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January 28, 2008

ChatStat - live chat service with library potential

Chatstat I tried a new online chat software tool today called ChatStat.  You can connect with their sales or support staff via the very product they are selling, which is kind of nice - it gives you a real live demonstration of what the product looks like from the end user's point of view.  I wasn't the first in line, and the system notified me of that with a quick "queue" message, which I appreciated. 

Some of the features they offer are VOIP and IM integration, Skype support, live traffic monitoring, usage statistics, multi-platform IM aggregation (think Meebo or Trillian), canned scripts for the operators (librarians), the ability to give users an option to leave a message if no one can respond immediately, the ability to push pages (!!!), the ability to email chat transcripts (!!!), and a lot more.  They also offer a feature comparison chart comparing their product to that of several competitors like Livehelper and LiveChatNow.  This service, unlike many of the others I've seen and tried over the years, sounds like offers many of the same features that library chat services do - the ones we're all so hung up on that we can't make the jump to other less-resource-intensive systems.

The service offers a free week-long trial.  Their pricing is very granular - based on a "per feature" chart, with monthly prices listed.  No matter what, though, the pricing is super cheap compared to some of the products libraries are using now for collaborative chat cooperatives.  The screenshots of their various features will help you get a sense of what you're using.  Take a look!  I know I am certainly interested!

January 28, 2008 | Permalink

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