Live Chat Sessions & Handoff
Monitor active web-chat sessions and take over from the AI in real time
On this page
Live Chat Overview
Web chat › Live chat lists your web-chat sessions per widget with their status — Active, Pending Handoff, Handed Off, Converted, or Closed. When a visitor asks for a human (or the AI decides one is needed), the session enters Pending Handoff and the Web chat page shows a pending count.
Accepting a Handoff
Watch for pending handoffs
The pending badge on Web chat is your cue — visitors are waiting in real time, so response speed matters.
Accept the session
Open Live Chat and accept the handoff. The AI stops responding and the visitor is now talking to you.
Chat live
Send messages directly in the session. The visitor sees a seamless conversation.
Close out
Finish the conversation; the session status updates and the transcript stays with the lead.
When to Step In
- AI is giving incorrect or outdated information
- Customer is expressing frustration or confusion
- High-value lead deserves personal attention
- Complex multi-service request exceeds AI capability
- Compliance-sensitive conversation requires human oversight
Takeover Outside Web Chat
For SMS, email, and social threads there is no live session — instead, use the takeover control in Inbox to pause AI replies on a thread and answer personally. See Understanding Your Inbox.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No sessions showing | No visitors are currently chatting | Sessions appear only while customers are actively messaging |
| Handoff requests never arrive | Handoff disabled on the widget | Enable handoff in the widget configuration on Web chat |
| Accepted a session but visitor already left | Response time too slow | Assign someone to watch pending handoffs during business hours |