CIOs are always looking for ways to trim costs and improve customer service. It's a tough battle but a new survey could hold the key to taking a new direction that can help achieve that goal. It seems that customers like using online chat to resolve issues. According to a survey by Decipher, Web chat between help-desk workers and users could prove to be a more convenient and faster way to solve technical problems rather than the traditional use of the phone or email. While an expert notes that one-on-one interaction in person or on a phone will never be eliminated, online chat could be an effective asset in today's IT tool chest--resulting in cheaper and more productive support programs.

For more on using Web chat for customer service:
- read the InformationWeek article