What is welcome message?

A welcome message, or greeting, is the first message a chat widget shows before the visitor has typed anything. It is the agent's opening line and the first thing a visitor reads about what the chat is for. The best ones say in one or two sentences what the agent can do, in the agent's own voice, and invite a question: "Hi, I can check orders, explain our plans and book a call. What can I help with?"

It matters more than its length suggests. A greeting sets expectations that shape the whole conversation: a visitor told the agent can check orders asks about orders; a visitor greeted with "How can we help?" asks anything, including things the content cannot answer, and meets the fallback message first. The greeting is also where AI disclosure belongs, since laws in the EU and several US states require telling people they are talking to an AI in some situations. "Hi, I'm Acme's AI assistant" does it in five words.

Where it runs out: a greeting cannot carry a policy or a form, and the longer it is, the less of it gets read. It is shown to everyone, so it should not assume the visitor's problem. Pair it with suggested questions for the three things the agent does best, and change both when the content changes. Products differ on whether the greeting counts as an AI reply for billing; most do not count it, but check before sizing a plan.