Live Chat Guide
Learn how to manage real-time live chat sessions with customers, assign agents, track performance, and configure settings.
Overview
The Live Chat system enables real-time communication between your customers and support agents. Customers can request to speak with a human agent directly from the chatbot, and agents can manage multiple chat sessions simultaneously. The system includes WebSocket-based real-time messaging, session management, agent availability tracking, analytics, and comprehensive settings.
💡 Real-time Communication: All messages are delivered instantly via WebSocket connections, ensuring customers and agents can communicate in real-time without page refreshes.
Key Features
Active Sessions
View and manage all active live chat sessions. See pending, waiting, and active sessions with customer information, priority levels, and wait times.
Agent Management
Control your availability status (Available, Busy, Away, Offline) and set your capacity for handling concurrent sessions. View all available agents and their current status.
Session History
Access complete history of all past live chat sessions. Review conversations, customer information, and session details for analysis and follow-up.
Analytics & Insights
Track session metrics, average wait times, response times, agent performance, queue statistics, and daily trends to optimize your support operations.
Advanced Settings
Configure business hours, after-hours messages, auto-assignment rules, queue management, and notification preferences.
Real-time Updates
Receive instant notifications for new sessions, messages, and status changes. Browser notifications keep you informed even when the tab is not active.
Session Management
Session Status
- • Pending: Customer has requested a chat but no agent has joined yet
- • Waiting: Customer is waiting in queue for an available agent
- • Active: An agent has joined and the conversation is ongoing
- • Ended: Session has been closed by agent or customer
Priority Levels
- • Low: Standard priority, normal handling
- • Normal: Default priority for most sessions
- • High: Important sessions requiring prompt attention
- • Urgent: Critical sessions requiring immediate response
Session Actions
- • Assign Agent: Manually assign a session to a specific agent
- • End Session: Close a session when the conversation is complete
- • View Customer Info: Access customer details, conversation history, and context
- • Add Notes: Add internal notes about the session for future reference
- • Add Tags: Organize sessions with custom tags for filtering and reporting
Chat Window Features
Messaging
- • Send text messages in real-time
- • Upload and share images and files with customers
- • See typing indicators when customer is typing
- • View message timestamps and read status
- • Use quick replies for common responses
Session Details
- • View customer information and contact details
- • See conversation history and context
- • Access related tickets and leads
- • View session metadata (duration, wait time, etc.)
Organization Tools
- • Add and manage session notes
- • Create and apply custom tags
- • Assign sessions to other agents
- • Transfer sessions between agents
Agent Availability
Status Options
- • Available: Ready to accept new chat sessions
- • Busy: Currently handling sessions but can take more if needed
- • Away: Temporarily unavailable but may return soon
- • Offline: Not available for chat sessions
Capacity Management
Set your maximum concurrent session capacity. The system will automatically assign you new sessions based on your availability status and current load, up to your capacity limit.
Analytics & Reporting
Key Metrics
- • Total sessions and active sessions count
- • Average wait time before agent joins
- • Average first response time
- • Average session duration
- • Queue statistics (wait times, queue length)
- • Customer satisfaction ratings
- • Agent performance metrics
Reports
- • Daily session trends and patterns
- • Sessions by priority and status
- • Top performing agents
- • Message volume statistics
Settings & Configuration
Business Hours
Configure your business hours for each day of the week. Set specific start and end times, and choose which days live chat is available. Customers will see appropriate messages outside business hours.
After-Hours Messages
Set custom messages for customers who request chat outside business hours. Enable auto-reply to automatically respond to after-hours requests.
Auto-Assignment
Configure automatic session assignment strategies:
- • Round Robin: Distribute sessions evenly among available agents
- • Least Busy: Assign to agent with fewest active sessions
- • Priority Based: Consider session priority when assigning
Queue Management
Set maximum wait times, queue position display, and estimated wait time calculations. Configure how customers see their position in the queue.
Notifications
Control when and how you receive notifications for new sessions, messages, and important events. Enable browser notifications for real-time alerts.
💡 Pro Tips
- Set your availability status accurately to help the system route sessions efficiently
- Use quick replies to respond faster to common questions
- Add notes and tags to sessions for better organization and follow-up
- Monitor analytics regularly to identify peak times and optimize agent scheduling
- Configure business hours to manage customer expectations and reduce after-hours requests
- Enable browser notifications to stay informed about new sessions even when the tab is not active
- Use the customer sidebar to view conversation history and context before responding