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Customer Service vocabulary · Phone & Chat Phrases

Live chat

Meaning in customer service, with examples

/ˌlaɪv ˈtʃæt/nounCore term

In customer service, live chat means: A support channel where customers type messages and get answers from an agent in real time, usually in a window on a website or app.

In Turkish: canlı destek, canlı sohbet

How it is used

Agents often handle two or three live chats at the same time. Customers start a live chat; agents greet, answer and close chats. Messages should be short, friendly and clear, because the customer is waiting on screen.

Example sentences

  1. You can reach us by phone or through live chat on our website.

  2. During the sale I was handling four live chats at once.

Common collocations

  • start a live chat
  • live chat support
  • live chat agent
  • chat transcript
  • chatbotA computer program that answers customer messages automatically, often on a website or messaging app, before or instead of a human agent.
  • canned responseA ready-made reply saved in a support tool so that agents can send it quickly to answer common questions.
  • omnichannelDescribing a service that connects all channels, such as phone, chat, email and social media, so customers can move between them without repeating information.
  • response timeThe time between a customer contacting a company and receiving a reply, often measured in minutes for chat and in hours for email.

More terms: Phone & Chat Phrases

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