Every chat lands in Live chat → Inbox. The sidebar badge counts chats that need a reply.
The inbox
Chats are grouped by status:
- Waiting: handed off and waiting for a person.
- Open: a person is in the chat.
- AI answering: the AI is handling it.
- Closed.
Filter by Assigned to, Started on, Rating, or Has an email, or search messages.
A conversation
Open a chat to see the whole conversation, where the visitor started, and their past conversations.
- Type in Write a reply... and click Send.
- Take over from AI stops the AI and puts you in the chat. Sending a reply while the AI is answering asks you to take over first.
- Assign the chat to yourself or a teammate.
- Close ends the chat. Reopen opens it again.
- Add to email contacts adds the visitor to your email list.
- Block visitor stops someone from chatting.
The page shows whether the visitor is still on your site.
Open and AI chats close on their own after 24 hours without activity. Waiting chats stay open until someone replies.
Hand-off
In AI, then a person mode, visitors can click Talk to a person at any time. The AI also offers a person when a visitor seems to want one, or when it couldn't answer. Depending on your settings, the visitor is asked for their name and email before you join.
In AI answers mode there's no hand-off. The AI points people to your contact page.
Notifications
When a visitor asks for a person or leaves a message, the people you chose in settings get:
- A notice in the bell in BrightSite.
- A pop-up with Open chat on whatever BrightSite page they're on.
- A sound and a browser notification, if desktop alerts are on.
These need BrightSite open in a browser. When a visitor leaves a message while nobody's online, the same people also get an email, if Email them about messages is on.
Messages left while you're away
Outside your hours, or when nobody's online, visitors fill in Leave a message with their name, email, and message. The message lands in the inbox, and you reply from there.
Visitors get your replies by email
If a visitor gave their email address and hasn't seen your reply on the site, they get it by email a couple of minutes later. The email comes from your business and has a Continue the chat link that reopens the chat on your site. The link works for 30 days.
Who can reply
Live chat has three permissions: view, reply, and manage. Members can view and reply. Viewers can only read. Admins can also change settings. See Roles and permissions.