Tidio's live chat conversation panel empowers you to engage with your website visitors in real-time to provide exceptional customer support. In this article, we will guide you through the functionalities of Tidio's conversation panel, helping you become an expert in live chatting. 

 

In this article, you'll learn:

Silent walkthrough. Join a live conversation, send a reply with an attachment, add a customer tag, inspect customer details and transcript options, and solve the chat.

 

 

Accessing conversations

 

To access the Tidio conversation panel, click on the Inbox icon in the top-left corner of the Tidio menu bar. This will open up the Inbox section, where you can engage with the users who are messaging you:

 

The Inbox with "Unassigned" selected under "Live conversations" and a new visitor message asking for help.

 

 

To learn more about the Inbox in the general, please see this detailed guide.

 

All new, unassigned conversations will be visible in the Unassigned folder in the Live Conversations section. You can also enable the automatic assignment feature if you wish the chats to be assigned to agents automatically. 

 

To pick up the conversation, you'll need to click on the system/browser notification that pops up (whenever you get a new incoming chat if you're online) or choose a chat from the Unassigned folder. To join the conversation, click on the blue Join conversation button (or simply press Enter). The agent who is assigned to the conversation will be responsible for that chat. If you only want to leave a comment for your team without joining, use Add internal note next to it.

 

An unassigned conversation with a "Join conversation" button and a prompt to press Enter to start typing.

 

 

Responding to messages

 

To respond to a visitor's message, simply type your reply in the conversation window and hit Enter on your keyboard or the Reply button on the right of the reply box. You can also send files or pictures during the conversation - click on the + button (Add to message) at the bottom of the reply box and choose Upload a file, or simply drag and drop the file into the conversation. Visitors can also share files from their end, enhancing the communication experience.

At the bottom of the reply box, you'll also find Copilot, AI Writing Tools, Macros, Flows and Actions - more on these below:

 


A live conversation with a short reply typed in the reply box: the toolbar at the bottom of the reply box shows the Copilot, AI Writing Tools, Macros, Flows and Actions buttons on the left, and the + (Add to message) button, the formatting and emoji icons and the Reply button on the right

 

 

To enhance your messages, try AI Writing Tools - a kind of reply assistant designed to help customer service agents deliver high-quality, well-composed replies to customers faster. You can access them by clicking the AI Writing Tools button at the bottom of your reply box, right next to Copilot.

With the power of AI, these tools can generate good-looking responses from the input provided by the agent. The available options allow you to Rewrite, Elaborate or Shorten your text input.

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Please note: if AI Writing Tools aren't included in your subscription, you'll see a small diamond badge next to each option - choosing one opens the upgrade window. In the panel, AI Writing Tools are part of the Inbox AI add-on.

 

The AI Writing Tools menu open above the reply box of a live conversation, listing Rewrite, Elaborate and Shorten with their keyboard shortcuts on the right (no Summarize option)
 
 
You can also add hyperlinks to your chat messages. Highlight some text, click on the + button (Add to message) and choose Insert link - or press Cmd + Shift + U (Ctrl + Shift + U on Windows):
 
The reply box of a live conversation with a word highlighted and the + (Add to message) menu open, showing Upload a file and Insert link with their keyboard shortcuts
 
 
In the Add a link popup that appears, provide a valid URL (and modify the highlighted text as well, if you wish), and hit Save:
 
The "Add a link" dialog with "this link" as the text, a product URL entered, and "Cancel" and "Save" buttons.
 
 
Once sent, your hyperlink is going to appear in the conversation the same way as the visitor sees it:
 
An agent reply with the words "this link" displayed as a clickable hyperlink within the message.
 
 
Please note: if you send a YouTube link (either as a visitor or Tidio agent), the widget is going to display the video's thumbnail:
 
The chat widget displaying a YouTube link with a video thumbnail and title preview below the message.
 
 
The thumbnail is also going to be displayed if you insert the link into your message, creating a hyperlink:
 
An agent message containing a linked word and a YouTube video thumbnail and title preview underneath.
 
