No, chat is not asynchronous. It's a dialoge, it is synchronous.
If you want people to write "Hello, my problem is xxx" just close your chat box and ask for emails.
Moreover there are studies showing that if people socialize and get to know each other a bit before working together, there are more chances to collaborate and to reduce conflicts.
Moreover there are studies showing that if people socialize and get to know each other a bit before working together, there are more chances to collaborate and to reduce conflicts.