Monthly Archives: August 2024

7 Best Live Chat Plugins for Your WordPress Website

[ad_1] At some point during the natural lifecycle of a company, cultivating customers takes priority. As such, your support services become a key battleground. Live chat plugins are one way to offer your customers practically instant access to your support team. They let users talk to either a real person there and then, or a smart ‘bot’ that redirects them to the right place. In this post, we’ll look at a number of live chat plugins, and offer some advice about which one would potentially suit you. Before that, let’s talk about why live chat is a great customer service channel. An Introduction to Live Chat (And Why You Should Implement It) For the uninitiated, live chat does what it says on the tin. In other words, a customer accesses your site – usually looking for support – and can connect with a representative through a button on the page: While live chat was initially ‘manned’ by a real person, gains in Artificial Intelligence (AI) means that tailored bots are more common now. This brings about a number of benefits: The initial heavy lifting when uncovering a user’s support needs can be handled in a routine way by sophisticated tech. Users are essentially self-solving their issue, which means you can treat aspects of the live chat experience as an extension of your knowledge base. You can ‘qualify’ the user for more advanced support. This lets you create dedicated ‘tracks’ and processes for your support chain, and makes them more efficient. Given these reasons, implementing live chat on your website is a great way to bring users through your support funnel in a refined way. How We Chose Our 7 Live Chat Plugins WordPress wouldn’t be the platform it is without plugins. While you can implement practically any functionality using them, this post will look at live chat specifically. To narrow down our list, we’ve used the following criteria: All plugins must have been updated within the last six months to work with a modern version of WordPress. Where recorded, a plugin must have a rating of at least 80% – for example, four stars on either WordPress.org or CodeCanyon. Finally, a plugin must have a relatively substantial number of active installs. For example, plugins hosted on WordPress.org usually need a minimum of 1,000 installs. Because of the above criteria, you’ll notice that popular solutions such as Zendesk Chat and Intercom aren’t included. In a nutshell, their WordPress plugins didn’t meet the standard we set, although the services themselves are stellar. Summarizing the 7 Top Live Chat Plugins for Your WordPress Website LiveChat. Busy support teams using a personal approach will love this plugin. Tidio Live Chat. Arguably the best all-around live chat plugin for WordPress. Sendinblue. If you’re already a user of Sendinblue’s other products, you’ll find this plugin ideal. Crisp Live Chat. If you have a complex product, Crisp will fit the bill. HubSpot Live Chat. HubSpot subscribers are likely going to use this live chat plugin, although it offers value for non-subscribers too. Olark. This plugin will be great for support team as part of a sales funnel. Tawk.to. A top plugin that offers myriad features completely free forever. 7 Top Live Chat Plugins for Your WordPress Website Without further ado, let’s take a look at the plugins. The seven here are in no particular order, although we encourage you to compare them all against your own requirements. 1. LiveChat First up, we have WordPress Live Chat Plugin by LiveChat – we’ll simply call it “LiveChat” here. The plugin has a number of esteemed customers, such as McDonalds, Adobe, and PayPal. As such, the live chat plugin is great for larger organizations. LiveChat also develops the WooCommerce Live Chat plugin for WordPress too, so they have a number of solutions regardless of your specific need. Under the hood, LiveChat offers a number of efficiency features, such as canned responses. You’re able to send personalized messages to users automatically, and also send them files through the chat window. However, the biggest plus point of LiveChat is also its greatest drawback. It’s an expansive live chat platform with practically everything you’ll need to support your customers. As such, it could be overkill for a smaller site. Overall, LiveChat is great for businesses with heavy support needs, especially if a personal approach to your support provision is important. Pricing: LiveChat starts at $16 per month, per agent. There are a number of tiers depending on your needs, although you could see costs quickly shoot into three-figures per month. 2. Tidio Live Chat Next up, Tidio is a company offering a well-supported live chat plugin with solid user feedback. It’s designed for WordPress site owners in mind, and also integrates email marketing services and a chatbot into the package. Installation is rapid, and once you’re ready, you’re able to set up multiple chat windows across different pages. The plugin supports nearly 200 languages out of the box, and offers a number of customization options to help you match Tidio’s chat windows to your branding. Because of the integrated email marketing, you’re able to follow up with users once they leave your website, turning your support channels into a sales funnel entry point. What’s more, there are a number of third-party integrations available. We’d argue that if you’re running a WordPress website, Tidio is going to be a front-runner for your live chat needs. It’s a modern solution, with a thoughtful feature set. What’s more, our research indicates it’s one of the more well-maintained plugins available. Pricing: Tidio offers a stacked free tier, which could be enough for many site owners. However, there are three other tiers that cater to different needs. Each one works out around $200–225 per year, which could become pricey if you’re looking for an all-in-one support solution. 3. Sendinblue Sendinblue is better known for its stellar email marketing services, although the live chat functionality more than pulls its weight. You’re able to leverage built-in design tools to

