Greetings!
I have been supporting SAP customers for almost ½ my life (18 years) now. I’ve seen a lot happen over those 18 years but few things have gotten me as excited as Expert Chat. Chat is certainly not a new concept but when we put experts on the other end, it helps us drive towards faster issue resolution for our customers and ultimately happier customers! That’s our goal with the Expert Chat offering.
This blog post will cover a few of the hot topics that I have heard from customer channels. The purpose is to help shed some light on a few of the myths that are out there concerning expert chat these days.
In case you haven't heard of expert chat at all, please check out this overview video [ Expert Chat ]
There is also this great blog by theresa.boehme released last week that covers how to access Expert Chat and Schedule an Expert -
Blog: Schedule an Expert and Expert Chat - How to access SAP's live support channels
Ok. Here we Go.
Enjoy!
Absolutely!
The difference between regular chat and Expert Chat is that you are connected with the same engineers that would be assigned to your incidents. Our experts will have anywhere from 1 year to 20 years experience supporting the product you open a chat for and can leverage other experts internally to assist you on your chat interaction. The main difference between a Chat interaction and an Incident is that a Chat interaction is real-time! Heck, I might even answer your chat if the stars align.
Tip! You can see the Expert Chat button appear in the top-right corner after you do a search in our Knowledge Base (look for the above image)
Untrue!
An Expert Chat session is recorded and logged inside an incident at the end of the interaction. The conversation can continue through the regular incident process after the initial chat concludes by simply accessing the incident via normal means after the chat ends. This allows both sides to keep track of the issues and ensure proper action is taken after the initial chat. Customers can also save the chat log after the chat has finished.
Nope!
Expert Chat is included with all support contracts. If you can open an incident with support, you can chat live with an expert!
Tip! The launchpad has an "Expert Chat" option under the Technical Help section of the Contact Us button. This is available almost everywhere within the support portal.
No chat bots are deployed with our Expert Chat offering.
You connect to a live support engineer. If an engineer is available, you will be connected right away, otherwise you may have a short wait in the queue while we await available experts.
Perhaps not all complex issues can be resolved through expert chat but some definitely can be.
At the very least, a chat interaction helps move an incident ahead faster. During the initial chat, engineers can clarify details in real-time with customers so the tedious back and forth “ping-pong” can be reduced for the issue. Just clarifying things like the environment, product version, and workflow to reproduce the issue can help shave hours or days off the incident resolution timeline.
Incorrect.
Experts can invoke screen-sharing directly from the Expert Chat interface. This allows engineers and customers to connect directly to work on resolving or clarifying complex issues.
Note that this does require a small thin client download on the client side.
True (at the time of the writing) but we will be looking to offer Expert Chat for existing/ongoing incidents in the near future. For now though, Expert Chat is offered only for new issues.
Untrue for now.
Currently the Expert Chat resources are reserved to assist with new Incidents only.
For Incidents that already have a processer, and that you determine need an extra push you want to start a Chat with the SAP Customer Interaction Center. They are experts in case management, and follow very strict processes to ensure that your incident receives the update your seeking.
There is a distinct difference between “Expert Chat” and a regular “Chat” experience with SAP. “Expert Chat” refers to chatting with a technical product expert about a specific issue whereas “Chat” refers to a generic chat with resources that can assist you on a broader scale.
So, I hope this blog has helped dispel some of the myths around Expert Chat. If you have any feedback on the Expert Chat or other Support Portal related features, please feel free to use the "Share your Feedback" button at the bottom of the Support Portal
Thanks for reading!
JB
2213344 - Starting an Expert Chat with SAP Support
Add the New Expert Chat Tile to your SAP One Support Launchpad
News: Use SAP's New Expert Chat Service to Accelerate SAP Product Problem Resolution
Expert Chat Demo – TechEd 2016
Create an Expert Chat Now!
Blog: Schedule an Expert and Expert Chat - How to access SAP's live support channels
I have been supporting SAP customers for almost ½ my life (18 years) now. I’ve seen a lot happen over those 18 years but few things have gotten me as excited as Expert Chat. Chat is certainly not a new concept but when we put experts on the other end, it helps us drive towards faster issue resolution for our customers and ultimately happier customers! That’s our goal with the Expert Chat offering.
