FAQ
ActivChat brings together the power of chat through IM and Mobile. Simply add a chat box widget or Chat Keyword™ to your website or service and ActivChat does the rest. By harnessing the power of IM and MOBILE, ActivChat connects you with your customers and employees. Customers use the chat box on your website to chat with you directly. They can send a text message from their cell phone to chat via SMS. Connect project teams from different companies together by Building a Group. Faciliate Executive Chat or Broadcast to an entire group of people (with a Group Account).
Since it's anonymous, those you chat with never get your IM or Mobile number. They never know where you are or how you're chatting with them (even if you're working from home that day). You decide if you'd like the chat to come to you via IM or through Mobile and ActivChat takes care of the rest.
Here's some Tips & Tricks to make the most of the ActivChat service.
CREATE NEW USER <> CREATE A GROUP <> ACTIVATING IM <> FAQS
CREATE NEW USER
Under USERS, click ADD to add a new user. You can add as many users as you have licenses. For example, if you have a 4-person Group Account, you can include up to 4 people in your account.
EMAIL: When adding a new user, ActivChat uses an Email address to send all chat logs when the chat concludes. Each user gets an email sent seconds after a chat concludes.
IM: ActivChat uses Instant Messenger (IM) to route chats when a user is logged into IM and "Available" - when a user goes offline, the user can send messages to their mobile phone. Add the "IM Handle" or username (your name) along with the IM Provider (Google, Yahoo, AOL, etc). If a user does not have an IM Account, messages will route to the user's Mobile Number.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to add the ActivChat Buddy to your IM Contacts/Buddy List. See directions below for adding ActivChat to your contact list.
AVAILABILITY
Within the User Account, you can setup Offline Messages (to share with others who may try to contact you while you're unavailable) or After Hours that you set up in your account. In addition, if you choose to still be contacted, the person initiating the chat will receive your "offline" or "unavailable" message yet you wil still receive the chat.
TIP: Include personal cntact information in Offline and Offline messages. Example: "Thanks for visiting. I am currently unavailable, but your question or message is important to me. Please reply with your name, phone and question and I will respond asap. Best, Sam".
In addition to including contact information, any response the person sends gets captured in the chat log and emailed immediately to the user so the entire conversation is logged.
MOBILE SETUP
In the USER tab, under MOBILE, add a mobile phone number for the new user. Simply add your mobile number to your account and the user can now chat via SMS (MSG&Data Rates May Apply). It is suggested to get an unlimited text message plan to support your new messaging.
CHAT KEYWORD
Next, choose a Chat Keyword. This is a personal Keyword you can promote and have people chat with you via mobile. MSG&DATA Rates May Apply.
EXAMPLE: Paul Smith adds his account and gives himself PSMITH (subject to keyword availability).
Now Paul can promote "Text PSMITH to SHORTCODE" on his business card, literature, etc. New chats are automatically routed to Paul to IM and/or SMS.
WEB CLIENT
Every user gets their own Web Client to extend chat on a website, blog or even intranet. Copy & Paste the code in your site so that chat gets routed to ActivChat. There are several options to integrate ActivChat in your communications.
- Add the javascript version to have a pop-up chat client appear when a user clicks a "Live Chat" or "Chat Now" link or banner.
- Use the ActivChat client to embed within an existing site.
- Add a link in your Email Signature to promote "Click here to chat with me now" opening a chat window in a browser.
To prompt the user to provide information (name / email) before the chat begins, click the "Prompt Box" to capture that important information in the web client.
CREATE A GROUP(S)
When an account contains more than one user, an account can set up a group or groups of users. This allows ActivChat to utilize a Group Chat Keyword or Web Client to facilitate chat across several channels. NOTE: Round Robin chat routing is coming soon (expected Feb 2010).
GROUP CHAT KEYWORD
Similar to the User Chat Keyword, the Group version routes chat to all members of the group or team. Simply create a Group, select a Chat Keywrod and add the appropriate members.
GROUP WEB CLIENT
A Group Web Client takes the group and facilitates chat from the web. Each web client can have different rules to route the chat.
EXAMPLE
For sales, add sales people into the Sales Group. Now add the Group Web Client to the sales portion of the website. In addition, for support, add a Support Group and route the chat to those members. For executive or Project Teams, create a group of those members. Now the entire organization can facilitate chat online & offline.
To prompt the user to provide information (name / email) before the chat begins, click the "Prompt Box" to capture that important information in the web client.
