Live chat
Live chat is a real-time text-based support channel embedded on a website or in an app that lets customers message an agent immediately.
Live chat is the fastest synchronous support channel short of a phone call. Customers start a chat on a website and expect replies in seconds to minutes — considerably faster than email. This makes it effective for purchase-moment questions but demanding to staff, since agents must be available and responsive in real time.
Most live chat tools have a fallback to email when no agent is available: if a customer starts a chat outside business hours or when all agents are busy, the conversation is saved and followed up by email. This hybrid is sometimes called "async chat."
Live chat adds a channel to manage alongside email. Teams adopting it should consider the staffing cost: live chat conversations typically take more simultaneous agent attention than an email queue.