Happy Endings

I got to thinking (dangerous stuff, that thinking) about happy endings and if such an idea is applicable to live chat services. Now I don’t want to presume that we all have the same idea of a happy ending. To a large extent your definition of a happy ending depends on the circumstances. Remember, not even every nursery rythm has a happy ending.

Let’s think about what constitutes a happy ending. It’s an ending that brings warmth and satisfaction to mind. You might even say happy endings are “cuddely.” Take the recent Royal wedding which saw Prince William and Kate driving Will’s brother, Prince Charles’, Aston Martin convertable from Buckingham Palace to their new home, Clarence House with all kinds of do-dads hanging out the back and a license plate that read “Just Married.” For millions of people this certainly constituted a happy ending.

On the other hand the rocky marriage of the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his cavorting around with all kinds of young women does not make for a happy ending. So it goes, not everything we experience enjoys a happy ending.

Now, while live chat doesn’t have the appeal of celebrated marriages, it does have its own happy ending qualities. Take for instance the soft spoken elderly grandmother who has a safety alarm that she wears. One of those critical necessities that allow her to push a button should she need emergency assistance and a third-party answers her alarm and sends the needed help. Her only contact with the actual service provider is via the Internet.

One day she discovers a blinking red light on her device. Not sure what it meant she goes online to try and find out. Once she arrives at the devices company web site she looks for help. The first thing she see’s is a large box on the home page with this message in bold print “If You Need Assistance, Click here to speak with your representative.” Click she does, and within seconds a new screen opens containing a box in which messages can be shared.

Someone named Bill types a message for the elderly woman to read. She quickly catches on to the process and explains her issue. Almost immediately she receives a response. It seems that the battery for her device is due for an exchange. In moments she is assured by Bill that a new replacement battery is on its way to her home. Even better news is that this is only a warning and she has up to two weeks before she need be concerned.

Bill completes the conversation by asking if there is any more he can do to assist her. Being assured that there isn’t, he says goodbye. This is the power of live chat; happy endings.