Live chat with AI
Live chat with AI: your agent answers first, your team steps in
Your intoCHAT agent handles the questions it can answer from your content. When a visitor wants a person and someone from your team is online, a teammate takes over the same chat in the widget, replies as themselves while the AI stays silent, and hands it back when done.
Visitor: Your FAQ says returns within 30 days, but my order is 34 days old. Can I talk to someone?
Agent: I've asked a team member to join this chat. You can keep writing here in the meantime, and I'll help with anything I can until they do.
Visitor: Thanks, it is order 10482.
Agent: Anna (team): Hi, Anna here. I can see order 10482 and your question about the return window. Let me check what we can do for you.
Choosing between a chatbot and live chat is a false choice
Pure live chat means someone has to answer every "what are your opening hours?" by hand. A pure chatbot leaves visitors stuck when the question needs judgment, an exception or a human tone. What works is one chat window where the AI answers routine questions straight away and a person joins the same conversation when it matters, sees what was already said, and leaves again so the AI can carry on. No new window, no second tool for the visitor, and no starting over.
Why combine live chat with an AI agent
The AI and your team share one conversation, and only one of them speaks at a time.
Same chat, no switch
The visitor keeps typing in the widget they already have open. When a teammate joins, the widget says "Anna joined the chat" and their replies appear with their first name above them.
The AI waits its turn
From the takeover until your teammate clicks End live chat, the agent writes nothing. Afterwards it answers again and knows what your teammate wrote, treating it as part of the conversation.
Context before the first reply
Taking over shows Summary so far: 3 to 5 AI-written points with what the visitor wants, what the agent already answered and any contact details or order numbers they gave.
Faster replies with AI help
Draft with AI writes an answer from the agent's instructions and knowledge, in the visitor's language. Improve my text polishes what you typed. Nothing is sent until you click Send.
Honest about availability
Live chat is offered only while someone who can reply is online. The agent never promises how soon or who will join, and keeps answering while the visitor waits.
How live chat with AI works
Switch it on and stay online
Live chat is off by default. Turn on Offer live chat when someone from the team is online in the Setup tab, then keep the Live chat page open in a browser tab. One person with it open makes the whole account online.
The visitor asks for a person
If the visitor asks, the agent requests your team straight away; if the agent suggests it, it asks the visitor first. No email address is needed. The chat appears under Waiting, with a chime and, if you allow it, a desktop alert.
A teammate clicks Take over
The status changes to You're answering and the agent stops replying from the visitor's next message. If two people click at the same moment, one gets the chat and the other sees who is answering.
End live chat and hand back
When you are done, click End live chat. The visitor sees that you left and is back with the AI assistant. If ratings are on, they are asked to rate the chat with one to five stars.
Live chat details
Waiting and Active lists
The Live chat inbox covers every agent in your account. Waiting shows chats where a visitor asked for a person in the last 5 minutes; Active shows chats a teammate is answering, with who is answering.
Fallback when nobody joins
A request nobody takes over within 5 minutes lapses. The visitor is told nobody could join right now, and if hand-off by email is on, the agent offers to pass the conversation on by email.
Step into a chat the AI is handling
The owner and admins can take over a chat in which the visitor never asked for a person, as long as live chat is on and the visitor wrote in the last 30 minutes.
Status lines in five languages
What the visitor sees, such as "Waiting for a team member…" and the rating, appears in English, German, French, Italian or Spanish, following the agent's Widget language. Your replies appear exactly as typed.
Ratings and stats
Optionally ask "How was your chat with Anna?" with five stars and a comment. The dashboard shows Live chats, Average rating and Ratings, each against the previous period.
A complete transcript
Each team reply is saved with the first name and "team, live chat" above it, and the CSV export marks it as Team member. The agent answers later messages with the whole conversation in mind.
Roles that decide who answers
Owners, admins and editors take over and reply; viewers follow along read-only and don't count as online. Only the owner and admins can reply in or end a colleague's chat.
Webhooks and Slack alerts
Each request sends the live_chat.requested event to your webhooks and can post to a Slack channel, with the visitor's last message and a link to take it in the Live chat inbox.
Frequently asked questions
What is live chat with AI?
It is one chat window shared by an AI agent and your team. intoCHAT's agent answers visitors from your website and documents. When a visitor wants a person and someone from your team is online, a teammate takes over the same conversation in the widget, replies as themselves while the AI stays silent, and hands it back to the AI when done.
Which plan includes live chat?
Live chat is on every plan, Free too. Teammates need seats: Free has the owner only, Starter includes 2 team members and Pro 5. Saved replies in the reply box start at Starter, and inbox routing and live translation, which also work for live chats, at Pro.
When does a visitor get live chat instead of the AI?
Only when live chat is on for the agent, a visitor asks for a person (or accepts the agent's offer when it can't help) and someone from your team is online. Online means someone who can reply has the Live chat inbox open in a browser tab, or had it open in the last 2 minutes.
What happens if nobody from my team is online?
The agent doesn't offer live chat. If hand-off by email is on, it offers to pass the conversation to your team by email instead; if neither is on, it doesn't offer a person. If someone is online but nobody takes over within 5 minutes, the request lapses and the visitor is told so.
Do live chat messages use my plan's messages?
No. While a teammate has the chat, the visitor's messages, your teammate's replies, the AI summary, Draft with AI and Improve my text don't use your plan's messages. Messages the agent answers while the visitor waits for someone to join count as usual.
Can my team see what the AI already said?
Yes. The Live chat inbox opens the chat on its latest 100 messages, labelled Visitor, AI or the teammate's name, and Summary so far sums up the conversation in 3 to 5 points when you take over. Full transcript opens the whole conversation.
Is it real-time like a dedicated live chat tool?
Close, but not instant. Nothing is pushed: the widget checks for your replies every 3 seconds and the inbox checks for new chats and messages every 5 seconds, so messages can take a few seconds. There is no typing indicator and no read receipts, and your team sends plain text only.
Can live chats be assigned to specific people?
In the Live chat inbox, everyone sees every waiting chat and whoever takes it over first answers it. Each request also puts the conversation in the Inbox, where you can assign it; on Pro and Enterprise, inbox routing assigns it to a team and a teammate automatically.
Let your AI agent and your team share the chat
Create your agent free, switch on live chat, keep the Live chat page open and ask for a person from your own site to see the takeover in action.
Create your agent freeFree plan, no credit card needed.