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Customer service chat scripts that don’t sound scripted
Short live chat replies to copy, for the moments that come up every week, from saying hello to a bug, a refund or closing the chat. They sound like a person, not a call centre. Type their name, your name and your product once, and all 45 fill in. It’s free, with no sign-up, and nothing you type leaves your browser.
They come from Deacon, an AI customer support agent that answers your customers from your own docs, so the chats that reach you are the ones that need you. There’s a free plan.
Saying hello
The first thing you send when you join a chat.
Someone new
Hi [their name], it’s [your name] from [your product]. What can I help with?
Someone who’s written before
Hi [their name], good to hear from you again. What’s going on?
They wrote a lot
Hi [their name], [your name] here. Thanks for all the detail, I’m looking now.
Picking up from your bot
When your AI agent hands someone to you.
They’ve explained it to the bot
Hi [their name], it’s [your name], a real person this time. I’ve read what you told the bot, so there’s no need to say it again.
The bot got it wrong
Hi [their name], [your name] here. Sorry, the bot got that one wrong. [The right answer]
They asked for a person straight away
Hi [their name], you asked for a person, so here I am. What’s up?
Before they buy
When someone’s deciding whether to sign up.
It does that
Yes, it does. [This guide] shows how in a couple of minutes. Want me to walk you through it?
It doesn’t yet
Not yet, I’m afraid. Most people in your spot [export to a spreadsheet] for now. Would that work for you?
They’re comparing you with someone else
Fair question. We’re smaller than [Rival], and we [answer every chat ourselves]. If you need [SSO], they’re the better pick today.
Asking them to wait
When the answer takes more than a few seconds.
A quick check
Give me two minutes, I’m checking now.
It needs a proper look
This needs a proper look, so I won’t rush it. I’ll reply here by [this afternoon], and email you if you’ve gone by then.
You need to ask someone
I’m checking with [Alex], who built that part. I’ll reply here as soon as I hear back.
It needs more than a chat
This needs more than a quick chat. Can I email you a proper answer by [5pm]?
When you don’t know yet
Say so, and say when you’ll know.
A question you can’t answer yet
Good question, and I don’t want to guess. Let me check and come back to you by [tomorrow morning].
You’re not sure it works
I’m not sure that works with [Shopify]. Give me [ten minutes] to try it myself.
It’s another company’s side
That part runs through [Stripe], so I can’t see it from here. I’ll find out what I can and come back to you by [tomorrow].
Logging in and their account
Ask for one thing, then fix it.
Finding their account
Which email did you sign up with? I’ll find your account.
The login email hasn’t arrived
I’ve sent a new login link to [their email]. It can take a minute, so it’s worth checking spam too.
They want to change their email
Done. You’ll sign in with [their new email] from now on.
A bug report
When something’s broken, and when it’s fixed.
Asking for detail
Thanks for telling me. Could you send a screenshot, or the exact error? That’s the quickest way for me to find it.
You’ve found it
You’re right, that’s a bug on our side. I’m fixing it [today], and I’ll let you know when it’s out.
A way round it
Until the fix is out, you can [export one month at a time]. Sorry for the hassle.
It’s fixed
That’s fixed now. Could you try again and tell me if it works?
When something’s down
Say what’s broken and when you’ll update them.
It’s down for everyone
Yes, [exports] are down for everyone right now. I’ll update you here by [3pm].
It’s back
It’s back up. Sorry for the trouble, and thanks for bearing with us.
It cost them time
I’m sorry it cost you [an afternoon]. I’ve [added a month] to your account to make up for it.
Billing, trials and refunds
Say what you’ve done first, then the detail.
A full refund
Done. I’ve refunded [$49] to your card, and it should show in [5 to 10 working days].
Charged twice
You’ve been charged twice, and that’s our mistake. I’ve refunded the second one, so there’s nothing you need to do.
Not a full refund
I can’t refund the whole year, but I’ve refunded [the five months you haven’t used] and cancelled your plan.
More time on a trial
I’ve added [7 days] to your trial. Shout if you need longer.
Asking for a discount
We don’t do discounts, but the yearly plan works out [two months] cheaper.
Asking why they left
Can I ask what made you cancel? No need to answer, but it would really help.
A feature request
Be honest about whether it’s coming.
Not yet
We don’t do that yet. What would you use it for? It helps me get it right if we build it.
It’s planned
It’s on the list. I can’t promise a date, but I’ll email you when it ships.
Not planned
Honestly, it’s not something we’re planning this year. [Another tool] does it well if you need it now.
When they’re cross
Agree with what’s true, then say what you’re doing about it.
Bad timing for them
That’s the worst timing, with [a launch tomorrow]. Let’s get it sorted.
It was your fault
You’re right to be annoyed. That shouldn’t have happened, and it’s on us.
You’re fixing it now
I’m sorry. I’m [putting your data back] now, and I’ll stay in this chat until it’s done.
Replying after hours
For messages that came in overnight, and the note people see while you’re away.
Next morning
Morning [their name], sorry for the wait. I’m in [London] and only just saw this.
