Omnichannel messaging platform glossary
In this article, you will learn about the essential terms and their definitions frequently used in the Chative platform.
A
Account
Account refers to the user or organization's registered profile and associated data within the Chative system.
Keep reading: Set up your account
Action
An Action is a pre-set operation in an automated rule. When a trigger occurs and the conditions are met, the system automatically performs the action, such as sending a message or updating a status, to streamline business processes.
Keep reading: Set up automated workflow
Activity
Activity refers to any interaction a customer has on your website, such as visiting a specific page or replying to a message. This tracking helps you understand customer behavior and engagement.
Keep reading: Customer information
Add‑on
An Add-on is an extra feature not included in the basic monthly subscription. Businesses can choose to add it for additional functionality, and it comes with its own pricing.
Affiliate
An Affiliate is someone who promotes Chative’s platform to others. When people sign up and pay for Chative through their referral link, the affiliate earns a commission based on the number of paid users (seats) and add-ons purchased.
Keep reading: Become Chative partner
Agent
An Agent is a team member, either a human or an AI, who manages customer chats. They are invited to your organization and directly handle customer conversations in the inbox to support your business.
Keep reading: Teammate roles
AI Agent
An AI Agent is an AI-powered chatbot that automatically answers customer directly, supports sales process, and collaborates with your team during conversations.
Keep reading: AI Agent
AI Copilot
An AI Copilot is an intelligent assistant within the chat inbox that helps your team by translating messages, summarizing conversations, and suggesting quick responses to improve chat efficiency.
Keep reading: AI Copilot
API Connection
API Connection lets you link your AI Agent to another app or system when you're setting up a Custom Action. The AI will use this connection to send or receive specific information, such as looking something up, updating a record, or triggering a task in another platform.
API Key
An API (Application Programming Interface) Key is a set of rules that allows your messaging platform to connect with other business systems, such as your CRM or analytics tools. This integration enables automated data sharing and custom functionalities, ensuring your systems work together seamlessly.
Keep reading: API and Webhook
Assign
Assign means directing a chat to a specific team member. For example, when you assign a chat to John, he gets notified and can promptly respond to the customer.
Keep reading: Collaborate in inbox
Auto-Purchase
When enabled, auto-purchase automatically scales your AI Agent’s messaging plan. Once you hit your monthly limit, extra messages are purchased from the next tier, ensuring continuous service and charging your account accordingly.
Keep reading: Manage AI usage
Answer Length
This sets how short or long the AI’s replies should be.
B
Billing Cycle
A Billing Cycle is the recurring period, typically monthly, during which your subscription fees are calculated and invoiced. This cycle determines when you are charged for your plan and services.
Keep reading: Billing and pricing
Block
A block in Knowledge Base is the basic unit of content, each piece of text, image, or list item is a block. You can move, edit, or combine blocks to build and organize your pages.
Keep reading: Manage your Knowledge Base
Browser
The web browser the customer uses to access the website.
Business Description
This is where you tell the AI what your business does so it knows how to talk to your customers properly.
Business Hour
Business hours are the working hours you set for your organization. They could be used within the workflow to automate actions. For example, you can configure rules that trigger an out-of-hours message or assign AI based on whether it's during or outside your set business hours.
Keep reading: Set up your account
C
Canned Response
A canned response is a pre-written message that agents can quickly insert during chats. It helps respond to common inquiries faster and ensures consistent communication.
Keep reading: Save and reuse your response
Category
A category in the Knowledge Base acts like a folder, grouping together subpages that cover a specific topic. This organization makes it easier for users to find related content quickly.
Keep reading: Manage your Knowledge Base
Channel
A Channel is a connection point for your messaging platform, such as Facebook pages, Instagram accounts, WhatsApp numbers, websites, Zalo OA accounts, Shopify stores, etc. It gathers messages from these sources so you can easily manage all communications in one place.
Keep reading: Set up website chat
Chat Model
An AI Model is a computer program designed to learn from data and perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. It's the core component of AI systems that processes information and makes predictions or decisions. Businesses can choose an optimized e-commerce model like Chative AI (based on GPT 4) or use your own API key (BYOK) to integrate a preferred model such as Gemini Flash, Gemini Pro, DeepSeek v3, GPT o3, Claude Sonnet 3.7, etc.
