--- title: "Hire remote live chat agent staff" description: "Hire a dedicated remote live chat agent who works your hours: scope, skills, tools, sample day, cost benchmarks and how we vet live chat agents." url: https://assistbpo.com/roles/live-chat-agent/ updated: 2026-09-20 publisher: AssistBPO (SS Support Network LLC) language: en-US --- # Hire remote live chat agent staff Hire a remote live chat agent from AssistBPO and website visitors get a real person in seconds, not a bot loop. One named, employed agent staffs your Intercom, Zendesk, Gorgias or HubSpot chat during your hours, answers pre-sales and support questions in your voice, captures leads and hands off cleanly. [Hire a remote live chat agent](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/?persona=role&desk=customer-support) [Book a 20-minute call](https://assistbpo.com/book-a-call/) A trained backup and a team lead sit behind them. In short - A real person on your website chat within seconds, in your hours - Pre-sales questions, support answers and lead capture in one seat - Named agent plus backup and team lead; chats scored monthly **Desk** : [Customer support desk](https://assistbpo.com/services/desks/customer-support/) **Occupation code** : 43-4051.00 Customer Service Representatives **Works in** : 8 platforms you already run Updated September 2026 · Reviewed by [Issabela Masters](https://assistbpo.com/team/issabela-masters/) ## What does a remote live chat agent do? An AssistBPO live chat agent works a standing brief of 9 duties, and anything on it can be added or dropped in the weekly review. 1. Answer inbound website and in-app chats within your target response time 2. Handle several conversations at once without letting any go quiet 3. Answer pre-sales questions from the product sheet and pricing page rules you set 4. Qualify and capture leads with the fields your CRM needs, then route them 5. Resolve common support questions using macros and the knowledge base 6. Convert chats into tickets or bookings when the issue needs more time 7. Send proactive chat prompts on pages you choose, such as pricing or checkout 8. Keep saved replies and chat flows current as offers and products change 9. Log chat outcomes and report on volumes, conversion and satisfaction weekly ## What skills and tools does a remote live chat agent need? The 7 skills below are the ones AssistBPO screens for, and the live chat agent works them inside 8 platforms you already run. - Fast, accurate typing with a friendly written voice - Handling three or more concurrent chats without errors - Product and pricing knowledge applied consistently - Lead qualification instincts: knows when to ask and when to book - Calm, clear writing for frustrated visitors - Chat platform fluency: routing, tags, saved replies, handoffs - Judgment on when to move a chat to email, phone or a ticket ## Tools this role works in - [Intercom](https://assistbpo.com/software/intercom/) - [Zendesk](https://assistbpo.com/software/zendesk/) - [Gorgias](https://assistbpo.com/software/gorgias/) - [HubSpot](https://assistbpo.com/software/hubspot/) - [Freshdesk](https://assistbpo.com/software/freshdesk/) - [Shopify](https://assistbpo.com/software/shopify/) - [Calendly](https://assistbpo.com/software/calendly/) - [Slack](https://assistbpo.com/software/slack/) [See all 80 tools we work in](https://assistbpo.com/software/) ## A sample day, in your time zone 1. 9:00 Shift opens in your time zone: chat widget set to available, overnight missed chats answered by email 2. 9:30 Pricing-page visitor qualified in a 6-minute chat, demo booked in Calendly, lead logged in HubSpot 3. 11:00 Four concurrent chats: two order questions, one discount code, one login issue converted to a ticket 4. 12:30 Proactive prompt on the checkout page recovers two abandoned carts 5. 14:00 Saved replies updated for the new shipping policy; chat flow tested on mobile 6. 15:30 Frustrated visitor about a late refund de-escalated, refund traced, timeline confirmed in writing 7. 17:00 Chat set to away with the after-hours form live; report sent: 71 chats, 38 seconds median first reply, 5 leads, 2 bookings Times are illustrative. Your shift is fixed to your opening hours during onboarding. ## Hours and models Models - Dedicated live chat agent, 160 or 80 hours a month - Chat pod of 3 to 10 agents with a lead for high-traffic sites - 24/7 chat coverage add-on Coverage Fixed shifts in US, UK and Canadian hours from the group's two offices; evenings and weekends through the 24/7 pod. AEST shifts on request. ## What are the terms for a remote live chat agent? The card, the contract terms and this role's own schedule and screening, in one place. | Specification | What you get | | --- | --- | | Focus, 20 hours a week | $800 a month, 80 hours | | Dedicated, 40 hours a week | $1,600 a month, 160 hours | | Managed Pod, three seats or more | From $4,800 a month | | Standard schedule | Dedicated live chat agent, 160 or 80 hours a month | | Coverage | Fixed shifts in US, UK and Canadian hours from the group's two offices; evenings and weekends through the 24/7 pod. | | Screening | 5 gates, named candidate within 72 hours | | Setup fee | None | | Minimum term | Month to month, no lock-in | | Notice | 30 days, to stop or to change hours | | If the fit is wrong | Trained backup covers the desk the same day, re-match at no charge | | Continuity | One named assistant, one named backup, one team lead | | Who does the work | Employed by SS Support Network LLC, never freelancers or contractors | These are rate-card starting points. What you pay depends on the hours, the desk and the coverage window, which is what the staffing plan sets. Rates improve as you add assistants. Your staffing plan states the rate for the number of seats you need. [The rate card](https://assistbpo.com/pricing/) carries the other currencies, the add-ons and the six things that move a plan off it. ## How much does it cost to hire a remote live chat agent? Plans start at $400 a month for 40 hours, at $10 an hour, and rates improve as you add assistants. Get a staffing plan within 1 business day. ### What moves the plan 1. Hours a week and whether the role is dedicated or shared 2. Seniority and the tools involved 3. Coverage zone: business hours, after-hours or 24/7 4. One person or a pod with a lead ### What the market publishes Other providers' published ranges, by market, so you have something to hold this against. These are not AssistBPO prices. | Market | Published range | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | United States | Managed remote support staff $640 to $2,400 a month full-time; part-time 20 hours a week $350 to $1,300 a month; Indeed average $27.15 an hour for virtual assistants | Wishup, Cherry Assistant and VantaStaff pricing; Indeed via Wishup, 2026 | | United Kingdom | UK virtual assistant agencies around £28 an hour, or £1,680 for a 60-hour block with rollover; employed average £15.33 an hour | Virtalent published pricing and PayScale UK, 2026 | | Canada | Canada-based remote support and admin staff C$25 to C$60 an hour; managed offshore plans US$699 to US$899 a month | Virtual Gurus and VantaStaff published pricing, 2026 | [Hire a remote live chat agent](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/?persona=role&desk=customer-support) [How we build a plan](https://assistbpo.com/pricing/) ## How are remote live chat agents vetted? 5 gates, in order. A candidate who fails one does not reach the next. 1. English and phone assessment 2. Typing and tool tests 3. Background check 4. NDA and security onboarding 5. Shadowing and QA scorecard Candidates who clear all 5 gates are proposed to you by name within 72 hours. 1. Chat candidates run a simulated 20-minute session with three concurrent conversations: a buyer comparing plans, a customer who cannot log in and a visitor who is rude. We score speed, accuracy, tone and whether each chat ended with a clear outcome. A short call confirms spoken English for handoffs to your team. 2. Typing at 60 words a minute or better with 98 percent accuracy, since chat lives on speed. Then a practical in an Intercom or Zendesk chat sandbox: tag, route, use saved replies, convert a chat to a ticket, book a meeting from inside the conversation and capture a lead with complete fields. 3. A third-party screening provider verifies identity, employment history and criminal record where lawful. Because chat agents see customer accounts and order data, references from two former supervisors are asked about data handling and honesty. 4. Group NDA plus your confidentiality terms, followed by security onboarding: MFA, managed devices, no copying of chat transcripts outside your platform, never requesting passwords or full card numbers in chat, and escalation paths for suspicious visitors. 5. A week watching a live chat desk and reading its best transcripts, then a week on your widget with a senior reading along in real time. After go-live the team lead reviews a monthly sample of transcripts for first-reply time, accuracy, tone and outcome, and shares the QA scorecard in the weekly review. The full pipeline is on the [how we hire and manage assistants](https://assistbpo.com/how-we-hire/) page. Assistants are employees of the group, never freelancers, and you never co-employ them. ## Services this role delivers - [Live chat outsourcing](https://assistbpo.com/services/live-chat-support/) - [Customer support outsourcing](https://assistbpo.com/services/customer-support-outsourcing/) - [24/7 customer support outsourcing](https://assistbpo.com/services/24-7-support/) ## Frequently asked questions ### How much does it cost to hire a remote live chat agent? Plans depend on hours, desks and coverage. Get a staffing plan within 1 business day. For orientation, managed remote support staff are published at $640 to $2,400 a month full-time and $350 to $1,300 a month for 20 hours a week, while Indeed's US average for virtual assistants is $27.15 an hour (Wishup, Cherry Assistant and VantaStaff, 2026). AssistBPO prices a dedicated chat agent per person for a block of hours, with pods for sites that need several seats. ### Is it the same person every day? Yes. One named agent staffs your chat, learns your products, offers and objections, and writes the saved replies. A backup agent