Using chat to call companies

gtanner

gtanner

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Recently I attended a conference for one of the nations largest cloud-based call center providers. The subject of the conference was "call center channels". Simply put, it was a discussion about the various ways a person could contact an agent at a call center.

They discussed the obvious channels....phone, email, social media, fax, website chatting. When it came time for the Q&A, I asked the panel which, if any, of those channels the call center used to communicate with the deaf and hard of hearing community. All I got was blank stares. Then one panel member chimed in and said they could use website chat for taking calls from the deaf and HoH.

He then went on to explain that a call center agent could handle as many as 5 website chat sessions at one time.

I told him this was not acceptable. The ADA states that you must provide "equal access" to communication. A hearing person gets a one-on-one phone call and a Deaf person has to share a chat call with 4 other people? How is that equal access?

Just thought you should know that when you use those chat options on a companies web site, there is a very good chance that the reason the person your talking with is taking so long to reply is because you are one of 5 people he/she is talking to simultaneously.

If you are going to have a text-based conversation, use TTY. Then you will know that you are having a one-on-one conversation.
 
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yeaBUT,
it takes some work and sometimes $ to get set up with a TTY. So far I have not been frustrated with long delays while using website chat functions, and it can be light years faster than waiting in line on phone. "We are experiencing an unusually high volume of calls. Your call will be answered in the order it was received..." That can last 40 minutes!
 
Tetracyclone said:
yeaBUT,
it takes some work and sometimes $ to get set up with a TTY. So far I have not been frustrated with long delays while using website chat functions, and it can be light years faster than waiting in line on phone. "We are experiencing an unusually high volume of calls. Your call will be answered in the order it was received..." That can last 40 minutes!
Click to expand...

Tetra, I know that analog TTY phones can be expensive, that is why we created the ACCESS platform for the deaf community. At 95 cents a month you get TTY, Video Phone, VRS, TRS and can even receive incoming faxes. We provide you with a local telephone number (which is why we charge 95 cents a month).
 
gtanner said:
Tetra, I know that analog TTY phones can be expensive, that is why we created the ACCESS platform for the deaf community. At 95 cents a month you get TTY, Video Phone, VRS, TRS and can even receive incoming faxes. We provide you with a local telephone number (which is why we charge 95 cents a month).
Click to expand...
WOW. Thanks for the info! I see links for ACCESS in NJ. Is this active in California?
 
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