Chat with support on a website
Who this is for: anyone who gets help through the chat window on an organization's website. Employees use it on their company's IT support site. Customers use it on the website of the company they buy from. Your organization chooses where the chat appears and what it offers.
The chat window connects you to the support assistant. You write a message, and the assistant answers in the same window.
Prerequisites
- The website where your organization offers the chat.
- An email address, if the website does not sign you in. You type it in the chat window before you send a message.
Open the chat
- On the website, select the chat button. It is usually at the bottom of the page. Your organization can change its text. If it did not, the button says Start voice mode, or Chat with us when the web chat has no voice.
- If the window shows a voice tab and a chat tab, select the chat tab. When your organization offers voice, the window opens on the voice tab first.
The chat window uses the language that the website sets. If the website sets none, it uses the language of your browser.
Send a message
- If the email field at the top is empty, type your email address. If the website gave the chat your email address, the field already shows it and you cannot change it.
- Type your question in the message box.
- Press Enter, or select the send button (Send). To start a new line without sending, press Shift+Enter.
Your organization can also show quick actions above the message box. Select one to send a ready-made request:
- Check my tickets
- Report an issue
- Browse KB articles
Under each message that you send, a small status shows whether it is pending, delivered or read.
Add a file
- Select the paperclip button next to the message box. You can also drag files into the chat window, or paste an image.
- Wait until the file appears above the message box. To remove it before you send, select the cross on the file.
- Send your message. The files go with it.
Each file can be up to 20 MB. Some file types are not accepted. Your organization can have files checked for security threats before they are added. If a file is refused, the chat tells you why. Read Fix problems with the web chat.
Result
The assistant answers in the chat window. Your message also reaches your organization's support team.
Signed in or not
What the assistant can do depends on whether the website signed you in:
- The website signed you in. The assistant knows who you are. It can show your tickets and report a problem as a ticket for you. If you have earlier conversations, a Previous conversations section appears at the top of the chat. Select it, then select a conversation to read it again.
- The website did not sign you in. The assistant can answer questions and search help articles. It cannot show your tickets or open a ticket for you, and the email address that you type does not prove who you are. Your messages still reach the support team. To see your tickets, sign in on your organization's website if it offers sign-in, or use another channel such as the Help Center.
The chat remembers the email address that you typed, in this browser only. On a shared computer, clear the email field before you leave.
To close the chat window, select the close button (×) at the top of the window, or press Escape.
If something goes wrong
- The chat asks for a valid email before it sends your message. Type your full email address in the email field, then send again.
- A message shows a warning sign (⚠) instead of a check mark. It was not delivered. Select Retry next to the message.
- The chat says that it is reconnecting or that the connection failed. Read Fix problems with the web chat.
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