Online ‘Live Chat’ To Increase Accessibility For Customers
01 June 2009
Live Chat, a new, instant-messenger style function, is now available on BT’s Inclusion website www.BT.com/inclusion. The new feature offers customers another way to get information, resolve queries or make purchases and will be particularly beneficial to those who have difficulty communicating via the telephone.
Live Chat provides access to a BT customer service advisor without the need to speak over the phone. They simply type in their question and a dedicated advisor responds straight away.
BT’s Live Chat support covers all aspects of customer service, including:
• Billing queries
• Account changes – for example, to change phone and broadband package
• Advice about products and services – for example, guidance on phones suitable for people with an impairment
• Requesting BT literature in alternative formats – for example in large print, or as a text file suitable for screen reading software
A great feature for anyone, the service will particularly benefit people with disabilities, for example those who struggle with voice calls due to hearing and speech impairments.
Dr Lorraine Gailey, CEO, Hearing Concern LINK said, "Customer service departments often assume that a user is happy to deal with them on the telephone and alternative, text-based, options are either unavailable or difficult to track down. We support the concept of BT's 'Live Chat' real time text system and have asked Ofcom to encourage further usage of such communication amongst other service providers."
Warren Buckley, Director Strategy and eServices, BT, said: “We want customers to be able to communicate with BT easily and know that communication over the telephone doesn't work for everyone. Live Chat offers our customers an alternative way to interact with BT and enables them to be confident that someone is on hand to answer their questions in real time.
“This is just another addition to the accessible services we offer customers to ensure they have the means to find out about our products and services and manage their communications in a way that works for them.”
In this initial phase of its development, Live Chat support is available from 10am-5pm, Monday to Friday. To access Live Chat go to www.bt.com/inclusionand click on the ‘Chat to us Live’ banner to begin your conversation.