 
If you find that the message input area is too small for you (or if it's too large and covers the visitor's message), please note that you can change its size. To do that, move your mouse cursor over the blue horizontal line at the top of your message input area; you will notice that the cursor changes; click and drag the line in order to change the size:
 
The conversation composer demonstrates dragging its top divider to resize the message input area.
 
 

The "seen" message status

 

Tidio's Inbox lets you see whether visitors read the agent's messages. It's a one-way feature: visitors won't see if agents read their messages. Currently, it's exclusive to the live chat channel - not available on channels like Messenger, Instagram, or Whatsapp, or email.

 

An agent reply in a live conversation with a "Seen" timestamp and check mark beneath the message.

 
 

Communication channels

 

At Tidio, you can receive four types of messages in your conversations tab of the panel. A normal live chat message, Facebook Messenger message, an Instagram message (or story reply), and a WhatsApp message:

 

The conversation composer showing channel tabs for "Chat", "Messenger", "Instagram", and "WhatsApp".

 

 

Chat

Every chat message will always have the ID assigned based on the first letter/email of the user's name. When responding to a chat, your choice should always be to respond via the Chat mode; this is the default choice.

The red dot on the Chat icon indicates that this visitor is not present on your website at the moment.

 

Messenger

When you have your Facebook Page integrated with your Tidio account all the messages sent to your page will also appear in Tidio. They might reflect the user's profile picture instead of the letter or a numeric and also have a Messenger Icon to indicate that the message came from the Messenger.

Learn more about Tidio integration with Messenger.

 

Instagram

You can integrate your Instagram Business account into your Tidio account; all the messages and sections sent to your Instagram will also appear in Tidio. 

Learn more about Tidio integration with Instagram.

 

WhatsApp

If you've integrated WhatsApp with Tidio, you will also be able to respond to incoming WhatsApp messages.

Learn more about Tidio integration with WhatsApp.

 

 

Transferring a chat to another agent

 

At any point, the conversation can be transferred to another agent if you need to step out for a minute or your workload is too heavy at the moment, or if a different agent is better suited to help the visitor.

To transfer a conversation, click the three-dots menu next to the conversation in the list and select the Reassign option (or Assign, if the chat is still unassigned). The Assign to... panel will open, where you can search for an agent (or a department) and click on their name:

 

An unassigned chat with its three-dot menu circled and "Assign" highlighted in the open menu.

 

 

You can also use the Select option from the menu, choose multiple conversations and reassign them all at the same time. Once you're done, use the Reassign icon (Assign in the Unassigned folder) in the bar at the top of the list:

 

The "Unassigned" chat list with two conversations selected and the toolbar assignment button showing its "Assign" tooltip.

 

 

From there, simply click on the appropriate person (or department) in the Assign to... panel - the conversations are transferred right away:

 

The My open folder with two conversations ticked and the Assign to... panel open: the search field at the top, then the Departments and Agents groups with each agent's photo and name
 
 

 You also have the option to reassign a chat by selecting it from the Assignee list at the top of the conversation itself:

 

The conversation header with the "Assignee" dropdown outlined.

 

 

Please note that there are other methods of assigning chats (and tickets), including automatic assignment. Please see this guide for more details. Automatic chat assignment is available on the Growth plan and above.

 

 

Adding internal notes and mentions

 

It is possible to add internal notes inside live conversations, similarly to how they work for tickets. This allows you to leave information or comments that will be invisible to the customer, but visible to any agent who views the conversation. You can also use internal notes to mention agents directly, pinging them to view the conversation (without actually transferring the chat to them completely).

Please see this short guide for more details on using internal notes and mentions in general.

 

A conversation about failed payments with two internal notes, including an agent mention requesting help from a teammate.

 

 

Solving and leaving conversations

 

Finally, when you consider the conversation finished, you can un-assign yourself from the chat at the top of the conversation panel. You can do that by clicking on the Solve button located at the top-right of your panel:

 

The conversation toolbar with an arrow pointing to the "Solve" button.

 

 

The Solve option allows you to close the conversation (this works for both assigned and unassigned conversations) and mark it as solved in our system.

