---
show-content: true
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# Live Chat

Odoo **Live Chat** allows users to communicate with website visitors in real-time. With **Live
Chat**, leads can be qualified for their sales potential, support questions can be answered quickly,
and issues can be directed to the appropriate team for further investigation or follow up. **Live
Chat** also provides the opportunity for instant feedback from customers.

## Enable Live Chat

The **Live Chat** application can be installed multiple ways:

- Go to {menuselection}`Apps application`, search `Live Chat`, and click {guilabel}`Install`.

- Go to the {menuselection}`Helpdesk app --> Configuration --> Helpdesk Teams` list view, select a
  team, and on the team's settings page, click the checkbox next to {guilabel}`Live Chat`, under the
  {guilabel}`Channels` section.

- In the {menuselection}`Website` app, go to {menuselection}`Configuration --> Settings`, scroll to
  the {guilabel}`Email & Marketing` section, check the box next to {guilabel}`Livechat`, and click
  {guilabel}`Save`.

  ```{image} livechat/enable-setting.png
  :align: center
  :alt: View of the settings page and the live chat feature for Odoo Live Chat.
  ```

:::{note}
After the **Live Chat** application is installed, a live chat *Channel* is created, by default.
:::

## Create live chat channels

To create a new live chat *Channel*, go to {menuselection}`Main Odoo Dashboard --> Live Chat app -->
New`. This opens a blank channel detail form. Enter the name of the new channel in the
{guilabel}`Channel Name` field.

```{image} livechat/open-channel.png
:align: center
:alt: View of a live chat channel form for Odoo Live Chat.
```

To configure the remaining tabs on the channel detail form ({ref}`Operators
<livechat/operators-tab>`, {ref}`Options <livechat/options-tab>`, {ref}`Channel Rules
<livechat/channel-rules-tab>`, and {ref}`Widget <livechat/widget-tab>`), follow the steps below.

:::{tip}
The channel detail form for any channel can be accessed by navigating back to the
{guilabel}`Website Live Chat Channels` dashboard, via the breadcrumbs. Find the Kanban card for
the appropriate live chat channel, hover over it, and then click on the {icon}`fa-ellipsis-v`
{guilabel}`(vertical ellipsis)` icon to open the drop-down menu. Click {guilabel}`Configure
Channel` to open the channel detail form.
:::

(livechat-operators-tab)=

### Operators tab

*Operators* are the users who act as agents and respond to live chat requests from customers. When a
user is added as an operator in a live chat channel, they can receive chats from website visitors
wherever they are in the database. Chat windows open in the bottom-right corner of the screen.

```{image} livechat/pop-up.png
:align: center
:alt: View of a live chat pop up window in an Odoo database.
```

On the channel detail form, click the {guilabel}`Operators` tab. The user who originally created the
live chat channel has been added as an operator by default.

:::{note}
Current operators can be edited, or removed, by clicking on their respective boxes in the
{guilabel}`Operators` tab, which reveals a separate {guilabel}`Open: Operators` modal. In that
modal, adjust any information, as needed. Then, click {guilabel}`Save`, or click
{guilabel}`Remove` to remove that operator from the channel.
:::

Click {guilabel}`Add` to reveal an {guilabel}`Add: Operators` pop-up window.

In the pop-up window, scroll to find the desired users, or enter their name in the search bar. Then,
tick the checkbox next to the users to be added, and click {guilabel}`Select`.

New operators can be created and added to the list directly from this pop-up window, as well, by
clicking {guilabel}`New`, and filling out the {guilabel}`Create Operators` form. When the form is
complete, click {guilabel}`Save & Close`, or {guilabel}`Save & New` for multiple record creations.

:::{danger}
Creating a new user can impact the status of an Odoo subscription, as the total number of users
in a database counts towards the billing rate. Proceed with caution before creating a new user.
If a user already exists, adding them as an operator will **not** alter the subscription or
billing rate for a database.
:::

(livechat-options-tab)=

### Options tab

The {guilabel}`Options` tab on the live chat channel detail form contains the visual and text
settings for the live chat window.

(livechat-livechat-button)=

#### Livechat button

The *Livechat Button* is the icon that appears in the bottom-right corner of the website.

```{image} livechat/chat-button.png
:align: center
:alt: View of an Odoo website emphasizing the livechat button.
```

Change the text in the {guilabel}`Notification text` field to update the greeting displayed in the
text bubble when the live chat button appears on the website.

The {guilabel}`Livechat Button Color` alters the color of the live chat button as it appears on the
website. To change the color, click on a color bubble to open the color selection window, then click
and drag the circle along the color gradient. Click out of the selection window once complete. Click
the {icon}`fa-refresh` {guilabel}`(refresh)` icon to the right of the color bubbles to reset the
colors to the default selection.