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Mo Salah reveals the inspiration behind his new celebration from unexpected sport after making flying start to the new season under Arne Slot at Liverpool

[ad_1] Salah has shown off his new celebration after scoring for Liverpool this season He has now explained the inspiration behind his new celebration LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday By Sam Brookes Published: 05:14 EDT, 31 August 2024 | Updated: 05:14 EDT, 31 August 2024 Liverpool winger Mo Salah has revealed a star from another sport has inspired his new celebration. Salah has made a flying start to the season under new Reds boss Arne Slot, scoring in Liverpool’s 2-0 wins over Ipswich Town and Brentford, respectively. After finding the net, he has shown off his new celebration which sees him pulling out an imaginary bow and arrow before firing into the distance. It is not something Salah has done before, and has got fans wondering why he has started to do it now after seven years at Anfield. The man himself has now explained the reasoning behind his new celebration. Salah told the Men In Blazers podcast: ‘I was watching the UFC, [Alex] Pereira against Israel Adesanya. When he won the second fight, he celebrated like that.  Mo Salah has shown off his new celebration in the opening weeks of the season He has scored in Liverpool’s opening two wins against Ipswich Town and Brentford He has revealed his new celebration has been inspired by Israel Adesanya, who pulled out an imaginary bow and arrow after beating Alex Pereira last year ‘I like the celebration, so that’s why I did it.’ Salah was referring to Adesanya’s fight against Pereira back in April 2023 when the former beat his great rival via second-round knockout before celebrating while Pereira was laid out on the canvas. That avenged Adesanya’s loss to the same opponent five months earlier, while Pereira also beat Adesanya twice when they fought in kickboxing in 2016 and 2017. The bow and arrow celebration is actually Pereira’s signature move, but Adesanya turned the tables on the Brazilian after finally getting the better of him.  Adesanya is viewed as one of the best middleweights in history, having held the UFC title twice between 2019 and 2023. However, he has lost his last two fights, including against South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis earlier this month. But Salah is still a big fan of Adesanya and the UFC, which has led to him trying out a new celebration. Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes is also a fan of the bow and arrow celebration He is not the first Premier League footballer to pull out the bow and arrow celebration, though, as Newcastle’s Harvey Barnes has also done it on numerous occasions after scoring. Salah will be hoping to showcase his celebration once more on Sunday when Liverpool travel to Old Trafford to face their bitter rivals Manchester United as they aim to continue their perfect start to the season.  Share or comment on this article: Mo Salah reveals the inspiration behind his new celebration from unexpected sport after making flying start to the new season under Arne Slot at Liverpool [ad_2] Source link

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Australians get ‘right to disconnect’ after working hours

[ad_1] A “right to disconnect” rule has come into effect in Australia, offering relief to people who feel forced to take calls or read messages from employers after they finish their day’s work. The new law allows employees to ignore communications after hours if they choose to, without fear of being punished by their bosses. A survey published last year estimated that Australians worked on average 281 hours of unpaid overtime annually. More than 20 countries, mainly in Europe and Latin America, have similar rules. The law does not ban employers from contacting workers after hours. Instead, it gives staff the right not to reply unless their refusal is deemed unreasonable. Under the rules, employers and employees should try to resolve disputes among themselves. If that is unsuccessful in finding a resolution Australia’s Fair Work Commission (FWC) can step in. The FWC can then order the employer to stop contacting the employee after hours. If it finds an employee’s refusal to respond is unreasonable it can order them to reply. Failure to comply with FWC orders can result in fines of up to A$19,000 ($12,897; £9,762) for an employee or up to A$94,000 for a company. Organisations representing workers have welcomed the move. It “will empower workers to refuse unreasonable out-of-hours work contact and enabling greater work-life balance”, The Australian Council of Trade Unions said. A workplace expert told BBC News that the new rules would also help employers. “Any organisation that has staff who have better rest and who have better work-life-balance are going to have staff who are less likely to have sick days, less likely to leave the organisation”, said John Hopkins from Swinburne University of Technology. “Anything that benefits the employee, has benefits for the employer as well.” However, there was a mixed reaction to the new law from employees. “I think it’s actually really important that we have laws like this,” advertising industry worker, Rachel Abdelnour, told Reuters. “We spend so much of our time connected to our phones, connected to our emails all day, and I think that it’s really hard to switch off as it is.” Others, however, do not feel the new rules will make much of a difference to them. “I think it’s an excellent idea. I hope it catches on. I doubt it’ll catch on in our industry, to tell the truth though,” David Brennan, a worker in the financial industry, told the news agency. “We’re well paid, we’re expected to deliver, and we feel we have to deliver 24 hours a day.” [ad_2] Source link

