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MoxieChat: An Easy Way To Add Chat Functionality To Your Web Site

Posted by Gayle Kesten Tuesday, Nov 25, 2008, 03:15 PM ET

Last week I touched on the notion of abandoned e-carts. This week I present one way to figure out what's behind that issue (among other uses).

MoxieChat, from Camarillo, Calif.-based UpSellIt, is a new self-service chat application designed specifically for small businesses -- "those people who can't be at the computer all day chatting with their visitors even though there's quite an advantage in being able to do so, from data collection, stickiness, or getting people to enter in their information to be followed up on later," Chris Wampler, UpSellIt's CTO and co-founder, told me. "Engaging the customer is extremely valuable, but the small business can't do it."

That's because we're human, not octopi, and cloning technology hasn't been made publicly available. So perhaps the closest capability at our disposal is MoxieChat, which lets you program you own artificial-intelligence based "smart agent" to answer customers' questions, offer information, and drive them in whatever direction you choose (say, a specific page on your site), Wampler explained.

Hold it right there, mister! I may be a writer, but I don't speak programming. "It sounds very complex," Wampler acknowledged, "but what we've perfected over the past year is a very simple wizard, a tool that allows the layperson to program a very robust smart agent that can answer your site's questions, engage your visitors how you want -- an aggressive hard sell or a friendly user experience encouraging the person to call in or come back. It's all how the small-business person programs it."

Indeed, programming MoxieChat is easy -- you just need to devote the time to seriously brainstorm all the possible questions you may be asked. I gave MoxieChat a try and, as promised, the wizard made the entire process intuitive, with templated questions and answers to help you along. Adding your own queries and responses is simple, too. "MoxieChat can handle an unlimited number of lines," Wampler said. "You can even decide what your agent should say when the artificial intelligence can't compute."

MoxieChat lets you create three different kinds of chat campaigns: one that launches when a visitor is leaving your site, one that launches after the visitor is at your site for a specific amount of time, and one then launches after a visitor views a particular Web page a specific number of times. (You determine the specifics.) The approach might seem aggressive, said UpSellIt president and co-founder Glenn Russell, "but if you walked into a store and picked up something, you'd expect someone to come and help you," he countered. "Why would it be different online? People are getting smarter and need services to help them."

In addition to conversing with your customers and providing a means for lead generation, MoxieChat's logs can tell you plenty, such as why people are leaving and/or abandoning their shopping carts (my original point), if they're having problems finding what they're looking for, and where your traffic is coming from. "Customers have changed Web sites based on feedback from MoxieChat," Wampler said. "For the small-business user, it's like having another pair of hands."

MoxieChat is available by monthly subscription, with four packages ranging in price from $29.95 to $149.95. They're all available for a free trial; let me know what you think.

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