global. On Line Chat is not expensive and it helps to
communicate quickly and is more interactive than email.
2. On a telephone you can speak to the person; on line chat is like conversation that is
written and not spoken.
3. Live chat is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week (24/7) and it is very
interactive.
Check your progress 2
1. Accuracy is more important in keyboarding skills than speed; speed will improve
with practice.
2. Home row keys are the ones with the letter – asdfghjkl; - you need to place your
fingers on these. When you type out the other letters you reach out to the other
keys but always come back to place your fingers on the home row keys.
3. List out the keys that are to be pressed by:
a. Left fore finger : RTFGVB
b. Right fore finger : YUHJNM
c. Left middle finger : EDC
d. Right middle finger : IK,
e. Left ring finger : WSX
f. Right ring finger : OL.
g. Left little finger : QAZ
h. Right little finger : P;/
i. Left and right thumbs : The space bar
4. Touch typing is when you use all your fingers to keyboard without looking at the
keys. One finger typing is when you use only finger to type and with this way of
keyboarding you usually tend to look at the keys while you type.
5. Yes.
a. Sit up straight.
b. Keep your feet flat on the floor
c. Look at the monitor or sheet that you are typing from
d. Keep your arms at the side
e. Keep your wrists straight
6. a. keep your finger nails short
b. do not press the keys heavily
c. key boarding too slowly
d. poor lighting
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 e. looking away from the monitor
Check your progress 3
1. Rules about polite, correct and professional behavior are etiquette.
2. List of the do’s and don’ts of chat etiquette.
Do’s Don’ts

Introduce yourself Avoid using jargon, slang, sms language, or

short forms

Use polite language Don’t rush people, give them time to respond

Pay attention Don’t be rude

Know your product Don’t make people wait endlessly for your
response

Use clear fonts Don’t type all the letters in capitals

Use a comfortable font size Don’t ask too many questions at one time

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