Chatbots have already been used by some companies to provide customer support online via typed conversations.

ECONOMIST: Monitor: Call and response | The

From my experience, there are a few good ways to do that: make online self-service links prominent on your website and always offer them anywhere you provide your customer support number, integrate online help throughout key processes, promote Web and self-service resources in telephone hold messages, let call center agents notify customers of self-service options, and reply to email questions with the link to self-service content to re-enforce self-service availability.

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The acquisition of InQuira provides Oracle with a complete knowledge-management suite, integrated with self-service support, online customer forums and agent-assisted CRM.

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Also note that if eligibility cannot be determined online, you may need to contact Microsoft customer support and provide proof of your PC purchase.

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Yet despite all this positive talk, three-quarters did not yet have websites that would support online transactions or tie in with their customer databases and those of their suppliers, although many were working on it.

ECONOMIST: Business and the Internet

Their PC distribution system, Origin, is widely derided by players as riddled with issues, and customer support is often so unhelpful, players actually take screenshots about their bizarre experiences with online agents and share them with the world.

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