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Don’t Use Elaborate Task Management Systems

[ad_1] At this point in my career, I’ve been working remotely more than I have ever been in an office. I don’t ever want to have to return into an office unless it’s absolutely necessary. Part of working like this, though, is maintaining a sense of self-discipline for the backlog of tasks required for work and doing so in such a way that makes it easy for me to focus on what I’m working on, what’s next, and what’s in the backlog. (If you’re a developer and you’re reading this, then you’re probably thinking kanban and you’re not wrong – but what I’m getting at is slightly different). Before getting too much into the rest of the article, I do want to share that the majority of work I do right now is captured in Asana and organized by quarter. We have very little email and very little thrashing between emails, DMs, and other behavior commonly associated with the hyperactive hive mind. [The] hyperactive hive mind as a workflow centered on ongoing conversation fueled by unstructured and unscheduled messages delivered through digital communication tools, like email and instant messenger. Ezra Klein Interviews Cal Newport But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to take a little further to not only help my day-to-day (especially during periods of increased business) but also to help give visibility to other people with whom I work so they know where a given task stands in my queue. And don’t think this is me elevating my day-to-day any more important than yours. On the contrary. I’m sharing this to help give insight on what I’ve found that works so it may help you, too. Don’t Use Elaborate Task Management Systems I’ve used a variety of productivity apps and tools over the years, like Things (it was the first app I ever bought for the very first iPad!) and Trello (long before Atlassian bought them from Glitch, fka Fog Creek). I’ve also given a fair shake at a number of apps with which we’ve been inundated with the last decade and a half. But I’ve found it’s often the simplest approaches that can be just as effective, if not more so. In particular, I’ve settled on two lightweight methods that I find most useful for keeping track of my tasks, projects, and various todos – a simple text file and a Google Doc. A Basic Text File The first method I use is maintaining a plain text file on my desktop that I can quickly open and jot down notes, thoughts, links, quotes, and anything else related to the work I need to get done. What it’s like to type into a basic text editor. I usually have it open in an area of the screen or one of my virtual desktops so I can quickly capture the idea and the move back into what I was doing. The goal here to is get the information somewhere I can remember it later but to avoid the expensive cognitive load of context switching. This low-friction system allows me to capture ideas the moment they come to me, without having to fuss with a complex task management app. Ultimately, think of it like a digital scratch pad – I’ll dump in links to or quotes from Slack messages, email excerpts, random musings, and anything else that I want to reference or follow up on later. Then, during the last block of time in my workday, I can review the file, triage the items, and transform them into actual tasks, projects, more detailed notes, and so on. The Kanban Google Doc (For Lack of a Better Term) The second approach I rely on is keeping a living Google Doc that serves as a kanban board of sorts for my work. I divide the document into three clear sections: “In Progress,” “Up Next,” and “Backlog.” Under each of these headers, I list out my various tasks, projects, and responsibilities, along with any relevant details, links, or context. This simple, visual layout gives me a birds-eye view of everything I’ve got going on. There’s a difference in a bird’s eye view and eye-view of birds. It helps me stay focused on what I’m actively working on while also keeping an eye on what’s coming up next. And crucially, if I need to share let others see what I have going on, I can simply send them the link to the Google Doc to provide that transparency. Sometimes, this affords them the opportunity to find someone else to help or it helps set reasonable expectations on when the requested work will be completed. When Simplicity Matters I find these two methods valuable because they are so lightweight and low-friction. I don’t have to wrestle with complex task management software or try to shoehorn my workflow into a particular system. There are no software updates, system downtimes, or anything like that. In situations like this, I’m convinced simplicity wins almost every time. Instead, I can quickly jot things down, organize my thoughts, stay focused, and keep moving forward on whatever it is on which I’m currently working. We have too many notifications, alerts, red circles, and digital distractions that attempt to push themselves on to us. I’d rather silence all of those and then pull the work I need when I’m ready. Sometimes the simplest approaches are the most effective. By sticking to these two lightweight task tracking techniques, I’m able to maintain focus, reduce cognitive overhead, and ensure I’m making steady progress on the things that matter most. [ad_2] Source link

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PLAY TEAMSHEET: Can YOU name the 2015 Man United team that triumphed 2-1 at Anfield before Jurgen Klopp’s arrival?