trained on your account covers leave and breaks, and a team lead reviews transcripts weekly. On a pod, the roster is fixed, so the voice on your chat stays consistent across shifts and your saved replies stay in one style. ### What hours will the chat agent cover? Your peak traffic hours. A 160-hour plan covers a full shift in your time zone, often 9am to 6pm where your customers are; an 80-hour plan can cover the busiest half of the day. If you want the widget live overnight and at weekends, the 24/7 pod adds follow-the-sun shifts with a shared transcript history. Outside staffed hours the widget switches to an offline form the agent answers first thing. ### How are chat agents vetted? Through a simulated three-chat session that tests speed, tone and outcomes, a 60 words a minute typing test with a chat-platform practical, a third-party background check with supervisor references, an NDA with chat-specific security onboarding, and two weeks of shadowing and real-time review before working alone. The team lead then scores a monthly sample of transcripts on the QA scorecard. ### Is the chat agent an employee or a contractor? An employee of the group. Chat agents are on our payroll, work from our managed devices and report to our team leads, with HR and security policies behind them. You set the hours, the voice and the rules; you never co-employ or contract. Employed agents build product knowledge that stays on your account, and the backup and team lead are part of the same team. ### Can the chat agent sell, or only support? Both, within the rules you set. Many clients use chat as their first sales conversation: the agent answers plan and pricing questions from your approved sheet, qualifies the visitor, and books a demo or applies a discount code you have authorized. Anything beyond the sheet is handed to your sales team with a full transcript. Support and sales outcomes are reported separately each week. ### How many chats can one agent handle? Three to four concurrent chats is the working standard for a trained agent without response times slipping, which usually covers a site receiving 60 to 90 chats a shift. Above that, or where chats are long and technical, we add a second seat or a pod with a lead. During the discovery call we look at your current chat volume by hour and recommend the smallest team that keeps first replies under a minute. ## Related roles Customer support ### Customer support agent Dedicated support agent - Clear written English that explains without condescending - Product curiosity: learns features, limits and workarounds quickly - Structured troubleshooting and clean bug reports Works in Hire a remote customer support agent [Customer support agent](https://assistbpo.com/roles/customer-support-agent/) Customer support ### Customer service representative Dedicated customer service representative - Patient, clear phone manner with de-escalation habits - Plain written English for email and ticket replies - Fast navigation of order, billing and account systems Works in Hire a remote customer service representative [Customer service representative](https://assistbpo.com/roles/customer-service-representative/) Sales & lead gen ### Appointment setter Dedicated appointment setter - Confident, natural phone voice that does not sound like a script - Fast, respectful objection handling - Discipline on consent, calling hours and do-not-call rules Works in Hire a remote appointment setter [Appointment setter](https://assistbpo.com/roles/appointment-setter/) Hire this role Tell us the hours and tools. A named live chat agent is proposed within 72 hours. [Hire a remote live chat agent](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/?persona=role&desk=customer-support)[Book a 20-minute call](https://assistbpo.com/book-a-call/) Read before you hire - [Delegating customer service without losing customers: a 30-day plan](https://assistbpo.com/resources/delegating-customer-service-without-losing-customers-a-30-day-plan/) - [How to onboard a virtual assistant in 72 hours (checklist)](https://assistbpo.com/resources/how-to-onboard-a-virtual-assistant-in-72-hours-checklist/) - [All guides](https://assistbpo.com/resources/) Not a job listing This page describes the role we deliver to clients. Looking to work with us? See [careers](https://assistbpo.com/careers/). Next step ## Your desk, staffed. Wherever you are. Tell us what is overloaded. A named person replies within 1 business day with a staffing plan, and we propose your assistant within 72 hours. [Hire a remote live chat agent](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/?persona=role&desk=customer-support) [Book a 20-minute call](https://assistbpo.com/book-a-call/) Or call [+1-657-777-0006](tel:+16577770006) during US, UK or Australian business hours, or [hear our demo receptionist](https://assistbpo.com/demo-line/). - A named assistant proposed within 72 hours - Employed, screened and managed staff, never freelancers - Your hours, your tools, your data --- Source: https://assistbpo.com/roles/live-chat-agent/ · Contact: https://assistbpo.com/contact/ · Full site map for agents: https://assistbpo.com/llms.txt