What is verified visitor?

A verified visitor is a chat visitor who has proved control of an email address in the current session, usually by typing a one-time code sent to that inbox. Chats start anonymous: the widget knows a browser, not a person. Verification attaches an identity to the session, so the agent and the team can treat the visitor as a known customer for the rest of it.

It matters because some things an agent could do are only safe for the right person: recalling past meetings, showing account details, emailing a transcript, pre-filling a booking. Without verification, anyone who types a customer's email could see what that customer is owed. Verification is also what separates a lead the visitor confirmed from an address they merely typed, which changes how much your CRM should trust it.

Where definitions split: verifying an email proves control of an inbox, not identity in a legal sense and not the right to an account; a shared inbox verifies for everyone who can read it. Products differ on whether verification is forced before chat, offered when useful or never offered, and on what it gates. Where it runs out: verification lasts as long as the session, so a visitor who returns next week is anonymous again until they verify once more. The chatbot verification post covers when to require it and when an order number is enough.