Chat Customer Service Sees Everything You Enter, Whether You Send It or Not
In our most recent (or, in fact, most recently discovered) example of the Internet, which was creepier than most users assumed, we noticed that the text box you use to communicate with customer service representatives on most of the Web sites not working as expected. you expect it. In short: many companies that allow you to chat with customer service representatives might seem to be using a service that allows said representatives to see everything you enter in a text box, regardless of whether you click submit.
We (I) have always assumed that, for example, when we write to someone or use Facebook Messenger, the representative will see the traditional word bubble with ellipses inside. But no. Chances are, they’ve seen every change you make as you compose, correct typos, and perhaps strategize on how best to communicate your issue and get support.
The issue was recently discovered by Hmm Daily , where editor Tom Skokka wrote about an interaction in which a customer service representative responded to a coupon request in less than a second. This prompted him to dig a little and discover a service that advertises this functionality – which seems like a serious violation of privacy and trust – as “added value.”
Skokka also mentions in this article that while consumers may find the idea of “ quick-read messages” repulsive, customer service professionals see this as no problem, and this fact is easily confirmed by looking at the forums where retailers discuss these types of services. …
While all of this is certainly unsettling, there is a fairly simple way to protect yourself. If you’re really worried about the representative seeing your draft replies before you send them, instead of typing directly into the chat, compose your messages in a text editor – if you have a Mac, that’s what Notes was made for! – and paste your supposedly untouched answers in the text box. Will it take an extra second or two? Yeah. Unfortunately, most companies are willing to pay you time in exchange for privacy at every turn.