What is .netLIVEHELP?
It is a solution providing an AJAX enabled chat interface allowing a browser based client to communicate with an operator assigned to assist that client; as such it forms the basis for an online help or inquiry system although it could be pressed into duty performing other functions as well (anything from an advice column to a "Psychic Friends" hotline). It could be used in any sort of situation requiring real-time human operator intervention through normal didactic communication.
On the client piece, the user merely clicks a button to trigger a request for operator assistance. This request appears in the operator's console along with the options to accept or deny the request (or obtain more information). Server side code manages the communication between the chat system and database. Once a request for a chat session is submitted and approved, the operator and client are placed into a common chat session through which both may communicate and through which the operator may feed files and images to the client.
Product Feature List
This feature list was scraped straight from the product help files. The product is well conceived and executed; in my testing of both sides of the application I found it easy to field and operate although there were a few things that I would have liked to see; for example, the following list cites the X-copy deployment approach used as a feature; I would think that most casual users would prefer a guided installation that would configure (or walk them through configuring) the application settings and preferences, database connections, folder permissions, etc.
General Features:
Client (browser) chat interface:
Operator Console
Server Component
User Experience
If operators are available, the client will be presented with a button indicating that it will open a request for a chat session with a live operator. If no operators are available, the user will be presented with a button indicating that there are no available operators. There is a client registration process in the example provided (name and email address are submitted to the system). Once the chat request is made, the operator will be provided with an indication that there is a waiting request for chat from a client. The operator may accept or reject the request through the console application.
Figure 1: Operator Console with Active Chat Request
The previous figure shows a waiting request or a chat session. Once the request is accepted through the console, both the client and operator are provided with a chat window through which they may engage in a real time, human assisted help session.
Once the chat window appears, the user or operator may fire off the first introduction. The client chat window is shown in Figure 2. As the user receives entries from the operator or enters and sends messages, the running transcript of the conversation appears in the upper region of the window in the form of color coded and named strings indicating the source of the comment. The comments are generated and sent to the operator from the text area and send button at the bottom of the window. The user may also print the transcript or have the entire account sent to a designated email account.
All in all, the interface is very simple and quite easily understood; it differs little from any other sort of instant messenger type of service and users of those tools will readily adapt to the use of this product.
The user may terminate the session at any time by merely clicking on the close X button; that is fine but it seems like logoff button might be preferred or supplied in addition to merely using the close X button.
Figure 2: Client Chat Window
Figure 3: Server Side (Operator) Chat Window(Note additional options to load files and images, to use canned messages, and to reassign the chat)
The operator console is similar to the user's console but includes additional controls which allow the operator to submit files and images to the user. Images appear inline within the chat transcript while files are presented by the addition of a hyperlink pointing to the submitted file. In playing around with this, I linked in quite a variety of files just for the fun of it; the types included audio files, images, maps, word documents, and the like. The only problem I encountered occurred when I attempted to load up a 40 MB video file.
Figure 4: Loading an Image from the Operator Console
Figure 5: Loading Files from the Operator Chat Window
Figure 6: Uploading a MapPoint File Sent to the Client
Figure 7: Running Media Files Sent to the Client
Figure 8: What the client may see if there are no operators
Summary
Overall, I had a very favorable impression of the product; it works great and it is actually fun to play with. If one wished to provide real-time operator assisted support for a product, this turnkey solution could supply that capability in no more time than is required to install and configure the components.
If the whole shooting match had any issues at all, it would be the lack of an installer. While most IT professionals would have little difficulty setting up and running the product, I believe that some companies which may operate their own website with little experience or interest in IT and without a permanent IT staff might find the installation a bit of a challenge even though the help file documents the process. For that matter, the compiled help file may not run out of the box for a user without first unblocking the help file. Anyway, minor issues, the product works and it works well.