Keep reading: How to train AI Agent
Closed Conversation
A closed conversation is a chat that has been marked as resolved and finished to help organize and prioritize inquiries. Although it is closed on the agent side, if a customer replies or sends a new message, the conversation automatically reopens to ensure ongoing support.
Keep reading: How to organize inbox
Command
A command is a custom instruction you create to define how the AI should behave in a specific situation. It helps the AI understand what action to take or what information to use based on the prompt you set.
Command Description
Command description is where you explain what the command is for. This helps make sure the AI understands your instructions clearly and follows them correctly when it's needed.
Condition
A condition is a specific requirement set in an automated rule. When a trigger occurs, the system checks if the condition is met before executing the associated action, ensuring the rule only applies when the exact criteria are satisfied.
Keep reading: Set up automated rules
Conversation
A conversation is a series of messages exchanged between a customer and your team. It records the entire interaction in one place, making it easier to follow up, resolve issues, and ensure quality support.
Keep reading: Organize your inbox
Coupon
A coupon is a discount offer that reduces the cost of your subscription. It allows you to save money either on a one-time payment or on recurring charges, depending on the coupon's terms.
Keep reading: How to apply a coupon
Custom Action
A custom action is a personalized command you can set up within your AI Agent. When a specific trigger or condition is met, the agent executes this action. This means your AI can learn to, or be instructed to, update customer information, send data to external systems like a CRM, Google Sheets, or booking platforms, and more. This ensures that its responses match your business requirements and take actions according to your needs.
Keep reading: Set up a specific command for AI Agent
Custom Field
A custom field is an extra data entry created by your business to capture details beyond the default fields like email, phone, device, timezone, gender, etc. This additional information appears in the customer’s profile during chats and in the customer list, offering deeper insights for better support.
Keep reading: Capture customer information
Customer
A customer is someone your business interacts with. If they have an order ID, they are automatically defined as a customer by default.
Keep reading: How to segment your customers
Customer Field
Customer fields are the collection of data gathered about each customer, including default details like email, phone, device, timezone, language, visit sessions, pages, etc. as well as any custom fields you add. This information helps you build a comprehensive profile for tailored support and improved customer insights.
Keep reading: Label your customer
Customer Label
A customer label is a tag you assign to customers to categorize or group them based on specific traits or behaviors. It helps you organize and filter a particular group of customers for targeted communication and support.
Keep reading: Label your customer
D
Data Sheet
A data sheet is a table of information, like a spreadsheet. You can include things like product names, prices, or stock levels.
E
Event
An Event triggers a workflow to start. For example, when a customer sends a message or requests human support, an event occurs and the workflow automation can take action based on it.
Extra Usage
Extra usage in AI allows you to buy additional AI messages beyond your AI Agent monthly plan's allotted amount. These extra messages only apply to the month you buy them, providing flexibility during peak periods without changing your regular monthly limit.
Keep reading: Manage AI usage
F
Form Chat
Form Chat is a type of live chat integrated into your website as a form, blending seamlessly with your site's layout.
Keep reading: Customize live chat on website
G
Get Order Information
Lets the AI check order info to help customers with updates.
Get Product Information
If you connect your Shopify store, the AI can look up helpful information about your orders and products. This helps it respond more accurately to questions about your shop.
Guest
A guest is a contact that reaches out without providing basic information like email, phone, or name.
Keep reading: Manage customer information
Cancel Order
Lets the AI help cancel an order if needed.
H
History
Chat history is a record of all past messages exchanged during customer interactions. It allows agents to review previous conversations for context and continuity in support.
Keep reading: How long of chat history I can view?
I
Inbox
The Inbox is the central hub where all incoming messages from various channels are collected. It provides a single view for agents to view, respond to, and manage customer chats efficiently.
Keep reading: Organize your inbox
Initial message
An Initial Message is the first message you send to visitors on your website. You can use a default message or customize one before sending it, and it's managed in the Visitors section.
Keep reading: How to chat with visitors?