 

When there's more than one agent assigned to a conversation, you can also leave it. Click on the three-dots icon (More options) at the top of the conversation and choose Leave. This allows you to step out of the chat while the other assigned agents stay in it - another agent can later mark the chat as solved when the conversation is finished and resolved:

 

The top bar of a live conversation assigned to two agents, with the More options (three dots) menu open, listing Leave, Export transcript to .CSV, Transcript preview, Send transcript, Ban visitor and Delete; the Solve button, the Create ticket and Start video call icons are visible next to it

 

 

If all agents have left the conversation, the next time the same visitor sends you a message, it will be displayed in the Unassigned column, just like any other incoming chat. All agents who are currently online will see the notification and will be able to jump right into the conversation. 

 

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Please note: live conversations older than 30 days without a visitor's reply get solved automatically, even if you don't use the Workflow that solves conversations.

 

It is also possible to solve chats (and tickets) automatically. Please see this guide for more details.

Other actions at the top of a conversation

Next to the Solve button, the bar at the top of each conversation gives you a few more handy options:

  • Create ticket (the ticket icon) - turns the chat into a ticket, with the visitor's email filled in if you have it. Handy when the issue needs a follow-up by email.
  • Start video call (the video camera icon) - invites the visitor to a live video call. You won't see it in Messenger, Instagram or WhatsApp conversations.
  • More options (the three dots) - here you'll find Leave (when more agents are assigned), Export transcript to .CSV, Transcript preview, Send transcript, Ban visitor and Delete.
  • Show details (the panel icon on the far right) - opens the visitor's details on the right, if you've hidden them. See Information on the visitor below.

And when you'd like to come back to a conversation later, use Mark as unread in the three-dots menu next to the conversation in the list.

Deleting conversations

 

To delete the conversation, click on the three dots next to the conversation and press Delete (you'll also find Delete in the More options menu at the top of an open conversation):

 

The chat three-dot menu with "Delete" outlined beneath "Mark as unread", "Solve", "Select", and "Reassign".

 

 

To delete multiple chats from your list, click on the three dots next to the conversation and press Select (or just hover your mouse over a chat and check the box that appears). You can either select multiple chats or hit Check all from the bar at the top:

 

The chat list with one conversation selected and the top selection control displaying a "Check all" tooltip.

 

 

... and then, you can use Delete:

 

The chat list with two conversations selected and the trash button displaying its "Delete" tooltip.

 

 

Using the Actions menu (Search actions)

 

An additional tool is also available under the Actions button, at the bottom of the reply box next to Macros and Flows - it allows you to quickly access all the different features and commands while chatting. Hover over the button to see its keyboard shortcut: Cmd + K (Ctrl + K on Windows).
 
The toolbar at the bottom of the reply box of a live conversation, with the mouse over the Actions button (next to Macros and Flows) and its tooltip showing "Search actions" with the ⌘ K keys
 
 
This most useful once you're already familiar with Tidio's chat-related functions, and can be handy if you prefer having everything under one menu, with keyboard shortcuts as well. It serves as an alternative way of accessing the most common live conversation functionalities, and can help you make your workflow more efficient.
 
When you click on the Actions button (or press Cmd + K), a menu will pop up, listing the available conversation actions:
 
The Search actions menu open over a live conversation: the search field "Search conversation actions..." at the top, the All, AI Writing Tools, Input actions and Conversation management tabs, two actions under Recents, and the list of actions with their keys on the right

 

 

You can browse through all the available common actions, including (but not limited to) using Macros, starting Flows, creating internal notes, solving conversations, or re-assigning to other agents. 

You can navigate the entire menu using your keyboard, and perform most of the actions using keyboard shortcuts.

 

The action menu listing conversation commands with keyboard shortcuts and arrow-key navigation instructions.

 

 

If you know the action you're looking for, you can also use the search tool at the top:

 

The action menu filtered by "assign", showing "Assign to" and its keyboard shortcut.

 

 

You can browse the actions via separate tabs as well.

  • The All tab lists all of the available actions, with the ones you used most recently on top, under Recents.
  • The AI Writing Tools tab lists only AI-driven actions, like Copilot or Rewrite.
  • The Input actions tab only includes actions associated with chatting directly, like using Macros, emojis, links, or sending files.
  • The Conversation management tab, on the other hand, lists actions that are associated with handling chats and managing your workload, e.g. solving, tagging, creating tickets, or leaving notes.

