Chat and Email are two communication medias that were created along with the internet. The main difference between the two is with the speed that they occur.

Chat is like having an actual conversation where one party says something and expects a reply in a couple of seconds. Email is more like sending ordinary snail mail where you write something and send it but expect a reply in anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

Another difference is that most often all outgoing and incoming email are stored both that your mailer and server where Chat communications are not stored in servers.

People are moving more toward chat now days than email. Does your company have chat system implemented?