Invoice
An Invoice is a billing document detailing the charges for your subscription or services. It lists fees, applicable taxes, and the due date, serving as an official record for both your business and our system.
Keep reading: View invoice
Inbound message
K
Knowledge Base
A Knowledge Base is a centralized hub where you store and organize helpful content such as articles, FAQs, and guides. It serves as a self-service resource for customers, a quick reference tool for your support team, and a training source for your AI Agent.
Keep reading: Train AI Agent by Knowledge Base
L
Landing Chat
Landing Chat is a standalone webpage dedicated solely to live chat to offer a focused chat experience on its own page.
Keep reading: Create a landing page for chat
Last contacted
Last contacted shows the time when you or your team last sent a message to the customer.
Last message
Last message refers to the previous message sent by the agent or customer before the newest one.
Last order
Last order shows the most recent purchase or order made by the customer.
Last seen
Last seen shows the time when the customer last opened or read your message in the conversation.
Lead
A llead is someone who reaches out and leaves basic information, such as a phone number, email, or name. This data helps your business identify and follow up with potential customers.
Keep reading: View contact list
Lead form
A Lead Form collects basic information, such as email, name, and phone, before a visitor starts a chat. It can be configured in the live chat settings to be unskippable, optional, or completely disabled.
Keep reading: Collect customer information before chat
Limit Message
You can control how many messages your AI is allowed to send in a day. It helps you manage usage and avoid running out too quickly.
Live chat
Live chat is a real-time messaging feature on your website that allows customers to communicate instantly with your support team. It provides immediate assistance, helping to resolve questions and issues as they arise.
Keep reading: Set up live chat on website
M
Median
The median is the middle value in a list of numbers arranged in order. If there's an odd number of items, the median is the exact middle one. If there's an even number, it’s the average of the two middle values. This makes it useful because it isn't overly influenced by extremely high or low values.
Median first response time
Median first response time is the middle value of the time it takes for an agent to send their first reply to a customer. It gives you a clear picture of how quickly your team member typically responds.
Median response time
Median response time indicates the typical speed of your team's responses.
Median time to close
Median time to close shows the typical time it takes for your team to mark a conversation as resolved, helping you gauge overall efficiency in closing customer chats.
Keep reading: View team performance report
N
Next estimate charge
Next estimate charge shows the upcoming billing amount based on your current subscription plan and usage, giving you a preview of what you'll be charged in your next billing cycle.
Keep reading: View unpaid invoice
O
Offline message
An offline message is a preset reply that customers receive when no agents are available to respond in real time. It informs them that you're currently unavailable and may provide additional instructions or alternative contact methods.
Keep reading: Set up your account
Online article
An Online Article is a content page within your knowledge base. It provides helpful information, guides, or FAQs to assist customers, support your team and AI training.
Keep reading: Train AI effectively
Opened conversation
An opened conversation is one that is currently active. It remains available for new messages and ongoing interactions until it is resolved or closed by your team.
Keep reading: View chat report
Order
Order refers to a purchase made by the customer, including details like order ID, items bought, payment status, and delivery status.
Organization
The organization is the place where you and your teammates can create and manage all your chat channels. Each organization is independent and separate from the others. You can switch between organizations you were added to by clicking on your avatar icon.
Keep reading: Switch organizations
P
Page
A page in your Knowledge Base is an individual content piece or article that provides detailed information on a specific topic. It helps organize your knowledge and makes it easier for agents to find the exact information they need.
Keep reading: Add FAQs to AI Agent
Participated conversation
Participated conversation in team performance report counts the conversations in which your team or specific team member actively engages with customers. It provides insight into agent involvement and overall interaction levels in resolving inquiries.
Keep reading: View team performance report
Permissions
Permissions control what agents can access and manage within your organization. They determine which features, such as viewing chats, managing conversations, accessing billing details, and other sections, each agent is allowed to use.
Keep reading: Customize agent permission
Personality
This section controls how your AI sounds when it talks to people. You can decide whether it speaks in a fun way or a serious way, and how long its answers should be. It also helps the AI understand what your business is about.
Plan
A plan is your monthly subscription that provides the essential features and usage limits for your service. It is required and has a fixed price, distinct from optional add-ons that offer additional functionality.
