Don’t disclose sensitive information.
Remember, all conversations are saved. Anything you disclose to a customer is e-mailed to your manager, to the customer, and a hard copy is housed on the IM server.  So, I recommend never making rude comments or offering unauthorized information.

IM lingo is generally a bad idea
As you become more familiar with the IM you may pick up on IM Lingo (such as “btw” for “by the way”). You never know exactly who you will be talking to and how much experience they may have with IM, so it’s best to avoid using any abbreviations.  Never use emotion references such as the infamous smiley face  “:-)”. However, if a customer initiates IM lingo it is safe to reciprocate on a low level.

Whoa, one at a time!
If you are a stacker and used to having more than one up at a time on the lot, don’t try it here! You can only handle one IM at a time. Handling multiple IM’s will cause confusion on your end and frustration on the customers end.  If you are a stacker, you will try it anyway, but you will eventually see there is no way to handle two customers asking multiple questions. Just like you can not handle two phone conversations at one time, you can not handle two IM conversations at the same time.