Chat Widget — StudioM Platform Guide¶

Who this guide is for: Anyone who wants a live chat bubble on their website so visitors can start conversations that come straight into your inbox. Time to read: Approximately 8 minutes

The Chat Widget is a small chat bubble that appears on the corner of your website. When a visitor clicks it, they can start a conversation — which flows directly into your StudioM Conversations inbox, just like an SMS or email message.

It's one of the fastest ways to capture leads and answer questions from people actively browsing your website.

The widget supports multiple conversation modes: - Live Chat — a real human (you or your team) responds in real time - AI Auto-Pilot — an AI bot handles conversations automatically, with optional handoff to a human - Hybrid — AI responds first, then hands off to a team member when needed

How to Get There¶

Navigate to: Sites (left sidebar) → Chat Widget

Need StudioM Support for This? The initial chat widget setup — including installing it on your website — is handled by StudioM. Contact us when you're ready to add a chat widget to your site, or if you need to update the installation.

What You Can Configure Yourself¶

Once your widget is installed, you can customise many settings directly:

Open your widget in Sites → Chat Widget → click on the widget name to edit it.

Setting	What to Set
Widget Colour	Match your brand colour
Position	Bottom right (most common) or bottom left
Business Name	Your business name, shown in the widget header
Logo / Avatar	Your brand logo or a headshot
Tagline	A short line under your name (e.g., "Usually replies within minutes")
Welcome Message	The greeting shown when someone opens the widget
Offline Message	What visitors see outside your business hours

Welcome Message Examples¶

"Hi there 👋 How can we help you today?"
"Welcome! Got a question? We're here to help."
"Hi! We're happy to answer any questions — just type below."

Offline Message Examples¶

"We're offline right now. Leave us your name and email and we'll follow up shortly."
"We're closed for the day but will get back to you first thing tomorrow morning."

Pre-Chat Form¶

The pre-chat form collects visitor information before they start chatting. This creates a contact record in your CRM automatically.

Recommended setup: - Name — required - Email or Phone — at least one required (this is how you follow up if the chat ends without resolution)

Keep the form short — fewer fields means more people will start chatting. Two fields (name + email) is the sweet spot.

You can optionally add a dropdown question to help route enquiries (e.g., "What can we help you with today?" with options like Sales, Support, General).

Business Hours¶

Configure when your widget is in "live" mode vs. "offline" mode:

Open the widget settings → Business Hours
Set your timezone
Toggle on the days you're available and set your open/close times
Save

During business hours: Live chat is active; your team receives notifications of new chats.

Outside business hours: The offline message is shown, and any messages submitted are captured as leads in your inbox for follow-up.

How Live Chat Works (Day-to-Day)¶

A visitor clicks the chat bubble on your website
They fill in the pre-chat form and send their first message
The conversation appears in your Conversations inbox (labelled as Live Chat)
You (or a team member) receive a notification and reply
The visitor sees your reply in real time in the widget
Continue the conversation until it's resolved

Notifications: You'll receive desktop browser notifications and mobile push notifications (if you have the mobile app). Check your notification settings to make sure these are enabled.

Response time matters: Visitors who chat expect fast responses — aim to reply within 2 minutes during live chat hours. A slow response often means the visitor leaves before you can help them.

AI Auto-Pilot (Bot Mode)¶

If your widget has the AI feature enabled, the bot can handle common questions automatically:

Answers questions about your services, pricing, hours, and more
Books appointments by directing visitors to your calendar
Collects contact details and qualifies leads
Hands off to a human agent when the visitor needs more help

Handoff triggers — the bot automatically passes the conversation to a human when: - The visitor types a word like "human", "agent", or "speak to someone" - The question is too complex for the bot to answer confidently - The visitor makes a specific request (e.g., a complaint or pricing negotiation)

Need StudioM Support for This? Setting up and configuring the AI bot (knowledge base, behaviour, handoff rules) requires initial setup. Contact StudioM Support if you'd like to enable or modify the AI bot.

How Leads Are Created from Chat¶

Every conversation that includes a name and email (or phone) automatically creates a contact in your CRM:

A new contact is created with the details from the pre-chat form
The conversation is linked to that contact
If the visitor is already a contact (matching email), the conversation is linked to their existing record
You can view all chat conversations from the contact's record

You can also use workflows to automate actions when someone starts a chat — for example, adding a tag, creating an opportunity in your pipeline, or sending a follow-up SMS after the chat ends.

Workflow Automations for Chat¶

Trigger	Example Actions
Chat widget submitted	Add tag "Website Chat Lead" → Create opportunity → Notify team member
Chat conversation closed	Wait 30 min → Send SMS: "Thanks for chatting! Any other questions?"
Chat outside business hours	Immediately send email: "We got your message and will reply by [time]"

Analytics¶

Navigate to Sites → Chat Widget → Analytics to see:

Metric	What It Shows
Total Conversations	All chats started
Leads Captured	New contacts created from chat
Average Response Time	How quickly your team replies
Resolution Rate	Chats closed as resolved
Bot vs Human	Split between AI-handled and human-handled

Use average response time as a key performance indicator for your team — the lower, the better.

Troubleshooting¶

Issue	What to Check
Widget not showing on the site	Contact StudioM Support — the installation code may need to be re-added
Messages not appearing in inbox	Check you're looking in the correct account/inbox
Contact not being created	Ensure the pre-chat form requires at least email or phone
Notifications not arriving	Check browser notification permissions; check mobile app notification settings
Widget showing at wrong hours	Verify the widget timezone matches your local timezone
AI bot not responding	Contact StudioM Support to check the bot configuration

Best Practices¶

Set an accurate response time expectation — "Usually replies within 5 minutes" manages expectations and builds trust
Use the offline form every day — even when you're offline, the widget should always capture name and email
Review chat transcripts weekly — spot common questions and either update your AI bot or create an FAQ page
Enable AI for after-hours — an AI bot that responds 24/7 captures leads you'd otherwise miss
Keep the pre-chat form to 2 fields — name and email is enough; longer forms reduce engagement
Test on mobile — most website visitors are on phones; make sure the widget looks and works correctly on small screens

Common Questions¶

Q: Can I have different chat widgets on different pages? Yes — multiple widgets can be created with different settings. Contact StudioM Support to set up page-specific widgets.

Q: What happens to chat conversations when I'm offline? The message is captured in your Conversations inbox. You'll see it when you next log in and can reply via SMS or email.

Q: Can multiple team members see and respond to chats? Yes — all team members with access to Conversations can see incoming chats and respond.

Q: Can the chat widget also offer WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger? Yes — the widget can be configured to offer multiple channel options (Live Chat, SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram). Contact StudioM Support to enable additional channels.

Need Help?¶

Contact StudioM Support any time.

Email: support@makoa.us
Live Chat: Available inside the platform

Related guides: Conversations and Inbox · Workflows (Automations) · WhatsApp