Cookies aren\u2019t just for tracking user behavior and displaying ads. They\u2019re part of nearly every online tool, such as live chat.<\/b><\/p>\n
Since May 2020<\/span><\/a>, businesses must ask website visitors in the EU for consent before they\u2019re allowed to store or access non-essential cookies. The aim of the<\/span> General Data Protection Regulation<\/span><\/a> (GDPR) and <\/span>ePrivacy Directive<\/span><\/a> (\u201ccookie law\u201d) is to protect individual\u2019s rights over their data in the digital sphere.<\/span><\/p>\n But how do you realize such a setup? Before we dive into the specifics, let\u2019s take a look at why cookies matter in <\/span>live chat support<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n Live chat<\/span><\/a> is a popular solution that many businesses use to realize a conversational customer experience. In terms of cookies, however, it\u2019s an optional service and not required for delivering a business\u2019s online presence (i.e. browsing the shop, putting items into the cart, etc.). That\u2019s why cookies used in chat are categorized as <\/span>functional cookies<\/span><\/i>, and your users will need to give their consent before you can drop them.<\/span><\/p>\n What people might not know is that cookies are involved at every step of the live chat interaction \u2013 even before a chat session starts. Cookies not only process personal data customers might share in the chat, like their name or order number. Before your customer decides to reach via chat, cookies are already at work to perform basic technology requirements, such as loading the chat button on your website and defining its behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n If your web visitor doesn\u2019t opt in to your functional cookies, they won\u2019t even see the live chat button.<\/span><\/p>\n Delivering chat support while adhering to data privacy regulations has become more challenging. But no worries: there is a compliant way to do so.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n This first tip is not limited to live chat but required for a cookie-law-compliant setup on your website in general.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Consent Management Tools<\/span><\/a> are a piece of software that allow you to control user consent on your website. Ask your users to opt in to your cookies by adding a cookie banner to your site.<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, the tool you choose needs to be legally compliant. We also recommend picking one that\u2019s easy to implement and intuitive to use. So once you\u2019re all set up, you don\u2019t have to worry about consent management but you can fully concentrate on your main projects. Some solutions also offer flexible customization options, which is great if website design is important to you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Usercentrics<\/span><\/a> is one of the leading consent management platforms that notable businesses like Commerzbank, O2 and T-Mobile trust to obtain, manage and optimize user consent across platforms.<\/span><\/p>\n Want to know more? Check out this 1 minute Usercentrics intro:<\/strong><\/p>\n [av_video src=’https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mC9i_2hLhbA’ mobile_image=’https:\/\/usercentrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/04\/190208-UCS-Logo-800px-300×300.png’ attachment=’2694′ attachment_size=’medium’ format=’16-9′ width=’16’ height=’9′ conditional_play=’confirm_all’ id=” custom_class=” av_uid=’av-220ayy’]<\/p>\n Data privacy laws are constantly changing and they also differ per country. Consequently, software solutions built in countries like the United States might not align with EU law. If you already have a live chat running on your website, make sure to check if the provider complies with the regulations in your country.<\/span><\/p>\n Issues you should pay attention to are whether they adhere to the GDPR, how they\u2019re handling customer data and the location of their servers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Built and hosted in Germany, <\/span>Userlike<\/span><\/a> is the leading live chat solution for businesses who take data privacy seriously. It comes with a lot of smart features developed for data protection, such as automatic data deletion, role-based data access and a data privacy mode. The <\/span>data privacy chat mode<\/b> works as a filter for your chat sessions. When enabled, no personal data will be collected.<\/span><\/p>\n Userlike also allows you to set an individual <\/span>cookie timeout<\/b>. In general, while some cookies are deleted when the browser gets closed (\u201csession cookies\u201d), others are stored for up to one year (\u201cexpire cookies\u201d) and may include details like the numbers of visits or individual user ID. Userlike stores expire cookies for one year but you can also flexibly adjust the date range in your settings.<\/span><\/p>\n Check out this post to learn more about the <\/span>data privacy features available with Userlike<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n With just 3 Steps, Cookiebot by Usercentrics can help you comply with all major data privacy regulations.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n Cookies and live chat – what you need to know<\/h2>\n\n\n
Tip 1: Add a consent management tool <\/h2>\n\n\n
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Tip 2: Choose a compliant live chat provider<\/h2>\n\n\n