Customer Service Chat Capabilities
I prefer in-person interactions to virtual ones. I like phone contact, too, voice calls more than texts. But I don’t get the urge to text someone for permission to call them. In my mind, if it’s not an okay time to talk, they just won’t answer the phone. But that’s crotchety me. So, not surprisingly, I’ve begrudgingly gone along with using customer service chat options to get things done, whether points and travel hobby-related or beyond. I figure it’s worth talking about a few which have genuinely helped along the way, rather than the myriad which have made things unnecessarily convoluted. Based on the situation you’re in, I recommend giving the following a try.
AAA
We’ve been AAA members off and on through the years. The breaks usually come when I’m waiting for another promo rate to arrive. But in the past few years, we’ve had an uninterrupted subscription. I like the peace of mind with AAA, but I’m happier paying full price now thanks to their chat capability.
Gone are the days of long waits on hold and finally getting a dispatcher. Instead, I call the number on the front of my membership, and I’m automatically sent a chat link via text. Within a few taps, I’ve reported the issue and where I’m located. I’ve subsequently received status updates within the chat (and text) until the AAA rep arrives. In my handful of experiences in my metro area, a AAA rep has shown up within an hour of initiating the chat.
Of course, a variety of insurance carriers, credit cards, and memberships provide AAA-like services, but I’ll take the AAA reliability over all of those others.
Uber/Uber Eats
Many of us use Uber and Uber Eats more than we normally would thanks to the credits we get from cards such as the Amex Gold and Platinum. When things don’t go as planned with a ride, delivery, or order, it’s simple enough to fire up a help session. All of my experiences here have been via Uber Eats, usually involving missing or erroneous items.
Within minutes (or seconds) of reporting, the chat bot has offered a wallet credit to make up for the oversight. In all cases I can remember, I accept the compensation and quickly move on. Importantly, I feel like I’ve received fair treatment whether I was an Uber One member or not.
SiriusXM
Now, let’s go to what historically has been the most painful annual phone call for me, outside of those few years I had DirecTV. As a longtime SiriusXM subscriber, I was accustomed to calling each year just before my promo rate ended to negotiate a new rate. Invariably, these calls would take over 30 minutes, and often, closer to one hour. I’d get a solid rate, but I had to put in a sizable chunk of time for it.
The past few years, I’ve had a superior experience chatting with a SiriusXM rep to receive a competitive rate. More importantly, it has taken less time. I also like saving a transcript of the chat which I can reference later.
United Airlines
United’s customer service chat capability is a new kid on the block (for me). I was unable to make the specific changes I wanted online (shocker), but I discovered their chat service within their help center. The back and forth took a bit longer than I wanted, but I ultimately got what I needed. I’ve definitely had less success over the phone with an airline. United genuinely seems to have a can-do attitude over the chat. That’s not something I’ve generally experienced with them in other forums.
Amex
I end with the one that many readers have probably used most. While I’ve had plenty of success with Amex chat, I’ve also experienced plenty of agents who are extremely deliberate, inept, or both. But I’ve had overwhelmingly positive experiences lately.
In my recent experiences, agents have been remarkably time-efficient. Whatever I’m doing, it seems like it’s done quicker these days. Sure, I try to help myself with the right timing, but speaking confidently, clearly, and concisely helps, too. Perhaps it has to do with the nature of my recent communications – most of these conversations involve simply closing cards, not angling for something else. Regardless, saying “Amex agents aren’t wasting my time” is high praise compared to the past.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the positive customer service chat experiences I’ve had. I’ve chosen to spin positive today, because if I chose to focus on chat horror stories, I’d probably be writing indefinitely. Indeed, I’m more intrigued to hear about your favorite services to do so, primarily because I’m trying to make my life easier where I can. So then, what businesses have the best chat services, in your experience?
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
I just successfully canceled and received a refund for a CLEAR membership using automated chat. I was pleasantly surprised.
Nice, Jeff!