Dashboard Live Chat Function for Star Sellers in August

[#1]

Back in July, when the elusive Etsy Help/Live Chat function was appearing on some seller's dashboards as a test, I had a message on my dashboard (and was also told by the Etsy rep I spoke to via chat) that this live chat function would be accessible from the dashboard of all star sellers for the month of August - "to reward and reciprocate the great customer service you are providing as star sellers".

I am a star seller this month, but the promised chat function has not appeared on my dashboard. I'm not sure if this is a glitch and I should have it, or if Etsy has since changed their mind about providing it.

To all the other star sellers out there this month, do you have a live chat button on your dashboard?

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@FineVintageMelbourne I am not too concerned. I have always been able to access "Chat" using the Shop Manager route. I do not think the SSP "Chat" is a "special hot line", just a quicker way of accessing the service (but I could be wrong?)

I know many complain that Shop Manager > Community and help > Contact us "Chat" does not work for them, but I must have the "Etsy Gods"  smiling down on me because, on the rare occasions I do need to contact support, I have no difficulty doing so. Janine

[delightworthyn]

Nope, never seen one. All through the Plaid reverification stuff others kept say 'you're a star seller you can use the chat function '. I don't have it.

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@delightworthyn "Chat" is available to non SSP Badge Holders. I just do not know why so many are claiming it is not

Use the Shop Manager > Community and Help > Contact Us pathway and 1, 2 or all 3 contact options will be presented if you look hard enough for them. 

[Jewels2at]

It is a good thing I do not need help...I do not sell enough to qualify for the star seller program.  Probably never will, as Etsy places those shops that do a lot of business in the searches first.  Or, anyway, they used to. 

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@Jewels2at No one is being "excluded" from access to Support. Use the Shop Manager > Community and Help > Contact us pathway.

[BootifulLabels]

@CarpetCollectionAU 

I had a chat link in my Dashboard for a few days earlier this month (I am not a SS, have only managed to fluke it once since it came in) but then the link disappeared.  I have NEVER been able to get the chat option on any occasion when I was using the Contact Us link under Community and Help.  I only ever get email as an option and on rare occasions the call back option.  I have always just assumed this was because I am in AU and not in the US.

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@BootifulLabels I just checked from this Shop and 2 others and I have "Chat" offered in all 3 (only one is SS at this time)

Community and Help > Contact us > Get Help > Selling on Etsy > Finances and Billing > Deposits or Fees > I still need help > "Chat with us 24/7"

[Jewels2at]

@CarpetCollectionAU 

I know that. 

I was not looking for help from Etsy. 

I was talking about the lack of support there is for Etsy (so many threads) and to use this chat feature you have to be a star seller.

I think @DesertChains said it best below.

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@Jewels2at I am simply trying to reassure others that "Chat with us 24/7" is available to Shops that do not have the SSP Badge.

I am not trying to argue that Shops with the SSP Badge should have any sort of "preferrential" access to Support, even if it is just a "Bubble" that saves them a few steps when accessing the Help Centre Pages.

If it is decided that a "Chat Bubble" is a good thing to have, then I believe it should be implemented "across the board", because, as we all know, SSP has significant flaws which, no matter how diligently and conscientiousy a Seller adheres to all the metric guidelines (principles of good "customer service'?) the Badge may come and go due to factors beyond anyone's control.

It is never a good thing to introduce a "class system" which pits the "haves" against the "have nots", but, as anyone who has been here for some time knows, Etsy seems quite good at creating problems where none need to exist in the first placel

[DesertChains]

Let’s see if I can make an analogy.

I will only provide good customer service, respond to messages, etc, from buyers with at least 10 reviews on Karen Check, the ratings they give must be at least 95% positive, and they must have purchased at least $300 of items in the past 3 months. Otherwise, I will ship their items late and respond to messages within 5 to 7 days.

Wait…that sounds like a crappy, illogical, and invalid standard for determining whom to serve. Perhaps I should give them all good service, equally and respectfully. What a great idea!

[HouseofWhisperingFir]

"Perhaps I should give them all good service"

Wow, what a concept! 

[NuWaveSeaGlass]

And what exactly does how much money a shop makes have to do with customer service anyway?

[DesertChains]

The way Etsy is using revenue as a metric, nothing.

 I can make the revenue requirement with 1 to 3 jewelry sales. Another seller may need to sell 100 items to meet the same criterion. Does that mean I have better customer service? No. It doesn’t make sense to compare us.

[BagmakerSupply]

The faulty metric now also applies to messages - since all messages from an account get lumped into a single thread, you only have to provide "good customer service" on their first message to you. After that you can blow them off with no consequences to your Star Seller rating. But is is interesting that Help Requests spawn a new thread (which requires a reply with 24 hours) - possibly because not replying could also have an impact on Etsy?

[CarpetCollectionAU]

@BagmakerSupply You are absolutely correct. If a Seller replied to a Buyer 12 months ago and receives a new message today, there is no need to respond "quickly" because it is already deemed a "first response in a thread" has been achieved. Rather than improving the functionality of messaging metric, Etsy has actually created a big "loophole" which removes the Seller's obligation to respond to the new/er message in a timely manner.

[FineVintageMelbourne]

@CarpetCollectionAU The problem is that live chat ISN'T available for all sellers, regardless of where you look!

It comes and goes and I have often found that the only option for contacting Etsy through the Contact Us "rabbit warren" is sending an email, which results in an automated response. It can take days (and several back and forth replies) to get the issue escalated to a real person by that method, so ANY live chat that I could access reliably would be a great help for me, whether it's on the dashboard or elsewhere - though obviously it's much quicker and easier if it's pinned directly to the dashboard.

Sounds like you've been lucky with chat always being there for you whenever you need it, but unfortunately it's not the case for everyone.

I welcome an easily accessible, always available, equitable way to contact Etsy help in real time. We all pay the fees, we should all have access to assistance when required!

[2numerous]

The live chat button appeared briefly and then totally disappeared. My understanding is it should have been available because I qualified as a star seller for months. One duplicate message might have screwed up September.

[CraftyCornishMaids]

not sure why etsy thinks live chat is a nice tempting lure for star sellers,

I had never used it before, but there it was , tempting me, when I wanted to know the format to be used for phone numbers for 2FA, I couldn't find the format anywhere in help, normally I would have logged a ticket - but there was the blue chat button,

I clicked

the person obviously had no idea what I was talking about, all I wanted was to set it up,
did I have to drop the leading zero, and add +44, or did they know I was in the UK, so put all my number in, and they would sort it out

they disabled my shop completely, and I had no shop, and was at "uh ho, stitch has gone awry" for a couple of days, until someone could undo what they did.

.... and in the forums, my monika changed to - Community Creator - whatever that is

Beware the temptress

[FineVintageMelbourne]

@CraftyCornishMaids Yes, I remember! I was so glad to see you were able to get that unfortunate schmozzle sorted out *relatively* quickly - it must have been an awfully nerve-racking wait.

And yes, you make a very good point - one assumes a live chat should be staffed by Etsy employees who understand how the platform works and can actually assist. Incompetence is never appreciated, be it live or automated