What is Live Chat? 
Why should you consider adding Live Chat to your website?
What is unique about ApexChat's LiveChat software?
How can you set up ApexChat on your website?
What is the Operator Dashboard?
How can you start receiving Chats from your website visitors?

What is Mobile Chat?
How does Mobile Chat work?
Will Mobile Chat work on your phone?
How can you use Mobile Chat with your website?
How can Mobile Operator send pre-defined responses during Mobile Chat?
Can a company have more than one Mobile Operator?

How does the 10 day Free trial work?
How can you cancel your subscription?
How can you Upgrade or Change your subscription?

Online Live Chat

What is Live Chat software?

Live Chat software, provided by various vendors, allows your website visitors to initiate a chat session with your company staff (chat operators) from an icon placed on your company's website.  Live Chat also enables you to monitor visitors on your website. You will be able to see in real time the geographical location and duration of their visit.

Typically the chat operators have to stay online on their computer to receive chats from your website.

Why should you consider adding Live Chat to your website? 

Many website visitors prefer Live Chat over the telephone because Live Chat is:

• Easier to initiate than a phone call
• Allows customers to continue working on their computer while they chat
• Offers more privacy if the website visitor at work or in a public environment
• Allows instant interaction with company's staff

What is unique about ApexChat's Live Chat Software?

Unlike other providers of Live Chat software, ApexChat allows you to receive and process chats on your mobile phone as well as on  your computer.

How can you set up ApexChat on your website?

Setting up ApexChat on your webiste should take no longer than 10-15 minutes:

1. The first step is to Sign Up and get operator accounts. Currently a free online operator account comes with each sign up. 
2. The next step is to assign a username/password to the operator account(s) and link mobile phone numbers to Mobile Operator Accounts.
3. Finally, place your chat icon on your website (instructions on adding the chat icon are provided). Paying customers can ask ApexChat for chat icon set up. 

You are now ready to receive chats from your website visitors.

What is the Operator Dashboard?

Operator Dashboard is a screen on ApexChat.com where operators from your company can log in. Once logged in the Operators can monitor their website for visitors and receive chat requests from visitors. The operator dashboard lists the geographical location of the visitor, the ip address and the duration of each stay. An operator can accept multiple calls and can conduct simultaneous chats. Premium and Mobile operators have the ability to initiate chat with website visitor from the operator dashboard.

Operator Dashboard can be accessed from the Operator Login link at http://www.ApexChat.com 

How can you start receiving chats from your website visitors?

As soon as the chat operator from your company logs into the Operator Dashboard, the chat icon on your website will become 'Online'. Website visitors will be able to initate chats with the operator by clicking on the Online Chat icon. Any chats initiated by website visitors will show as incoming chat calls on the Operator Dashboard, which can be accepted by one of the logged in operators.  

At what times will the chat icon on your website show Online?

The chat icon on your website will show 'Online' if:

• if one or more operators from your company is logged on to the operator dashboard
• if one or more Mobile operators are setup to receive chats at a given time.

What happens when a website visitor clicks on an Offline Chat icon?

If a website visitor clicks on an 'Offline' chat icon, he/she will be presented with an offline message form. The visitor can fill this form with contact information and their e-mail/phone number and submit this form. This offline message will be sent to the email address associated with your account. 

Can the operators initiate chats with website visitors?

Yes, Online Premium Operators and Mobile Operators can initiate chats with website visitors from within the Operator Dashboard. The Operator Dashboard shows the visitors currently on the site. There is a 'Call' button next to each visitor's IP address. Clicking on the call button displays a chat window inside the website visitor's browser. As soon as that happens a new call is shown on the Operator Dashboard. The operator has to accept the call from within the Operator Dashboard to start chatting with the website visitor.

Mobile Chat

What is Mobile Chat?

MobileChat allows you to receive chats initiated by your website visitors on your mobile phone. This is ideal if you or your company staff cannot stay online all day to receive chats from your website.

When you receive a chat request on mobile phone you can do one of the following:

1. Log into the Operator Dashboard to answer the chat on the computer
2. Conduct the entire chat from your mobile phone
3. Start the chat on your mobile phone and then log into the operator dashboard to continue chat on the computer.