This blog post will cover a few of the hot topics that I have heard from customer channels. The purpose is to help shed some light on a few of the myths that are out there concerning expert chat these days.
In case you haven't heard of expert chat at all, please check out this overview video [ Expert Chat ]
There is also this great blog by theresa.boehme released last week that covers how to access Expert Chat and Schedule an Expert -
Blog: Schedule an Expert and Expert Chat - How to access SAP's live support channels
Ok. Here we Go.
Enjoy!
#1 – Is it truly an “Expert” that answers the Expert Chat?
Absolutely!
The difference between regular chat and Expert Chat is that you are connected with the same engineers that would be assigned to your incidents. Our experts will have anywhere from 1 year to 20 years experience supporting the product you open a chat for and can leverage other experts internally to assist you on your chat interaction. The main difference between a Chat interaction and an Incident is that a Chat interaction is real-time! Heck, I might even answer your chat if the stars align.
Tip! You can see the Expert Chat button appear in the top-right corner after you do a search in our Knowledge Base (look for the above image)
#2 – No record of the Expert Chat Interaction is kept
Untrue!
An Expert Chat session is recorded and logged inside an incident at the end of the interaction. The conversation can continue through the regular incident process after the initial chat concludes by simply accessing the incident via normal means after the chat ends. This allows both sides to keep track of the issues and ensure proper action is taken after the initial chat. Customers can also save the chat log after the chat has finished.
#3 – Expert Chat costs more money
Nope!
Expert Chat is included with all support contracts. If you can open an incident with support, you can chat live with an expert!
Tip! The launchpad has an "Expert Chat" option under the Technical Help section of the Contact Us button. This is available almost everywhere within the support portal.
#4 – Chat Bots handle the incoming Expert Chats
No chat bots are deployed with our Expert Chat offering.
You connect to a live support engineer. If an engineer is available, you will be connected right away, otherwise you may have a short wait in the queue while we await available experts.
#5 – Complex issues cannot be resolved through Expert Chat
Perhaps not all complex issues can be resolved through expert chat but some definitely can be.
At the very least, a chat interaction helps move an incident ahead faster. During the initial chat, engineers can clarify details in real-time with customers so the tedious back and forth “ping-pong” can be reduced for the issue. Just clarifying things like the environment, product version, and workflow to reproduce the issue can help shave hours or days off the incident resolution timeline.
#6 – Screen-sharing is not an option with Expert Chat
Incorrect.
Experts can invoke screen-sharing directly from the Expert Chat interface. This allows engineers and customers to connect directly to work on resolving or clarifying complex issues.
Note that this does require a small thin client download on the client side.
#7 – Expert Chat can only be used for new incidents
True (at the time of the writing) but we will be looking to offer Expert Chat for existing/ongoing incidents in the near future. For now though, Expert Chat is offered only for new issues.
#8 - Expert Chat can be used to request an update on an existing ticket?
Untrue for now.
Currently the Expert Chat resources are reserved to assist with new Incidents only.
For Incidents that already have a processer, and that you determine need an extra push you want to start a Chat with the SAP Customer Interaction Center. They are experts in case management, and follow very strict processes to ensure that your incident receives the update your seeking.
There is a distinct difference between “Expert Chat” and a regular “Chat” experience with SAP. “Expert Chat” refers to chatting with a technical product expert about a specific issue whereas “Chat” refers to a generic chat with resources that can assist you on a broader scale.
So, I hope this blog has helped dispel some of the myths around Expert Chat. If you have any feedback on the Expert Chat or other Support Portal related features, please feel free to use the "Share your Feedback" button at the bottom of the Support Portal
Thanks for reading!
JB
Additional Resources:
2213344 - Starting an Expert Chat with SAP Support
Add the New Expert Chat Tile to your SAP One Support Launchpad
News: Use SAP's New Expert Chat Service to Accelerate SAP Product Problem Resolution
Expert Chat Demo – TechEd 2016
Create an Expert Chat Now!
Blog: Schedule an Expert and Expert Chat - How to access SAP's live support channels
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