Have you ever wanted to ask about a product online but held back for some reason? Asking questions can be intimidating, but so can searching a Web site for information that isn't always readily available. What online support features would save help you the most with your buying decision?

Most sites are set up to answer questions in Frequently Asked Questions, where the site tries to anticipate through technology what you want to know. But sometimes your question isn't on the list, so you try to e-mail or call customer support. You might get an answer, but you could also get an automated reply that doesn't answer your question. You can call customer support, but the company may not always have a toll-free number or provide a way for you to leave a message if it is after hours. What can you do if you want an answer right then?

Realty Times has found a better way with Live Chat and Live Talk features provided by online customer service specialists Click121.com.

"So many sites say they offer customer support when all they have is a voice-mail system or an automated response e-mail system," says Realty Times' Product Manager Kate Kemp. "We believe that personal contact is the key to success in any business--especially real estate. We want to practice what we preach."

Live Chat

Realty Times' Live Chat is an interactive text-based chat service where customers and support staff can have two-way dialogs in real time. The service also enables support staff to assist mulitple customers, such as several agents within the same office, at once. Support staff can push pages to the customer's browser so that both can "be on the same page" at the same time. To save time, support staff may select from a library of Web pages that may contain product information, photos or other data that can be quickly posted for the customer so that all responses don't have to be keyed in.

Chat sessions begin when the customer clicks on the "Let's chat" icon. The operator alerts Realty Times support staff of the incoming request to chat, and logs in. When the customer receives a greeting, the chat is underway. All messages are stored during the chat session, so that the customer can request a transcript of the chat with a view/print feature. Realty Times also catalogues a copy for future reference.

"This is a great way for visitors to overcome fear of trying a new product," suggests Kemp. "The chat room is a friendly environment for asking questions."

Live Talk

Realty Times' Live Talk bridges phone calls between online consumers and customer support staff with live phone connectivity. Customers ask to be called at their convenience, eliminating long "hold" times. Live Talk also provides valuable data so that follow-up can be monitored by Realty Times to assure maximum customer satisfaction.

Live Talk works with all standard web browsers. When a customer clicks on, s/he enters a name and number and a pull-down screen offers choices when s/he would like to be called back. The service immediately notifies Realty Times support staff and connects them to the customer. Voice clarity is good because the call is not transmitted using Internet Protocol (IP) but is transmitted over Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), which is considered the most consistent and reliable audio transmission available today.

"We try to make our site as agent-friendly as possible. We hope these new features will make it that much easier to learn about our products." says Kemp.