I have been fielding customer chats for ~4 years @harmonizehq
Quick thread on my "key learning" for dealing with customers of a SaaS product. Most customers we deal with tech enabled companies in the SMB segment from North America & Europe, but i think the lesson is generic.

The most important skill while fielding chat, is working with unhappy customers. You don't have time to think and react so having a framework is important.
Your goto skill has to be something called the "Empathy Reflex".

Empathy Reflex is a combination of two things -> labeling emotions of the other person and guessing where the emotions come from. It is a reflex because you need to make it your default behavior. Like a reflex action, you need to bring it out as soon as you sense frustration.

Other reactions will crop up, like wanting to explain, clarify, suggest.. hold back. Connect by displaying empathy.

When a user is frustrated with a confusing UX, don't clarify. Try this instead. "I can notice you are frustrated because the interaction was quite confusing..."

Empathy Reflex works well in real life too. When your wife calls you frustrated from the store saying she forgot to bring her purse, don't say she should have been careful.

Say 'you sound tired because of all the shopping and calling me would be the last thing on your mind..'

With practice, empathy reflex will become your goto reaction when you encounter people overwhelmed with emotions.
Hearing people get your emotions is extremely empowering as you feel heard & understood. It has a calming effect & helps reset frame of mind to problem solving mode.