You can effortlessly talk with your website visitors in real time through live video calls, making interactions more personal and engaging!

In this article, you'll learn:

💡

Please note: at the moment, video calls can only be made over the widget installed on your website; the Chat Page does not support this feature. You won't see the video call button in Messenger, Instagram or WhatsApp conversations either. Video calls use your camera and microphone - there's no screen sharing.

How do video calls work?

Silent walkthrough. Start a video call from a live chat, turn the camera and microphone off and on, and end the call.

When a visitor is online, you - as the agent - can initiate a video call with them. You can do that when you're in a conversation, from inside the Tidio panel. Currently, only the agent has this ability; visitors can't proactively start the call from their end.

To request a video call, simply click on the video camera icon (Start video call) in the conversation header at the top, right next to the Create ticket icon:

A live chat conversation in the Inbox with the pointer on the video camera icon in the conversation header at the top-right, next to the Create ticket icon, and the "Start video call" tooltip showing

Prefer the keyboard? Press Cmd + K (Ctrl + K on Windows) to open Search actions, and choose Start video call. This action isn't listed while you're writing an internal note.

Once you initiate the call, a pop-out window will appear on your screen, saying Calling... Waiting for a visitor to answer. You can move this window around freely within the Tidio panel, but it cannot be dragged outside the panel's page. To make it bigger or smaller, drag its bottom-left corner.

The video call window over a live chat conversation, showing "Calling... Waiting for a visitor to answer", the camera, microphone and red end-call buttons in the bottom-right and the resize corner in the bottom-left; the conversation header with the video camera icon visible at the top, and the reply box below without a video button

You have the option to make a regular video call or just a voice call - by disabling the camera. You can enable or disable the microphone and camera at any given time during the call by clicking on the respective icons in the floating window. To finish the call, click on the red button:

The call window says "Calling... Waiting for a visitor to answer", with camera and microphone controls outlined next to the red end-call button.

If the visitor turns off their camera or microphone, the window lets you know - for example, User has their camera turned off.

When you initiate a call, the visitor will receive a prompt to either accept or decline it. In case they decline it, they will just get redirected back to the conversation, and you'll see Visitor declined a call.

The visitor's chat widget displays an incoming call with green Accept and red Decline buttons.

If they accept, they'll be able to see and hear you (if you have your camera and microphone enabled, of course).

The visitor's chat widget shows an agent on video, with camera, microphone, chat, and end-call controls along the bottom.

Visitors can also choose to mute themselves or disable their cameras if they prefer. In case they'd like to write a message during the call, they can click on the chat icon as well:

The chat button is circled among the video call controls, beside the disabled camera and microphone icons and the red end-call button.

If the visitor ends the call, you'll see Visitor ended a call. Please note that the call also ends when you open a different conversation in the Inbox - you'll see Call ended.

Further reading