What It Does #
Live Chat covers handing a chat from the AI to a human agent and the settings that control when agents are available. You configure live chat agents, business hours (per day and timezone), and how long to wait before switching the conversation back to the AI when no agent replies. Agents take over and reply from the Unified Inbox. You can also offer one-click handover links (e.g. to WhatsApp, Messenger, or phone) in the chatbot. The Dashboard “Getting Started” checklist links here for “Configure business hours.” Full Live Chat settings require Helpmate Pro.
Requirements #
- Helpmate Pro — Full Live Chat settings (business hours, agents, switch-to-AI) and manual reply typically require Pro. On free tier you may see an upgrade prompt.
- Unified Inbox — Where you take over and reply as a human.
Where to Configure #
Go to Helpmate → Channels → Live Chat for agents, business hours, and switch-to-AI. Reply to conversations in Helpmate → Inbox (Live Chat view).
Taking Over a Conversation #
- Go to Helpmate → Inbox.
- Open a conversation (e.g. from Live Chat, Chatbot, or Social Messages).
- Use the option to take over or reply as human (e.g. “Take over” or reply in the composer). The conversation may be marked as human handoff so the bot does not auto-reply.
- Type and send your reply. The customer sees your message as from a human agent.
Live Chat Agents #
Add team members as Live Chat Agents so they can handle live chats in the Inbox. Use Add Live Chat Agent to assign the live_chat_agent role; remove an agent with the trash action. Agents see and reply to live chat conversations from Helpmate → Inbox (Live Chat view).
Business Hours #
- Use business hours — When ON, live agents are considered available only during the configured hours; outside these hours the widget can offer a support ticket or other fallback. When OFF, agents are always considered available.
- Timezone — Select the timezone for business hours (or use site timezone from WordPress Settings → General).
- Per day — For each day (Monday–Sunday) enable or disable and set start and end time (e.g. 09:00–17:00).
Save after making changes.
Switch to AI When No Human Reply #
Choose how long to wait with no agent reply before the chat switches back to the AI. Options include Never, 5 min, 10 min, 15 min, 30 min, 1h, 2h, 6h, 12h, 24h. This avoids leaving the customer with an unanswered thread when no agent is available.
Summary #
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Where to configure | Helpmate → Channels → Live Chat |
| Where to reply as human | Helpmate → Inbox; take over and type in the composer |
| Pro required | Yes for full settings |
| Settings | Live chat agents, business hours (per day, timezone), switch-to-AI timeout |
| Getting Started | Dashboard checklist “Configure business hours” links here |
Related: Unified Inbox · Ticket System
