Wanna chat? Why yes, I do.

A new study from RightNow to investigate online shoppers' attitudes towards the technology used for customer service found that consumers are foregoing traditional methods of communication with contact center agents, such as phone and e-mail, in favor of self-service and chat.

In fact, more than 64% of consumers who have engaged with an agent through a chat session said they would rather use this channel than speak with an agent on the phone; 69% said they would prefer to use chat than e-mail.

I fit right into this statistic. I always choose this option if it's available rather than picking up a phone or going into a store to ask a question. Sure, some might consider it lazy, but that's the brilliance of it. It's minimum effort with personal one-on-one customer service. What's not to love?

* As a side note, 1-800-Flowers.com plans to use its LiveChat tool to help answer questions during the holiday season. I suggest other retailers follow suit.