Inbox & Chat
Last updated July 19, 2024
What is Chat?
Hotplate Chat lets all your communication with customers exist in one centralized place: your Hotplate Portal, saving you time!
As an example, let's look at how much better handling a refund is with and without Chat:
Without chat:
- Customer emails you: "I would like a refund"
- You read the email and search for their order, but it turns out they emailed you from a different address than the one they used to place the order
- You respond, asking them for more info
- After a couple hours, they respond with the correct email
- You then switch back to Hotplate, search for their order, find it, and initiate a refund
- Finally, you switch back to your email and let them know you initiated their refund
With chat:
- Customer sends a message: "I would like a refund"
- Their profile is automatically pulled up next to the chat for you, so you just click on their active order and initiate a refund, without leaving the inbox page at all
- You let them know the refund is on the way!
How customers initiate chats
After placing an order, customers can see a "Message {your business name}" prompt right below their pickup time.
Side note: If you do not want customers to be able to initiate chats with you, you can turn this off in your settings under "Chat"
How you initiate chats with customers
You can start chatting with any customer right from their profile or by looking them up in the inbox!
How notifications work
Every time you receive a new message, you will see a notification pop up in your portal. If you are not active in your portal, you will receive a text letting you know you have unread messages.
When you send a message to one of your customers, they will receive an email letting them know! If they are subscribed to your drop notifications, they will receive a text as well.
What customers see when they chat with you
When you send a customer a message, they get a direct link to the chat, branded according to your storefront settings. Your about section, social links, and any additional links you add to your storefront are also easily accessible to them as they are chatting with you.
That's it! If you have any questions about Chats on Hotplate, or feedback on how it can improve, reach out to support! We would love to hear your thoughts.