What is live chat?

Live chat is a channel that lets customers message a human support agent in real time through a widget on your website or app. It's fast and personal, ideal for questions that benefit from back-and-forth, and increasingly pairs with an AI agent that handles instant answers and hands off to a person when needed.

How live chat works

A chat widget sits on your site or in your product. When a customer opens it, their message reaches an available agent who replies in real time. Because it's synchronous, live chat resolves many issues in a single session and feels more personal than email — though it depends on having agents staffed during the hours customers expect.

Live chat and AI together

Modern live chat puts an AI agent and your human team behind the same widget. The AI answers common questions instantly and around the clock; when a conversation needs a person — nuance, emotion, or a complex case — it hands off with full context. Customers get speed and coverage without the team staffing every question.

Selvo Live Chat

Chat in real time, with an AI agent for the rest

Selvo's live chat puts a human and an AI agent behind the same widget — the agent answers instantly around the clock and pulls in a teammate the moment a conversation needs one.

See how Selvo Live Chat works

Questions about Live Chat

What's the difference between live chat and a chatbot?

Live chat connects customers to a human agent; a chatbot answers automatically. The best setups use both behind one widget. See live chat vs chatbot.

Do I need agents online 24/7 for live chat?

Not if you pair it with an AI agent — the AI covers off-hours and instant answers, while humans handle the conversations that need them during staffed hours.

Related terms

Live Chat vs Chatbot

Live chat connects a customer to a human agent in real time. A chatbot replies automatically using scripted flows or AI, with no human involved. Live chat is higher quality but limited by staffing and hours; a chatbot is instant and always on but limited to what it's trained for. The best support uses both behind one widget.

Chatbot

A chatbot is software that answers customer questions automatically through a chat interface — using either fixed decision-tree flows or, increasingly, AI trained on your content. It responds instantly, handles unlimited conversations at once, and runs around the clock, making it a core tool for deflecting repetitive support questions.

Conversational Support

Conversational support is a messaging-first approach to helping customers — meeting them in real-time, chat-style conversations (live chat, in-app messaging, AI agents) rather than formal ticket exchanges. It feels personal and immediate, like texting a knowledgeable friend, while still being managed and measurable behind the scenes.

Browse the full customer support glossary →