Helping people via the Internet might sound easy, but in fact, many customers expect more from a digital interface than they do from in-person or telephone venues. And because folks can take their business elsewhere with one swift click or keystroke, competition for online customers is fierce; anyone tasked with keeping them happy is on the front line of a company's battle to succeed. Using eye-catching animation, down-to-earth explanations, and illustrative chat excerpts, this video presents the best ways to assist customers who sign in rather than stroll in. Topics include the basic parameters, functions, and fine points of live chat, which enables a trainee become the "voice" of his or her company; the ways in which social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter can play a role in effective customer service; the importance of e-mail etiquette; and the methods by which a service representative should deal with online behavior that becomes upsetting or offensive.

Encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on September 15, 2012. Learn360 is distributed by Infobase for Films for the Humanities & Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Meridian Education, and Shopware.

Introduction to Online Customer Service (4:30) -- Live Chat Customer Service (6:06) -- Social Media Customer Service (5:14) -- Email Customer Service (4:01) -- Credits: Online Customer Service (0:48).