Call Us, Text Us and Live Chat in One Widget on Your Own Number

If you already run Twilio or Telnyx for numbers, texting and calls, the last thing you need is another vendor that wants you to port numbers, rent their seats, and treat your carrier account like something you left behind. You need website chat that sits on top of the account you already trust.

This post is the bring-your-own-carrier story and the how-it-fits guide. The product tour lives at Website Chat, and the step-by-step docs at /docs/website-chat.

Why "own carrier" chat matters

Most website chat tools assume they own the relationship. Fine if you want an all-in-one. Awkward if you have already invested in Twilio or Telnyx numbers, texting registration, and a shared inbox your team actually uses.

• You keep your Twilio or Telnyx account and numbers.
• TelBuddy connects as software on top, the same model as the shared inbox and the phone tools.
• You do not stand up a second chat company beside the carrier account you already pay.
• Billing stays clear: a flat software fee to TelBuddy, and carrier usage on your Twilio or Telnyx bill at their rates. Chat itself uses no carrier minutes or texts.

Website Chat takes that model to the website itself. Same workspace, same team, same saved replies. A conversation on the page instead of "please email us from the footer".

What you install

No chat backend to build in the Twilio Console or the Telnyx portal. In TelBuddy, open System Manager, then Widgets, switch chat on, copy one line of code, and paste it before </body> on your site.

1. Connect your carrier.

   Connect Twilio or Telnyx and sync a number if you have not already (Twilio, Telnyx).

2. Switch chat on.

   Choose who answers, the look, and what the contact form asks for. A live preview shows each change.

3. Paste the code.

   One script tag, the same one that shows Call Us and Text Us.

4. Preview.

   "Preview on a test page" loads your real widget so you can send yourself a chat.

Full steps, website builder notes and troubleshooting: Install the Website Chat widget.

Who answers, in your order

Every chat is answered by a teammate, the AI, or the contact form. One setting, Who answers, sets the order:

Live teammate chat. Anyone with "I'm available for chats" on answers from the Web chats page. Visitors see your first name, and typing dots on both sides show a reply is coming.

AI from the knowledge base. The assistant you pick replies with its own instructions and the knowledge you trained: URLs, PDFs and short snippets. See AI Knowledge. Each AI reply uses one message from the same optional AI allowance as your other TelBuddy AI; see pricing.

Contact form. Name, plus a phone number, an email or both (your choice), and a note. The lead shows on Web chats as a waiting lead (not in the texting inbox), is emailed to your alert list, and can push to your phone.

More: Who answers: live, AI or contact form.

AI knowledge, with honest edges

AI chat is only as good as what you trained. Point it at pricing, hours, service area, FAQs and what you do not do. Skip dumping your whole blog archive in on day one. When nothing matches, a good assistant says so instead of inventing a price.

Two things people mix up:

• Knowledge base PDFs you upload to train the AI.
• Visitor photos in the chat, up to 8 MB. Visitors cannot send PDFs or other files in chat.

When the human is late

Live chat without a safety net means a visitor staring at a quiet bubble. You choose a wait of 1, 2, 3 or 5 minutes. If nobody replies in time, the AI takes over the same chat, or the visitor is asked for their details. Your team sees a Waiting timer on each chat, which turns into "AI answers in 0:18" near the end. Details: When nobody answers.

The team side

• Photos both ways, up to 8 MB. Photos and saved replies.
• Saved replies shared with the texting inbox. Type /hours to drop one in. Message templates.
• Typing indicators for visitors and teammates, including which teammate is already replying.
• Push you control: live chats, AI chats and leads, each on its own switch. Typing and notifications, Mobile app.
• End, transfer, email a copy. Finish a chat, pass it to a teammate, or email the visitor the conversation (only to an address they gave you). Team tools.

None of it needs a softphone. Chat is chat.

Your look, only on your sites

Pick a color, a title and a logo, and whether the bubble opens the Call / Text / Chat menu or goes straight into the chat. Then list your websites and switch on Only these websites, so nobody else can load your chat or use your AI messages. Security: site key and allowed websites.

Chat, Call Us and Text Us

TelBuddy has long had Call Us and Text Us buttons that open a call or a text to your number. That story is in I put a Text Us button on my website. Chat with us now sits beside them in the same widget. They do different jobs:

• Want a conversation on the page? Chat with us.
• Want one tap to phone or text your number? Call Us / Text Us.
• Want team texting for people who already message your number? The shared team inbox.

How it fits beside texting and calls

Website Chat does not replace the shared inbox: texts to your numbers still land there. It is for people already on your site who should not have to dig up your phone number to ask a question. It does not change call routing either; queues, phone menus, voicemail and the optional AI receptionist keep their own settings. Building the full setup? See call queues, phone menus and AI knowledge.

A simple rollout plan

1. Train a small, accurate knowledge base.
2. Switch chat on with Teammates only and test it from the preview page.
3. Try the contact form, then the AI, with one teammate watching.
4. Move to Automatic once the AI's answers look right.
5. Set push: live chats for whoever covers chat, leads for everyone else.
6. Paste the code on your contact and pricing pages first, then sitewide.
7. Turn on Only these websites.

What it does not do

• No Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp messages in the inbox.
• No video or co-browsing.
• No PDFs or other files from visitors (photos up to 8 MB only).
• No softphone.

Put chat on the carrier account you already run

If your website is where interest shows up, meet people there without leaving Twilio or Telnyx. Switch chat on, paste one script, choose who answers, and keep the rest of TelBuddy for texting and calls.

Explore Website Chat · Read the docs · See pricing