Live Chat / Support Addon

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bestmate
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Live Chat / Support Addon

Post by bestmate »

Is there any plan to do a live chat addon for site admin to chat to customers on product page they are currently viewing? Maybe some developer can do develop one? I'm kind of surprised this is not already available addon.

This addon will be really nice to engage with potential customers and improve conversions. Please consider this for older and newer versions of phoenix.

This is the only thing I have on my wish list. Aside from this, phoenix is the best cart I've come across.
burt
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Re: Live Chat / Support Addon

Post by burt »

Mostly all available addons are things that shopowner wanted or needed.
The shopowner then coded it (and uploaded it as an addon) or they may have gotten a developer to code it for them.

Here you go: app.php/developers
It costs nothing to get a quotation to have it coded.
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maryjane
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Re: Live Chat / Support Addon

Post by maryjane »

This is something I'm very interested in too. Can someone do this and add to addons?

@burt Does it have to be quoted for? Why not add this to addons for evryone interested to purchase rather than one person bearing cost, and in the end addon finds it's way to to free addons or paid for addons? I believe it's a fairer system to have everyone bear some of the cost, if addon is not added for free. Just saying ....
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Re: Live Chat / Support Addon

Post by madruga »

maryjane wrote: Sun Apr 16, 2023 5:29 pm This is something I'm very interested in too. Can someone do this and add to addons?

@burt Does it have to be quoted for? Why not add this to addons for evryone interested to purchase rather than one person bearing cost, and in the end addon finds it's way to to free addons or paid for addons? I believe it's a fairer system to have everyone bear some of the cost, if addon is not added for free. Just saying ....
Makes sense, absolutely does.
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Re: Live Chat / Support Addon

Post by gabbysplaza »

maryjane wrote: Sun Apr 16, 2023 5:29 pm Why not add this to addons for evryone interested to purchase rather than one person bearing cost, and in the end addon finds it's way to to free addons or paid for addons? I believe it's a fairer system to have everyone bear some of the cost, if addon is not added for free.
@bestmate Well said!
burt
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Re: Live Chat / Support Addon

Post by burt »

You "all" could, of course, share the cost between you.

If none of you do anything about what you want/need...it's not going to happen until some other guy (who also wants or needs it) does something to make it so.
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Re: Live Chat / Support Addon

Post by Kofod95 »

It would be nice if everything was available for free, but it raises the question of who should supply everything? The entire cart is available for free for everyone, which means some people are putting in a lot of hours for free as it is.
Next, there are a lot of free add-ons available to satisfy further needs some store owner may have. Those are written and maintained by people on a volunteer basis. All of us have to pay our bills, so we all need to have some income, meaning that some of our time have to go to things that we are paid for. This also puts a limit on the amount of stuff that can be available for free; it can only be so much that the contributing people have time to create and maintain.
Thus, in this example, someone needs to have the time to create such an add-on. This thread proposes the project, and maybe someone have the time and will to create and maintain it, but most likely the time would have to be paid for, if noone with the skills to do it have the need for it themselves.

I have released a few add-ons, most of them paid for by the ones I maintain websites for, as I rarely have the time to create something just for the fun of it, not to mention maintaining the code. I would love to create a lot of stuff just for fun, but I need to pay my internet provider to be able to upload it, so most of my time goes to things that helps me pay for the internet (and other things).
All this is only to try to make the point made by @burt clearer; someone has to work to meet the need you are expressing. If that work is not paid for, noone can say when (and even if) someone will have the time to do it.

With all that said; I might have a proto-type for something lying around from a time when I had more time for fooling around. If I do, I will share it here when I find it, which may give you guys something to work from, to make it work. It won't work as is, and I don't have time to make it do so in the near future (if ever), but could maybe help you get started with it.

//Daniel
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bestmate
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Re: Live Chat / Support Addon

Post by bestmate »

@Kofod95

Hello, I think my post may have been misunderstood, so I'll try to be clearer.

First of all, I commend and thank the phoenix team for this wonderful software, and give them kudos for the support they provide as well as the addons they supply for free.

I was not suggesting they supply everything for free or that all addons should be free. I was merely stating that it will be more desirable for such an addon as I have mentioned here, to be coded and added to the addons for purchase as the cost of the addon for just an individual may be prohibitive.

Prior to posting this request, I had contacted a developer about doing this and the quote I got was not something I could afford as it was very high. So, the suggestion was for a developer to code it and add it to paid addons. This way, anyone who so wishes can purchase and use it. I believe this is a more feasible way to support addons and ensure the developers get paid if they decide they want paying for addons they develop.

Having said that, a live chat / support tool to engage with any customer when they are viewing products is a very common tool and you can see them on most ecommerce websites. So, I am puzzled as to why phoenix does not have such an addon, free or paid.

This is merely what I was trying to say.
Last edited by bestmate on Sat Apr 22, 2023 3:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Kofod95
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Re: Live Chat / Support Addon

Post by Kofod95 »

Thank you for clarifying your thoughts. English is not my first language, so I may have failed to make my initial post "soft" enough; I'm very sorry if it seemed condescending, stated the obvious too much or caused any offense!

I understand your view about live chat, though it's not that popular among the biggest brands where I'm from (only those who are too lazy to have phone support). Thus, even though it may seem like a popular feature, I wouldn't consider it among the "needed" stuff.
Still, I agree that it would be nice if someone could make it available, which this thread clearly shows and argues would be of interest to some :)

//Daniel
I'm not smart, but sometimes even a blind chicken can find a corn.
Here are a lot of corns: Phoenix user guide
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Re: Live Chat / Support Addon

Post by ecartz »

bestmate wrote: Mon Apr 17, 2023 4:38 pm I believe this is a more feasible way to support addons and ensure the developers get paid if they decide they want paying for addons they develop.
As a developer who has tried this model, I can tell you that it isn't (more feasible).

As a practical matter, it is very rare for more than a few merchants to purchase a single add-on. Many add-ons have only one sponsor.

In terms of a live chat add-on specifically, I note that there are several providers who offer Javascript that you can add to your site. It might make more sense, cost-wise, to hire a developer to take one of those and package it for CE Phoenix Cart. That should be much cheaper than rolling a custom solution.

Those providers presumably have some method of monetizing their service. It's also possible that they might be willing to write a CE Phoenix Cart add-on that uses their service. There are services that we offer to help them do that. From certified developers who can write the add-on for them to VIP services to help them write for CE Phoenix Cart to services that allow them to advertise their product to CE Phoenix Cart users.
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