Keep reading: View billing and pricing
R
Replies
Replies refer to the messages your team sends in response to customer inquiries. This metric helps track how actively your agents are engaging with customers during conversations.
Keep reading: View team performance report
Rule
A Rule is an automated setup designed to perform specific tasks automatically based on defined triggers and conditions. It streamlines repetitive actions and ensures consistent responses within your organization.
Keep reading: [Best automation workflow for business] (/common-rules)
S
Safe mode
Safe Mode is a setting that prevents the AI Agent from responding to sensitive topics or commands. It avoids discussions on subjects like politics, sexual content, gender issues, discrimination, hate speech, extremist views, violent content, or topics outside its training sources such as legal or medical advice. This helps to protect your brand from unauthorized information, and avoid wasting AI messages on conversations that are not relevant to your business purposes.
Keep reading: Advanced setting for AI Agent
Session
Sessions in Visitor Tracking is the period during which a visitor interacts with your website. It begins when they enter the site and ends when they leave or after 30 minutes of inactivity, helping you understand user engagement.
Keep reading: Track your visitors
Spam conversation
A spam conversation is one flagged by agents as containing unsolicited or irrelevant content. It is identified and separated from genuine customer inquiries to help your team focus on valid communications. When an agent marks a conversation as spam, they won't receive any future notifications for that specific conversation unless they reopen it.
Keep reading: Mark conversation as spam
T
Table Structure
This section helps the system understand how your file is organized, so it can read your data correctly.
Tone of Voice
This is how the AI speaks. You can make it sound more friendly or more formal depending on what fits your brand.
Topic
A topic is a tag that indicates the subject of a conversation. It can be assigned manually by an agent or automatically by the Workflow, allowing agents to quickly filter and access chats related to a specific subject.
Keep reading: Create conversation topic
Training
Training is the information you give the AI to help it understand your business. This could include things like your return policy, product details, or common customer questions. The AI uses this information to give smarter, more accurate suggestions.
Transfer to Human
When you turn this action on, it will create a trigger that detects when a customer asks to talk to a human. You can then create your own rules to handle that situation based on how your team works. This helps you keep things organized and make sure the right person gets involved at the right time.
Translation
Translation refers to the language displayed on the chat interface for your website visitors. If you add another language, the system will detect the visitor's browser language and show the corresponding translation automatically.
Keep reading: Set up multiple language
Track Delivery Status
It can check where a package is and if it’s been delivered.
Trigger
A trigger is an event that starts an automated process within a rule. It signals the system to check for conditions and execute the defined actions when that event occurs.
Keep reading: Automatically respond to customer
U
Unassign
Unassign means to remove a conversation from an agent's responsibility. This action makes the chat available for reassignment or for another agent to take over.
Keep reading: Collaborate in inbox
URL
URL is the web address link, such as a link to a product page, tracking page, or any external website.
V
Visitor
A Visitor is someone who comes to your website. Their interactions, like viewing pages or starting a chat are tracked, even if they don't leave personal information or chat with you before.
Keep reading: Engage website visitor
W
Webhook
Webhook is a way for Chative to automatically send notifications to an external system when a specific event such as customer information update occurs. It ensures that you are notified in real-time across different systems.
Keep reading: API and webhook
Welcome message
A welcome message is the initial greeting displayed to a customer when they start a chat. It invites them to engage with your business.
Keep reading: Customize greetings
Widget
Chat widget is the chat interface element embedded on your website, allowing visitors to initiate and engage in real-time conversations with your support team.
Keep reading: Customize live chat widget
Workflow
Workflow is an automation tool that lets you set up rules to handle repetitive tasks. By linking triggers, conditions, and actions, it automatically processes events, like routing chats or sending notifications, making your operations more efficient.
Keep reading: Set up automated rules
Working hours
Working hours are set on an agent's profile to indicate when they are available. This setting helps the system route chats to online agents and ensures that the inbox displays the correct local time for agents working in different time zones.
Keep reading: Set up your profile
If you come across any unclear terms, please reach out to our support team. We're happy to help clarify and may update our list based on your feedback.