Reply to shoppers

You can reply to any chat yourself. The assistant steps aside while you're in the chat.

Take over a chat#

Open the chat and type your reply. Sending a reply takes over the chat and pauses the AI. You can also select Take over first.

The strip above the reply box shows who's answering:

• AI is answering. Replying pauses it.
• You're in this chat · AI paused
• Waiting for your reply with the wait time.

Reply#

• Press Enter to send and Shift + Enter for a new line.
• Replies show your name from your live chat settings, like "Sam · Team". Select Change next to Replying as to edit it.
• Your unsent reply is kept as a draft, even if you leave the page.
• Seen shows under your latest reply once the shopper has read it.
• Quick replies above the box put in a saved reply. Type / to search them.

Replies can be up to 4,000 characters.

Hand back to the AI#

Select Hand back to AI when you're done, or Mark done for a waiting shopper. The assistant picks up from what you said.

When a live chat ends by itself#

• No reply in 5 minutes: a shopper who asked for a person is told the team couldn't reply, and the AI answers them. The chat stays in Waiting, marked Missed, and your reply is emailed if they gave their email. These 5 minutes only count while you're available.
• Quiet for 15 minutes: after your reply, if nobody writes for 15 minutes, the chat ends and the AI is back. Your replies and typing restart the clock, and so do the shopper's messages.
• 30 minutes without a reply or typing from your team always ends it.

When a chat you replied in ends, the shopper is asked to rate it from 1 to 5. Inbox shows it as Rated 4/5 · team: Sam, and Reports shows your team's average.

Limits for shoppers#

• A shopper can ask for a person once every 10 minutes per chat, and once they've written something.
• At most 2 chats from one shopper or address wait for your team at once. The AI keeps helping in the others.
• Up to 60 messages to your team before you reply, up to 4,000 characters each.
• The email for your reply can be changed 3 times per chat. Replies are only emailed to an address given in that chat, or a signed-in customer's own.

Attach files#

Select the paperclip, drag files onto the reply box, or paste a screenshot.

• Photos (JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF) and PDFs.
• Up to 5 MB each and 5 files per reply.
• Files reach the shopper when you send the reply.

Add a private note#

In the details panel, select Add a note to leave a note for your team. Shoppers never see it.

Rename a shopper#

Select the shopper's name at the top of the chat to give them a name you'll recognise.

When the shopper has left#

If a shopper doesn't see your reply within 2 minutes, it's emailed to them, if they gave their email.

Instagram and Messenger#

On Growth and Pro, connect a Facebook Page in Integrations to reply to Instagram and Messenger chats in Inbox. These channels only allow replies within 24 hours of the shopper's last message.