Although I love Bank of America’s online chat service, the conversation you see below was a let-down (it was copied and pasted from my online chat window).

Live conversations with customers is a huge responsibility. The potential to do great things is only matched by the potential to do serious harm to your very own company and reputation. As you’ll see from the the example below, it only takes one brief online conversation for the damage to be done (and now it finds new life on this blog).

Just something to think about before putting people with little customer assistance experience and poor communications skills on a very outward-facing platform. This social media online thing that you may call a fad isn’t a game. It’s business, and we all have a lot to learn.

(No — Joe isn’t the representative’s actual name. I decided to “protect” his identity since it’s not his fault he was thrown into the online chat room. In cases like these, management is to blame, since it’s obvious he wasn’t properly trained — and, it seems, neither was the person looking over his shoulder telling him what to type.)

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Joe: How are you doing today?
You: Good thank you — I need to put a stop payment on a check.
You: It was made out to XXXXX
Joe: Sure, I will certainly check it for you and I will try my best to assist you.
You: I sent it via online payment
Joe: Okay.
Joe: Could you please provide me the last four digits of the account number?
You: XXXXX
Joe: Michael, I can see that you are not log in with your own ID.
You: i don’t understand. i’m logged in through my business account
Joe: I would request you to sign in using your own Online ID and we would be happy to assist you at that time.
You: i did — how else could i be here?
Joe: Okay.
Joe: So in this case I would request you to please call our business specialist.
Joe: Please excuse my inability to assist you in this regards as I solely with checking and savings accounts.
You: that’s what i want help with — a stop payment on a check
Joe: Alright.
Joe: Michael, we do not have necessary excess in business accounts, so I would request you to please call our specialist only they will be able to place an stop payment for business accounts.
Joe: Please be assured that we know your time is valuable to you and we would not  direct you to contact us by telephone unless were absolutely necessary.
You: what does “we do not have necessary excess in business accounts” mean?
You: nevermind — i’m outta here
Joe: I mean that this Chat service is for personal savings and checking account.
Joe: Please be assured that your concerns will be taken care of in the best possible way by our associates.
Joe: “Please call us at 1.888.287.4637 and we will be happy to assist you. We are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday – Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday Eastern Time.
Joe: I thank you so much for your kind co-operation and understanding in this regards.