Operate > WebSphere Commerce Accelerator > Marketing > Use customer care
Customer care
The feature provides real-time customer service support by way of a synchronous text interface using the Lotus Sametime server. A customer may enter the site, and click the Link titled Live Chat with Customer Representative in the Left Panel of the Store Page to connect to a Customer Service Representative (CSR) so that the two parties can communicate or chat over the Internet. A CSR accesses the customer care interface through the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator. In addition, the CSR can view the store page where the customer needs assistance, and retrieve shopping cart and profile information.
To facilitate more efficient communication with the customers, customer care supports the use of predefined lists of URLs, and topics. After creating these lists, they are available during conversations so that CSRs have accessible lists of the most commonly referenced store pages, and answers to the most commonly asked questions. Customer care also supports multiple queues so that customers looking for help can be routed to the most appropriate queue, monitored by CSRs qualified to answer their questions. You can also configure custom messages for the waiting customers. This interface also allows the CSR to chat with other CSRs. Prior to use, Sametime must be installed and configured for use with WebSphere Commerce.
- To install customer care refer to Integration Guide for WebSphere Commerce with Sametime.
- To allow a CSR to use customer care, after you have installed and configured Sametime, create the CSR in the WebSphere Commerce system if the user does not already exist with CSR authority, and then register the CSR in the Sametime server. See Register a CSR to use customer care for detailed steps. If the SameTime server is configured to use the same LDAP server as WebSphere Commerce, you do not need to register the CSR.
- To enable customer care in a store not based on a starter store, see Add customer care to the store.
Related tasks
Register a CSR to use customer care
Add customer care to the store