documentation/content/applications/websites/livechat.rst

:show-content:
:show-toc:

=========
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 is installed in multiple ways:

- Go to :menuselection:`Apps application`, search `Live Chat`, and click :guilabel:`Install`.
- Go to the :menuselection:`Helpdesk app --> Configuration --> Teams` list view, select a team, and
  on the team's settings page, tick the :guilabel:`Live Chat` checkbox, under the
  :guilabel:`Channels` section.
- In the :menuselection:`Website` app, go to :menuselection:`Configuration --> Settings`, scroll to
  the :guilabel:`How to configure the Twitter API access` section, tick the :guilabel:`Livechat`
  checkbox, 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 a new live chat channel
==============================

To create a new live chat *Channel*, go to :menuselection:`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. Click the Kanban card for
   the appropriate live chat 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` pop-up window.
   In that pop-up window, 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 does **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 section
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

.. figure:: livechat/chat-button.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of an Odoo website emphasizing the livechat button.

   The Live Chat button in the bottom-right corner of an Odoo website.

Change the text in the :guilabel:`Text of the Button` 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 section
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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 Livechat Window with a purple header. The chat input placeholder reads "Ask 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`.

.. 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, tick the checkbox
      labeled, :guilabel:`Enabled only if no operator`.

   .. 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::
   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:`How to configure the Twitter API access` 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.

Participate in a conversation
=============================

As explained above, *operators* are the users who will respond to live chat requests from customers.
The information below outlines the necessary steps for operators participating in live chat
conversations on an Odoo database.

Set an online chat name
-----------------------

Before participating in a live chat, operators should update their *Online Chat Name*. This is the
name that will be displayed to site visitors in the live chat conversation.

To update the :guilabel:`Online Chat Name`, click on the user name in the upper-right corner of any
page in the database. Select :guilabel:`My Profile` to open the Profile page. On the right side of
the :guilabel:`Preferences` tab, locate the :guilabel:`Online Chat Name` field and enter the
preferred name.

.. image:: livechat/my-profile.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of the My Profile option in Odoo.

If a users :guilabel:`Online Chat Name` is not set, the name displayed will default to the
:guilabel:`User Name`.

.. example::
   A user has their full name as their :guilabel:`User Name`, but they do not want to include their
   last name in a live chat conversation. They would then set their :guilabel:`Online Chat Name` to
   include only their first name.

   .. image:: livechat/online-chat-name.png
      :align: center
      :alt: View of user profile in Odoo, emphasizing the Online Chat name field.

Join or leave a channel
-----------------------

To join a live chat channel, go to the :menuselection:`Live Chat` app, and click the
:guilabel:`JOIN` button on the Kanban card for the appropriate channel.

Any channel where the user is currently active shows a :guilabel:`LEAVE` button. Click this button
to disconnect from the channel.

.. image:: livechat/leave-channel.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of a channel form and the option to join a channel for Odoo Live Chat.

.. important::
   *Operators* that do not show any activity in Odoo for more than thirty minutes will be considered
   disconnected, and subsequently removed from the channel.

Manage live chat requests
-------------------------

When an operator is active in a channel, chat windows will open in the bottom right corner of the
screen, no matter where they are in the database. They can participate in conversations without
leaving their current location.

.. tip::
   Conversations can also be accessed by clicking the :icon:`fa-comments` :guilabel:`(messages)`
   icon in the menu bar.

   .. image:: livechat/menu-bar.png
      :align: center
      :alt: View of the menu bar in Odoo emphasizing the conversations icon.

Live chat conversations can also be viewed by navigating to :menuselection:`Dashboard --> Discuss`.
New conversations will appear in bold under the :guilabel:`LIVECHAT` heading along the left panel.

.. image:: livechat/managing-chat-responses.png
   :align: center
   :alt: View of the discuss application with a message sent through live chat in Odoo.

Click on a conversation in the left panel to select it. This will open the conversation. From this
view, an operator can participate in the chat the same as they would in the normal chat window.

.. seealso::
   - :doc:`Get Started with Discuss </applications/productivity/discuss>`
   - :doc:`/applications/websites/livechat/responses`

.. toctree::
   :titlesonly:

   livechat/ratings
   livechat/responses
   livechat/chatbots