Identity in customer service chat interaction: Implications for virtual reference

This article discusses the construction and representation of identity in an online dyadic customer service chat setting, using a data set of more than 6000 session transcriptions. The analysis explores the use of names and other markers of identity in chat interactions; assumptions about generic, group, and individual identities; authentication and verification activities; and problems related to identity construction, representation, and authentication. The article concludes that providing a satisfactory virtual reference experience requires focusing on identity representation. Users will benefit when providers balance the expediency of virtual reference with persistent identity markers, establishing a sense of rapport between the user and information provider.