# Messaging and voice channel options compared

*Agentforce Service Consultant Study Guide · Intake and Interaction Channels · Last updated October 15, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/agentforce-service-consultant/intake-and-interaction-channels/messaging-and-voice-channel-options-compared*

Which conversational channel meets which business goal: Enhanced Chat (formerly Messaging for In-App and Web) versus retired legacy Chat, Enhanced Chat v2 for agentic use, WhatsApp, SMS, Messenger, Apple Messages and Partner Messaging, and the four voice telephony models including Agentforce Contact Center Voice.

- Certification: Salesforce Agentforce Service Consultant
- Exam section: Intake and Interaction Channels
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/agentforce-service-consultant

**Official exam objective:**

> Given a set of business goals, discuss the use cases and functionality for proposed interaction channels.

## What the exam expects

- Recommend Enhanced Chat (formerly Messaging for In-App and Web) over legacy Chat when customers must pause and resume a conversation across tabs and devices.
- Explain the legacy Chat retirement and how to plan a migration.
- Know when Enhanced Chat v2 is the answer (agentic, multimodal web chat).
- Match WhatsApp, SMS, Facebook Messenger, Apple Messages for Business, LINE and Partner Messaging to where customers already are.
- Choose a voice telephony model from the customer's provider, setup appetite and billing preference.
- Build a channel mix where an AI agent answers routine requests and Omni-Channel Flow hands the rest to reps.

Key terms: **Enhanced Chat** (asynchronous, persistent web and in-app messaging); **legacy Chat** (LiveAgent, Salesforce Chat, Embedded Chat, Service Chat); **Partner Messaging** (formerly Bring Your Own Channel for Messaging); **Partner Contact Center** (formerly Service Cloud Voice, voice with a third-party provider); **Agentforce Contact Center Voice** (Salesforce's own telephony).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rename | Messaging for In-App and Web became Enhanced Chat from June 2025 | [Replace Legacy Chat](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.miaw_replacing_chat_considerations.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Legacy Chat end of support | February 14, 2026; provided as-is with no SLA | [Chat End of Support](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=001790618&language=en_US&type=1) |
| Legacy Chat and AI | Standard bots only; no AI agents | [Replace Legacy Chat](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.miaw_replacing_chat_considerations.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Migration sizing | Chat Transition Readiness Report (managed package) | [Assess Your Readiness](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.miaw_chat_readiness_report.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Enhanced Chat v2 | Web only, optional upgrade, agentic and multimodal | [What's Enhanced Chat v2?](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.enhanced_chat_v2_intro.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Partner Messaging | Formerly Bring Your Own Channel for Messaging | [Partner Messaging](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.partner_messaging_map.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Rep-started sessions | Not on Enhanced Web Chat; yes on WhatsApp and SMS | [Compare Messaging Channel Capabilities](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.livemessage_managed_package_lex_differences.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Partner Contact Center Voice | Managed package integration, separate bills | [Choose Your Voice Telephony Model](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.voice_telephony_models.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Agentforce Contact Center Voice | Salesforce Go setup, single bill, voice AI agents | [Choose Your Voice Telephony Model](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.voice_telephony_models.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |

## Check yourself

- Why can't an Agentforce Service agent be added to a legacy Chat deployment?
- When is Partner Contact Center Voice the right telephony model?
- Which channel connects a company's in-house messaging platform to the Service Console?
- When would you recommend Enhanced Chat v2 over v1?

## Sources

- [What's Enhanced Chat?](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.reimagine_miaw.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Replace Legacy Chat with Enhanced Chat](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.miaw_replacing_chat_considerations.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Chat & Live Agent End of Support and Retirement](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=001790618&language=en_US&type=1)
- [Compare Enhanced Chat Capabilities to Legacy Chat Capabilities](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.miaw_chat_vs_messaging.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Assess Your Readiness to Transition to Enhanced Chat](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.miaw_chat_readiness_report.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [What's Enhanced Chat v2?](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.enhanced_chat_v2_intro.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Compare Enhanced Chat v1 to Enhanced Chat v2](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.enhanced_chat_feature_comparison.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [What's Messaging?](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.messaging_introduction.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Compare Messaging Channel Capabilities](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.livemessage_managed_package_lex_differences.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Partner Messaging](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.partner_messaging_map.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Choose Your Voice Telephony Model](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.voice_telephony_models.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Offer Native Phone Support with Agentforce Contact Center](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.afcc_sv_salesforce_voice.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Bring Your Own Carrier to Agentforce Contact Center](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.afcc_sv_byocarrier.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Explore the Benefits and Features of Voice Integration](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/service-cloud-voice/service-voice-learn)
- [Get to Know Agentforce Service Agent](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.bots_service_asa_about.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Agentforce Service Agent](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=service.service_agent_overview.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [Plan for Enhanced Chat](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.planning_checklist.htm&language=en_US&type=5)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 10 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Agentforce Service Consultant pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams