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When nobody answers
A live chat should never leave a visitor waiting forever. When a teammate looked available but nobody replies in time, TelBuddy steps in.
Overview: Website Chat docs · Settings: Who answers
How it works
- A visitor writes while a teammate is available, so the chat is live.
- Nobody replies.
- After the wait you set (If nobody replies within: 1, 2, 3 or 5 minutes; 2 by default):
- with Automatic, the AI takes over the same chat and replies from your knowledge base, if the AI add-on is active and it can answer;
- otherwise (or with Teammates only), the visitor sees "Sorry for the wait!" and the contact form.
The visitor never has to start again. If a teammate replies later, the chat is theirs again.
Seeing it coming
On the Web chats page, a chat the visitor wrote last shows a red Waiting 1:42 timer. In the last minute before the AI steps in, it turns purple: AI answers in 0:18.
What it is not
- Not a formal hand-off between people. To pass a chat to a teammate, use Transfer. See team tools.
- Not a way to turn off a slow teammate. It only fires for the chat that waited.
Testing it
- Set the wait to 1 minute and save.
- Switch I'm available for chats on, then send a chat from Preview on a test page.
- Do not reply. After a minute, the AI answers (or the contact form shows).
- Put the wait back to what suits your team.
Notifications
People who keep Include chats the AI is handling off are not pushed about chats the AI is answering. See typing and notifications.