:::{tip}
Color selection, for the button or header, can be made manually using a slider or through RGB,
HSL, or HEX color code entries from the pop-up color selection window that appears when either of
the color bubbles are clicked. Different options are available, depending on the operating
system.
:::

#### Livechat Window

The *Livechat Window* is the space where the live chat conversation with website visitors takes
place.

Edit the {guilabel}`Welcome Message` to change the message a visitor sees when they open a new chat
session. This message appears as though it is sent by a live chat operator, and acts as both a
greeting and an invitation to continue the conversation.

Edit the {guilabel}`Chat Input Placeholder` to alter the text that appears in the box where visitors
type their replies. This message prompts the visitor to initiate the chat.

The *Channel Header* is the colored bar at the top of the chat window. The {guilabel}`Channel Header
Color` can be changed following the same steps as the {ref}`Livechat button
<livechat/livechat-button>`.

:::{figure} livechat/chat-window.png
:align: center

The live chat window with a purple channel header and placeholder text that reads, "Say
Something..."
:::

(livechat-channel-rules-tab)=

### Channel Rules tab

To configure which website user actions open the live chat window, go to the {guilabel}`Channel
Rules` tab on the live chat channel detail form.

To create a new channel rule, click {guilabel}`Add a line`. This opens the {guilabel}`Create Rules`
pop-up window.

```{image} livechat/create-rules.png
:align: center
:alt: View of a channel's rules form for Odoo Live Chat.
```

#### Create new rules

Fill out the fields on the {guilabel}`Create Rules` pop-up window as instructed below, then click
{guilabel}`Save & Close`.

```{eval-rst}
.. tabs::

   .. tab:: Live Chat Button

      The *Livechat Button* is the icon that appears in the bottom-right corner of the website.
      Select from one of the following display options:

      - :guilabel:`Show`: displays the chat button on the page.
      - :guilabel:`Show with notification`: displays the chat button, as well as a floating text
        bubble next to the button.
      - :guilabel:`Open automatically`: displays the button, and automatically opens the chat window
        after a specified amount of time (designated in the :guilabel:`Open automatically timer`
        field, that appears when this option is selected).
      - :guilabel:`Hide`: hides the chat button on the page.

   .. tab:: Chatbot

      To include a :doc:`Chatbot <livechat/chatbots>` on this channel, select it from the drop-down
      menu. If the chatbot should only be active when no operators are active, check the box labeled
      :guilabel:`Enabled only if no operator`.

      The :guilabel:`Enabled only if no operator` field is **only** visible if a chatbot is selected
      in the :guilabel:`Chatbot` field.

   .. tab:: URL Regex

      The *URL Regex* specifies the web pages where this rule should be applied. In the
      :guilabel:`URL Regex` field, input the relative URL of the page where the chat button should
      appear.

      For example, to apply the rule to the URL, `https://mydatabse.odoo.com/shop`, enter `/shop`
      to the :guilabel:`URL Regex` field.

      To apply the rule to *all* pages on the database, enter `/` in the :guilabel:`URL Regex`
      field.

   .. tab:: Open automatically timer

      This field designates the amount of time (in seconds) a page should be open before the chat
      window opens. This field **only** appears if the :guilabel:`Live Chat Button` for this rule is
      set to :guilabel:`Open automatically`.

   .. tab:: Country

      If this channel should **only** be available to site visitors in specific countries, add them
      to the :guilabel:`Country` field. If this field is left blank, the channel is available to all
      site visitors, regardless of location.
```

:::{note}
In order to track the geographical location of visitors, *GeoIP* **must** be installed on the
database. While this feature is installed by default on *Odoo Online* databases, *On-Premise*
databases require additional {doc}`setup steps </administration/on_premise/geo_ip>`.
:::

(livechat-widget-tab)=

### Widget tab

The {guilabel}`Widget` tab on the live chat channel detail form provides the code for a website
widget. This code can be added to a website to provide access to a live chat window.

:::{tip}
The live chat widget can be added to websites created through Odoo by navigating to
{menuselection}`Website app --> Configuration --> Settings`. Then, scroll to the
{menuselection}`Email & Marketing` section. In the {guilabel}`Channel` field, select the channel
to add to the site. Click {guilabel}`Save` to apply.
:::

To add the widget to a website created on a third-party platform, click the first {guilabel}`COPY`
button on the {guilabel}`Widget` tab, and paste the code into the `<head>` tag on the site.

Likewise, to send a live chat session to a customer, click the second {guilabel}`COPY` button on the
{guilabel}`Widget` tab. This link can be sent directly to a customer. When they click the link, they
are redirected to a new chat window.

```{image} livechat/widget-code.png
:align: center
:alt: View of the widget tab for Odoo Live Chat.
```

:::{seealso}
- {doc}`../productivity/discuss`
- {doc}`livechat/responses`
- {doc}`livechat/ratings`
- {doc}`livechat/chatbots`
- {doc}`livechat/participate`
:::

```{toctree}
:titlesonly: true

livechat/ratings
livechat/responses
livechat/chatbots
livechat/reports
livechat/participate
```