40 Customer Service Chat Script Examples: Openers, Complaints and Closings

Good customer service wording on chat is short, friendly and answers directly: greet the customer by name, show you understand the issue, give a clear solution or next step, then close by offering more help. Unlike a phone call, customers on chat cannot hear your tone of voice, so word choice decides whether a message feels warm or cold. This article has more than 40 ready-to-use phrases for WhatsApp, Instagram and live chat, grouped by situation.

Save these phrases as quick replies so your whole team writes in the same voice and can reply faster without sounding like a robot.

Principles for writing customer service replies on chat

• One message, one idea. Long messages are rarely read to the end. Break important information into points.

• Use the customer's name when you know it. It is a simple signal that they are being heard.

• Match your brand's tone. A casual tone fits lifestyle brands; a more formal one suits financial or B2B services. Consistency is what matters.

• Emojis in moderation. One emoji can soften a message, but avoid them when the customer is angry.

• Always give the next step. Customers should know what will happen and when.

1. Opening lines

1. "Hi {name}, thanks for contacting Our Store. How can I help?"

2. "Good morning {name}, I am Rina from the customer care team. Happy to help."

3. "Hi there! Thanks for waiting. Let me look into your question."

4. "Hi, thanks for reaching out on Instagram. Which product are you looking for?"

5. "Hi {name}, great to hear from you again. How can I help with your order this time?"

2. Understanding what the customer needs

6. "So I can recommend the best fit, what will you be using it for?"

7. "Which city should we ship to? I will check the shipping cost and delivery estimate."

8. "If you do not mind me asking, what budget range do you have in mind? I will pick suitable options."

9. "Could you send a photo or your order number? That way I can check faster."

10. "Is there a particular date you are working towards? I will help match the schedule."

3. Asking the customer to wait

11. "Sure, let me check with the warehouse. Please give me about 5 minutes."

12. "Thanks for waiting. I am still checking with the shipping team and will update you by 3 pm at the latest."

13. "I need to confirm this with our technical team. I will get back to you today before 5 pm."

14. "Sorry for the longer wait. Here is the information you asked about:"

4. Delivering unwelcome news

15. "Sorry, size M in this color is out of stock. We have size L, or navy in size M. Shall I send photos?"

16. "We apologize: delivery is running 1-2 days late because of a parcel surge at the courier. Your tracking number stays the same and you can follow it here: {link}."

17. "Unfortunately that promotion ended yesterday. Instead, there is 10% off the same product until Sunday."

18. "We do not ship internationally yet. May I let you know through this chat once we do?"

5. Handling complaints

Use a simple pattern: acknowledge, apologize, solve, give a time frame.

19. "I understand this must be disappointing. Sorry for the trouble. Could you send a photo of the product so I can process a replacement today?"

20. "Thanks for telling us directly. This mistake is on our side, and I will make sure the replacement ships tomorrow morning."

21. "I have logged your complaint as ticket {number}. Our team will contact you within 24 hours."

22. "I am sorry about this experience. I am passing it to my supervisor so it can be handled faster."

23. "We have refunded the amount to your account. It usually arrives within 1-3 working days depending on your bank. Is there anything else I can help with?"

6. Saying no politely

24. "Sorry, that is already our best price. But orders of 3 pieces get free shipping. Shall I calculate it for you?"

25. "Under our policy, returns can be processed up to 7 days after delivery. For this order, I can help you claim the manufacturer's warranty."

26. "For account security, we cannot share that data over chat. Please check it directly under Account in the app."

27. "We cannot take on this special request yet. As an alternative, the {package name} package comes close to what you need."

7. Recommendations and gentle upsells

28. "Many customers who buy this also take {complementary product} so it lasts longer. Shall I add it to your order?"

29. "If it is for a team of more than 5 people, the {name} plan is usually cheaper. Shall I compare the prices?"

30. "There is a bundle this week that is 15% cheaper than buying items separately. Just letting you know."

8. Asking for customer details

31. "To process the delivery, could you share the recipient's full name, address and phone number?"

32. "For your security, please never send OTP codes or PINs to anyone, including us."

33. "Could you confirm your registered email? I will send the invoice there."

9. Closing lines

34. "Happy to help, {name}. If you have any other questions, just reply to this message any time."

35. "Thanks for shopping with us. We hope you enjoy the product, and see you again!"

36. "How was our service today? Reply with a number from 1 to 5; your feedback really helps."

37. "I will close this conversation for now. If the issue comes back, reply here and I will pick it up."

10. Follow-ups

38. "Hi {name}, has your parcel arrived? If you need help using it, I am here."

39. "Hi, you asked about {product} yesterday. Stock is running low, shall I hold one for you?"

40. "Hi, a reminder about your consultation tomorrow at {time}. Reply CHANGE if you need to reschedule."

We cover follow-up techniques that do not feel pushy in how to follow up customers on WhatsApp.

A complete example: from complaint to resolution

Customer: Hi, the tracking says my parcel was delivered but I have not received anything. Really disappointed.

Agent: Hi Dina, I understand that must be worrying. Sorry for the trouble. Could you share your order number? I will check with the courier right now.

Customer: INV-48210.

Agent: Thank you. I have contacted the courier and will update you by 2 pm today at the latest.

Agent (1:20 pm): Dina, the courier confirmed the parcel was left with your building's security desk because nobody was home. Could you check there? If it is not there, we will resend it today at no cost.

Customer: Found it, thanks!

Agent: Glad to hear it. From now on we will add a note asking the courier to call you before leaving a parcel. Anything else I can help with?

Notice the pattern: empathy in the first sentence, asking for the data you need, giving a time frame and keeping it, offering a fallback, then closing with a preventive step.

Tone: casual or formal?

Pick one tone that suits your brand and customers, then keep it consistent across every channel, including your AI agent.

Phrases to avoid

Saving phrases as quick replies in ChatMo

Save frequently used phrases as quick replies. Agents just type a slash / in the chat box to search and insert a reply, including attachments such as catalogs or guides. Quick replies can be shared with the whole team for a consistent voice, or kept private for an agent's own style.

If you use an AI agent, add these principles and examples to the AI persona so AI and human replies sound the same. See WhatsApp AI chatbot for customer service.

Training new agents with standard phrases

The phrases above are most useful when used to train new agents. Rather than memorizing, agents learn the pattern and the reasoning behind each phrase. A simple first-week program:

1. Day one: read the writing principles and the phrases to avoid, then learn the quick replies the team uses.

2. Day two: read 20 real conversations rated as good and 10 that fell short, then discuss the difference with a senior agent.

3. Day three: role-play difficult situations, such as an angry customer, a refund request and a question with no ready answer.

4. Days four and five: reply to real chats with support, while a senior agent reviews messages before or after they are sent.

After the first week, review a few of the new agent's conversations each week and give specific feedback. New phrases that prove effective can be added to quick replies so the whole team uses them.

Adjusting phrases for each channel

The same message can feel different across channels. On Instagram, customers expect a more casual tone and short replies with photos. On WhatsApp, slightly longer replies with clear steps work well. On website live chat, visitors are often in the middle of deciding, so answer quickly and include a link to the relevant page.

Conclusion

The right words make customers feel heard, even through a screen. Use the pattern of greet, understand, solve and close warmly. Save the examples above as quick replies, adapt them to your brand voice, and update them whenever the team finds phrasing that works better.

Want your team to reply faster with quick replies and a consistent AI agent? See the ChatMo Shared Team Inbox or book a demo.