Your away message
We’re a small team and we’re offline right now. Leave your email and I’ll reply [first thing tomorrow, UK time].
They’ve gone by morning
Sorry I missed you last night, [their name]. [The answer] I’ve emailed this to you too, in case you’re not back here.
Closing the chat
Leave them an easy way back.
It’s sorted
Glad that’s sorted. Message again any time if it comes back.
Checking it worked
Did that work for you? If not, tell me what you see and I’ll keep going.
After a bug
Thanks again for flagging it. You’ve saved a few other people the same trouble.
When they’ve gone quiet
Sounds like you’re sorted, so I’ll close this for now. Just reply here if you’re not.
How to use these chat scripts
- Type their first name, your name and your product at the top, and every reply fills in.
- Change anything in square brackets, and anything that doesn’t sound like you, before you send.
To keep the ones you use most, add them to your chat tool’s saved replies. Our entry on canned responses shows where Zendesk, Help Scout, Freshdesk, Intercom and HubSpot keep them, with eight more replies for email.
Stock phrases, and what to say instead
Most chat scripts are written for big support teams, so they sound like nobody in particular. Here’s the plain version of the usual ones.
Instead of I sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Say Sorry, that’s our fault.
Instead of Thank you for your patience.
Say Sorry for the wait.
Instead of Please hold while I look into this for you.
Say Give me two minutes, I’m checking now.
Instead of I understand your frustration.
Say That’s really annoying, especially [the day before payroll].
Instead of Your feedback is valuable to us.
Say Thanks, that’s useful. What would you use it for?
Instead of I have escalated this to the relevant team.
Say I’ve asked [Alex], who built that part.
Instead of Unfortunately, that is not possible at this time.
Say We can’t do that yet.
Instead of Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
Say Did that sort it?
Instead of Thank you for contacting [Company]. Have a great day!
Say Glad that’s sorted. Message again any time.
One whole chat, start to finish
Here’s how a few of those replies read together, in one chat about a bug. Priya and Sam are made up.
Priya, 14:02
Export keeps stopping at 1,000 rows. My accountant needs all of them today.
- The bot couldn’t answer, so it took Priya’s email and passed the chat to Sam.
Sam, 14:06
Hi Priya, it’s Sam, a real person this time. I’ve read what you told the bot, so there’s no need to say it again. Give me two minutes, I’m checking now.
Sam, 14:09
You’re right, that’s a bug on our side. Until the fix is out, you can export one month at a time and you’ll get every row. Sorry for the hassle.
Priya, 14:12
That worked. Annoying though.
Sam, 14:12
It is, and it’s on us. I’m fixing it today, and I’ll let you know when it’s out.
- The next morning.
Sam, 09:30
That’s fixed now. Could you try a full export and tell me if every row comes through?
Priya, 09:41
All there. Thanks Sam.
Sam, 09:42
Glad that’s sorted. Thanks again for flagging it, you’ve saved a few other people the same trouble.
Deacon saves every chat on your site as a transcript like this one, and you can export them all as a CSV. Chat transcripts shows how.
What makes a chat reply work
Every reply above keeps to a few habits.
- Reply fast, even if it’s only to say you’re on it. A quick “I’m on it” beats a perfect answer ten minutes later.
- Keep each message to a line or two. Two short messages read better than one long one.
- Ask one question at a time. Ask three at once and you’ll get an answer to one.
- Use their name once, when you say hello. In every message it starts to read like a form letter.
- Only give a time you’ll keep. “I’ll reply by 3pm” only helps if you do.
- Leave them an easy way back, rather than signing off.
For the emails that follow a chat, such as a refund note or telling someone a bug is fixed, our free customer service email templates fill in your names the same way.
Where Deacon changes these chats
Deacon is an AI customer support agent that answers visitors in a chat on your site, from your own docs. You’ll still send replies like the ones above, but fewer of them, and you won’t pick a chat up cold.
- Most how-to questions never reach you. Deacon answers what your docs cover in seconds, at any hour, and says when it doesn’t know instead of guessing. Questions about someone’s own account or invoice always come to you, so the refund and billing replies above stay yours.
- You pick up with the whole story. When someone asks for a person, Deacon tells them you’ll reply in the chat. You see it in your dashboard straight away, with an email a few minutes later if you haven’t. If they’d been explaining for a while, Deacon sums it up in a sentence, so “I’ve read what you told the bot” is true. More on human handoff.
- Your overnight reply still reaches them. Reply from your dashboard and it shows in their chat under your name. If they’ve left, they see it next time they open the chat in that browser, or by email if they gave you their address. You won’t need an away message, because Deacon answers while you sleep.
- You write each answer once. When the question was one your docs didn’t cover, press Answer this and write the answer. It becomes part of what Deacon knows, so the next person who asks gets it in seconds, without you.
- You see what people keep asking. Topics group the questions visitors ask and count the people behind each, so you know which bug or missing feature to fix first.
All of it is on Deacon’s free plan, which needs no card and has no end date.
FAQ
Questions about customer service chat scripts
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