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Live Chat

Live Chat allows your team to take over conversations when the AI needs human assistance. Seamlessly hand off from bot to human while preserving full context.

Enabling Live Chat

Requirements

Live Chat is available on:

  • Professional plan and above
  • Requires at least one team member with agent access

Configuration

  1. Go to your chatbot's settings
  2. Navigate to the Behavior tab
  3. Toggle Live Chat Enabled to on
  4. Configure handoff settings

Handoff Modes

ModeDescription
Handoff OnlyLive chat only when bot can't help
StandaloneVisitors can request live chat anytime
BothCombine automatic handoff and direct access

Agent Availability

Becoming Available

Agents can toggle their availability:

  1. Go to Live Chat in the sidebar
  2. Use the toggle at the top: "Available for Live Chat"
  3. When active, you'll receive incoming chat requests

Automatic Offline Detection

Agents are automatically set to offline when they:

  • Log out of ChatReact
  • Close the browser tab or the entire browser
  • Navigate away from the Live Chat page in the dashboard
  • Lose connection for an extended period

While the Live Chat page is open, ChatReact regularly checks that you're still reachable. If you stop responding, you're automatically marked as unavailable. This prevents "ghost agents" who appear online but are unreachable.

To stay available for incoming chats, keep the Live Chat page open in your dashboard. Moving to another dashboard page sets you offline.

If no agents are available, the bot will automatically suggest the handoff email address (configured in the Restrictions tab) instead of offering live chat. This prevents the frustrating experience of offering live chat that no one can answer.

Agent Status Indicator

The Live Chat page shows:

  • Number of agents currently online (updates in real-time)
  • Your personal availability status
  • How long each waiting visitor has been in the queue

Sound Notifications

A notification sound plays in the Live Chat dashboard when a new chat enters the queue and when a visitor message arrives in the open conversation. This helps agents respond quickly even when the dashboard tab is not in focus.

In-App & Email Notifications

In addition to the dashboard sound, agents receive notifications for live chat events:

  • New live chat request — sent to available agents when a visitor enters the queue
  • Chat assigned to you — sent to the agent who takes the chat

These are delivered immediately as in-app notifications and, depending on your preferences, by email. See Notifications for details.

Handling Chats

Queue Management

When visitors request live chat, they appear in the queue:

  1. View waiting visitors with their wait time
  2. See if it's a bot handoff (includes conversation context)
  3. Click Take Chat to accept a conversation

Taking Over a Chat

When you take a chat:

  1. You can see the previous bot conversation (if applicable)
  2. Visitor details: name and email (when provided)
  3. Start typing to respond

Conversation Flow

  • Type your message and press Enter or click Send
  • Visitor sees a system message: "[Name] has joined the chat"
  • Continue conversation in real-time
  • Use the Bot Context panel to see previous AI responses

Ending a Chat

  1. Click End Chat when the conversation is resolved
  2. Confirm the action
  3. Visitor sees a message that the chat has ended

Chats also end automatically when the visitor leaves the page or closes their browser. In that case, agents see a "Visitor has left the chat" system message and the chat is removed from the queue.

Handoff Triggers

ChatReact automatically suggests live chat handoff when:

Automatic Triggers

  • Bot says it can't answer the question
  • Visitor expresses frustration
  • Keywords like "speak to human", "real person", "agent"
  • A custom handoff instruction: define when the bot should hand off in the Human Handoff Trigger field (Restrictions tab)

Manual Triggers

  • Visitor clicks the Talk to a Human button (shown in Standalone and Both modes)
  • Visitor types a handoff phrase

Visitor Experience

When Agent is Available

  1. Bot suggests connecting to a human
  2. Visitor sees quick reply buttons: "Yes, connect me" / "No, thanks"
  3. If accepted, visitor enters queue
  4. Status updates: "Waiting for an agent..."
  5. Agent joins and conversation continues

When No Agent Available

When all agents are offline or unavailable:

  1. Bot response: Instead of offering live chat, the bot automatically suggests the configured handoff email address
  2. Email displayed: The bot mentions the email directly in its response (e.g., "You can email us at [email protected]")
  3. Continuously re-checked: Agent availability is checked on every message — as soon as an agent comes back online, the bot can offer live chat again
  4. Widget fallback: If a handoff was already in progress, the widget shows a styled email button with mailto: link

Make sure to configure the Human Handoff Email in your chatbot's Restrictions tab. This is the fallback address shown when no agents are available.

Team Coordination

Multiple Agents

  • All available agents see the queue
  • First agent to click "Take Chat" gets assigned
  • Prevents duplicate assignments

Chat Transfer (Coming Soon)

Transfer chats between agents while preserving context.

Best Practices

  1. Set realistic expectations: Only toggle yourself available when you can actually respond
  2. Monitor wait times: Don't let visitors wait too long
  3. Use bot context: Review what the AI already discussed
  4. End chats properly: Don't leave conversations hanging
  5. Follow up: Send satisfaction surveys after chats

Next Steps

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