ActivChat Buddy
How do I activate my ActivChat Buddy?
ActivChat IM works using the ActivChat Buddy. In order for ActivChat to route your chats to your IM Provider, you first must ADD the ActivChat Buddy as a NEW CONTACT in IM Contact (also known as adding a friend). Use the ActivChat Buddy supplied to you upon registering to activate your account. You will then need to confirm your registration by sending the new Buddy. Once you ADD A CONTACT and add the ActivChat Buddy, simple send the word "Register" to ActivChat. This authenticates your account so you're connected via IM to the ActivChat Network.
The service understands where you want to receive the message and chat according to your settings and monitoring you presence: online, offline, mobile.
Need an IM Account?
Use one of these popular IM Providers offering a free account.
AIM (AOL IM) - http://www.aim.com
Google Talk - http://www.google.com/talk/
ICQ - https://www.icq.com/register/
Windows Live - https://signup.live.com/
Yahoo! Messenger - http://im.yahoo.com/
How do I activate my ActivChat Buddy?
ActivChat works using the ActivChat Buddy. In order for ActivChat to route your chats to your IM Provider, you first must ADD the ActivChat Buddy as a NEW CONTACT in IM Contact (also known as adding a friend). Use the ActivChat Buddy supplied to you upon registering to activate your account. You will then need to confirm your registration by sending the new Buddy.
The service understands where you want to receive the message and chat according to your settings and monitoring you presence: online, offline, mobile.
Activating ActivChat IM
To register the ActivChat IM Buddy, simply add ActivChat to your current IM Provider (AOL, Google, ICQ, Jabber, Windows Live and Yahoo!)
AOL - Adding a Buddy to your Buddy List
To add a buddy to your Buddy List, click the List Setup tab, click the Add Buddy icon, and type your buddy's screen name.
Then, send a message "register" to the new buddy/friend and it will authenticate your account.
Google Talk
To add ActivChat, simply click on the +Add button in the lower left hand corner of the gadget, and type in the Google Talk username@gmail.com (ActivChat Buddy Name provided) in the search bar. That will send confirmation to the ActivChat Buddy that you are adding it to your Google Talk Account. Then, send a message "register" to the new buddy/friend and it will authenticate your account.
Example: add activchat1@gmail.com
ICQ
Click the Contacts menu > Add Contacts.
In the Add Contacts window you can choose one of the search options: Email or nickname.
Yahoo! Messenger
Click Add Contact in the upper-left corner of your address book. Add the ActivChat IM Buddy. Click Save when you're done.
Then, send a message "register" to the new buddy/friend and it will authenticate your account.
Windows Live Messenger
Click the icon to the right of search bar entitled "Find a contact..." Enter the ActivChat Buddy. Before a user can add a new contact, they must also choose which group to place them in on their list. Click the drop-down box in the lower right hand corner to choose an appropriate group. Once all the information has been placed, pressing "Add Contact" will add ActivChat to your contact/friends list.
Then, send a message "register" to the new buddy/friend and it will authenticate your account.
FAQS
How much do Credits cost?
Just like sending text messages from your mobile, you pay per SMS message you send from ActivChat. The cost of each text message depends on the country you're in. Currently, ActivChat is only available in the United States.
Why does my ActivChat Buddy sign out & back in?
Some ActivChat IM Buddy refreshes its connections several times throughout the day. This is to ensure uninterrupted chatting.
Can I use Google Mail and Talk using their web client?
You can, however, the web interface is not as reliable as using a standard client. Presence aware settings can also be affected if you are logged into Gmail.com. Other services such as iChat can be used on your PC or MAC to deliver reliable performance.
TIPS & TRICKS
How do I use Invisible Mode?
When you change your IM Status to "Invisible" mode in several IM programs, ActivChat will automatically switch you from IM to Mobile. ActivChat continues to communicate to you even if you're offline - regardless if you are online and hiding.
If I try to chat with myself, will I get the messages?
No. ActivChat Mobile actively prevents abuse of your chat service. This includes limiting accidental messages you could send to yourself. If you try to chat with your Chat Keyword, the service will block those request from sending them to yourself. However, if you open your chat window, you can chat with yourself. Hope you don't have that much time on your hands.
What is a Buddy List?
AOL calls your contact list a "Buddy List" - a window that shows all your buddies (friends, family, coworkers, and others) who are signed on to AOL or AIM. Whenever they sign on, their screen names appear in your Buddy List, and you can communicate with them instantly.