How does Mobile Chat work?

Mobile chat is built upon 2 way text messaging. When a website visitor initiates a chat from you website by clicking on an Online Chat Icon, mobile operators receive a text message 'Incoming Chat Request by  <caller name>. Please reply to start chatting' . When the mobile operator replies to this message the website visitor will see it in his/her chat window. Any message typed by a website visitor will be received on a mobile operator's phone as a text message. However, Mobile Chat is more than two way text messaging. It has these additional features:

• you can seamlessly continue a mobile chat session in the Operator Dashboard
• you can send pre-defined responses using hotkeys from your mobile phone
• Multiple mobile operators from your company can monitor your website for chats
• You can turn mobile chat on/off from mobile phone
• Transcripts of your chats will be emailed to you automatically

Mobile Chat uses your phone's existing text messaging interface, which varies greatly amongst different mobile phones.  However the above features makes Mobile Chat useful even on older phones that don't have a good text messaging interface.

Will Mobile Chat work on your phone? 

Mobile Chat is built upon text messaging (SMS), therefore please make sure text messaging is working properly on your phone. If you are not a frequent user of text messaging please contact your wireless carrier for instructions and to confirm that it is working properly.

Currently Mobile Chat only works on phones that have a two way email SMS gateway. This means that your phone should be able to receive a text message from email account and you should be able to send a text message to an email account. This SMS gateway is available on phones with service from all US and Canadian wireless carriers and many South American and European wireless Carriers.

In order to conduct Mobile Chat all you need  to know is:

• How to read incoming text messages on your phone, and
• How to reply to incoming text messages on your phone.

In the next 1-3 months we plan to introduce a Global Mobile Operator that will have coverage on 95% of world's mobile phones and will not require the phone to have an email to SMS gateway

How can you use Mobile Chat with your website?

In order to use mobile chat you will need to purchase and setup a Mobile Operator from your company account. In addtion to all the capabilities of an Online Operator, a Mobile Operator also has the ability to service chats on Mobile Phones. Once the Mobile Operator is set up, the Mobile operator will receive chats on his/her phone during selected daily schedule and when Mobile Chat is set to ON.

At what times of day will the Mobile Operator receive chats?

Mobile Operator will receive chats on his mobile phone when all of these conditions are met:

• When time of day is between Start and End times defined for that operator on the Operator Set up page
• When Mobile Chat is turned ON
• When Mobile Operator is not logged into the Operator Dashboard.

How can a Mobile Operator send pre-defined responses during Mobile Chat? 

Depending upon your mobile phone, typing long chat messages during a Mobile Chat session may not be very easy. To facilitate message delivery from Mobile Phones you can create pre-defined responses in your account and send them to the website visitor's chat window using Hotkeys.

To enter a pre-defined response log into your company account and from the left menu select 'Pre-defined Responses'. Enter the response title and text and define a unique Alpha and Numeric hotkey.

Once saved you can type and send from your phone the Alpha or Numeric hotkey followed # instead of typing the whole response.

Can a company have more than one Mobile Operator?

Yes, a company can have more than one mobile operators. All Mobile Operators that are accepting mobile chats at a given time  will receive incoming chat requests. However the first one to respond will Accept that caller.

General

How does the 10 day Free trial work?

If you sign up for any paid plan you may cancel the membership in the first 10 days for a full refund. To cancel your membership you can log into your account and select Cancel Membership from the left menu. Credit will be processed within 3 business days. 

How can you Cancel your Membership? 

Log into you company account and from the left menu select Cancel Memberhip. Provide your username or email address you will be asked to confirm cancellation. Unless you are canceling in the 10 day trial period, no refund will be issued. Your membership will stay active till the date you are paid.

How can you Upgrade or change your subscription? 

If you decide to upgrade or change your plan, by changing the number of operators or the billing cycle, the system will issue you credit for the unused part of your current plan and charge you for  your new plan. You will not be able to change your plan if amount for your new plan is less than the amount of credit from your current plan. In that case you should cancel your existing account and sign up for a new plan under a new account.

Please note the system cannot apply discount codes during Upgrade or Change plan process.