 

The Search actions menu in a live conversation with the Conversation management tab selected, listing actions such as Mark as solved, Create a ticket from this conversation, Assign to..., Add customer tag, Export transcript and Ban visitor

 

 

When you choose a specific action and click on it, it will be performed immediately; the same happens when you use the associated keyboard shortcut. For the full list of shortcuts, see Keyboard shortcuts and the Search actions menu.

 

 

Bulk actions

 

You are not limited to performing certain actions just on single chats, one by one - you can manage multiple chats in bulk as well! 

You need to start by selecting just one chat first. In your My open folder, hover your cursor over a chat you'd like to select, and you'll notice a box appear on the left - click on it to select the conversation:

 

The chat list with the first conversation checkbox checked and a bulk-action toolbar above.

 

 

Alternatively, you can click on the three dots menu next to a given chat, and hit the Select option:

 

The chat three-dot menu with the "Select" option outlined.

 

 

That way, you will be able to manually select any of the other chats that are currently assigned to you. You will also notice a new set of options at the top:

 

The selected-chat toolbar outlined around the mark unread, solve, reassign, and delete buttons.

 

 

You can use the Check all option (on the left) to automatically select all of your currently assigned chats. This way, you can perform the actions you need (marking the chats as unread, solving, reassigning or deleting them) to all those selected chats at once.

 

The selected-chat toolbar with an arrow pointing to the check-mark button and its "Solve" tooltip.

 

 

You can do the same for chats that have not been picked up by anyone yet - in the Unassigned folder. Use the checkboxes (or the three dots menu) to select one unassigned chat, and then either select other chats manually or use the bulk-action options at the top, same as with earlier examples.

 

Here, you can Assign multiple chats with the method above, Solve the ones that don't need an answer, or - if you wish - delete the selected unassigned chats permanently right away.

 

 

Chat history 

 

You'll see all archived conversations that you've solved in the Solved folder under the Live conversations section. Of course, you will find a similar Solved folder for your email communication - in the Tickets section.

If you would like to learn more about how to search for your archived chats, see our article about chat history.

 

The Inbox "Solved" folder selected under "Live conversations", showing previously resolved chats.

 

 

Information on the visitor

 

You'll find everything about your visitor in the details panel on the right of the conversation. If it's hidden, click on the Show details icon in the top-right of the conversation (or press ] on your keyboard); to hide it again, use Hide details.

The Customer data section shows the visitor's name, email and phone number, their tags and contact properties, as well as their Location (with a link to the map), Browser and IP Address. If the Pre-Chat Survey is enabled, all information that the survey collected will display there (e.g., a phone number). Below, you'll find the visitor's Chat history, their Customer satisfaction rating, and - depending on your plan and integrations - sections like Shopify:

 

A live conversation with the details panel open on the right: the Customer data section with the visitor's name, email, phone number, tags, Location, Browser and IP Address, followed by the Chat history, Last viewed page, Customer satisfaction and Customer notes sections
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Please note: if the location, browser and IP address are blurred, visitor info isn't included in your current plan - click on a blurred field to see how to unlock it.

 
 

Viewed pages

 

The Last viewed page section displays the most recent page accessed by the visitor within your website (as long as Tidio is installed there), with a Live badge while they're online. This allows you to identify what the visitor is browsing, like a particular product page. Click on Show all to see the full history - the list also includes a timestamp for the specific page's visit.

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Please note: the viewed pages history is available on the Growth plan and above - on other plans, the page addresses are blurred.

 

The visitor details "LAST VIEWED PAGE" section with a live indicator, page link, and "See the history" link.

The Last viewed page section in the details panel of a live conversation, showing a product page address with the Live badge, and the Show all link

 

Customer notes

 

The Customer notes section allows you to leave useful notes and comments about the customer - click on the + icon (Add customer note) to write one. That way, you can include important information about the customer, which may be helpful for other agents later on. Customer notes are available on the Growth plan and above.

 

The Customer notes section in the details panel of a live conversation, with the + (Add customer note) icon clicked and the note form open with a short note typed in

Further reading