The Scourge of Live Chat

Many companies, mostly larger ones but also some smaller ones, now offer live chat. It's the most soul-devouring time waster, and I groan every time I just want some simple pricing or product detail. It is obvious most chat is outsourced to a chat farm. The people you end up talking to typically just have a script of common questions and answers, and often can't provide much more than "I'll take your name and email and have someone get back to you."

My biggest gripe is the slow pace of "live chat." The staff responding must have to keep, by my guess, at least four to six chat sessions running simultaneously, because you type a response, then wait. And wait. And wait some more.

If you try to check your email or do some other work and accidentally cover up the chat window, you might miss the response, or forget to keep checking, and the chat is disconnected. Now you have to start all over again.

It's awful.