NextCard

www.nextcard.com

Customers or prospects can click on this link to begin an online “conversation” with customer service.

NextCard (San Francisco, CA; 100,000 credit card accounts) became the first credit card lender to offer real-time online customer service via chat mode. Initially the live customer service will be available between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PST, weekdays www.nextcard.com/frame_contactus.html The technology is from New York-based LivePerson.com.

After clicking the “talk” button, a chat window pops up on the screen. In this case, outside of normal hours, the window invites you to leave a message.

Although it would be difficult, if not impossible, to develop a business case to support this customer service enhancement, we expect that it will become a standard online feature of any consumer company serious about adding Web-based accounts. By being first, NextCard benefits by showing it’s committed to state-of-the-art Web service. For more on the company, see OBR 5/98, p 12-19; 10/98; 11/98; 4/99). In other news, the company hit the 100,000-account mark in late July.

Contact: Robert LoCascio is CEO, LivePerson, robert@liveperson.com (212) 277-8950. Richard Goebel is Biz Dev. Director at NextCard, (415) 284-9217 Rich.Goebel@nextcard.com