[ad_1] By Ben Willcocks Published: 03:19 EDT, 31 August 2024 | Updated: 03:49 EDT, 31 August 2024 Up for yet another challenge? We’re back with today’s instalment of Teamsheet… Mail Sport’s original football memory game that separates best from the rest when it comes to football knowledge.  How does it work? A starting XI from a random match in Premier League history will be given to you, with a rough formation and the number of letters on each players’ names already provided. From there, you need to try and name the line-up with the fewest attempts as possible. The big talking point this weekend is how Arne Slot will fare against Erik ten Hag as bitter rivals Liverpool and Manchester United lock horns at Old Trafford. Before Jurgen Klopp arrived at Anfield in October 2015, Brendan Rodgers‘ Liverpool were beaten 2-1 by United the season prior. Can you remember the Red Devils who beat them nearly a decade ago? Good luck!  HOW TO PLAY  The aim of the game is to score as few points as possible!  If you guess a player at the first attempt you score one point – so the lowest score for guessing every player at the first attempt is 11. Guess a correct letter in the right position, and it’ll turn green. Guess a correct letter but in the wrong position, and it’ll turn yellow.  You have six guesses for each player. If you’re struggling to remember a player, you can ask for a free letter, but it’ll cost you a point and a guess. And if you use up all six guesses, we’ll tell you their name but it costs you 11 points.  So play on to see if you’ll score the best possible total of 11 – or fail on every player and score 121.  You can play two games a day, so make sure to come back tomorrow. Share or comment on this article: PLAY TEAMSHEET: Can YOU name the 2015 Man United team that triumphed 2-1 at Anfield before Jurgen Klopp’s arrival? [ad_2] Source link

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Dutch watchdog fines app €290m for driver data transfer

[ad_1] The ride-hailing app Uber has been hit with a €290m (£246m; $324m) fine for transferring the personal data of European drivers to US servers in violation of EU rules, the Dutch data protection regulator said on Monday. The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) said the transfers were a “serious violation” of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as they failed to appropriately protect driver information. According to the watchdog, information including ID documents, taxi licences and location data was transferred to the company’s headquarters in the US over a two-year period. Uber said it would appeal the fine, which it called “unjustified”. “Uber’s cross-border data transfer process was compliant with GDPR during a 3-year period of immense uncertainty between the EU and US,” an Uber spokesperson said. “This flawed decision and extraordinary fine are completely unjustified,” the statement added. While data transfers to the US are allowed under EU law, there is significant uncertainty around when they can occur without the need for further authorisation. DPA chairman Aleid Wolfsen said the company failed to meet GDPR requirements to “ensure the level of protection to the data with regard to transfers to the US.” “That is very serious,” he added, noting that Uber also failed to appropriately safeguard the data. The DPA said Uber collected sensitive information of European drivers, including taxi licences, location data, photos, payment details, identity documents, “and in some cases even criminal and medical data of drivers”. It said it started the investigation after more than 170 French drivers complained to a French human rights group, which then filed a complaint to France’s data protection watchdog. Under GDPR rules, a business that processes data in several EU countries must deal with the data protection authority where its main office is located. Uber’s European headquarters are in the Netherlands. “In Europe, the GDPR protects the fundamental rights of people, by requiring businesses and governments to handle personal data with due care,” Mr Wolfsen said. “Think of governments that can tap data on a large scale,” he said, explaining, “businesses are usually obliged to take additional measures if they store personal data of Europeans outside the European Union.” It is the DPA’s third fine against Uber following fines of €600,000 (£508,000) in 2018 and €10m (£8.5m) last year. The EU has rolled out a series of rules for big tech firms and imposed huge fines for breaches in recent years. Last year Irish regulators fined TikTok €345m (£296m) for violating children’s privacy under GDPR rules. [ad_2] Source link

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