How to Set Up Your Chat Widget in HelloShift

The HelloShift chat widget lets you connect with website visitors directly from your property’s site. Follow the steps below to customize and activate your chat widget.

Step 1: Access the Chat Widget Settings

  1. Log in to your HelloShift account.

  2. From the left-hand menu, go to AI Assistant > Text > Chat Widget.

Step 2: Configure Chat Availability

  • Disable website chat: Check this box if you want to temporarily turn off the chat widget.

  • Business hours restriction: Set the widget to appear only during specific hours (24-hour format). Leave blank to make the widget available at all times (recommended).

  • Add a delay: you can also add a delay in seconds so that the chat widget waits for a bit before popping up on website visitors.

Step 3: Customize Chat Widget Appearance

  • Title of chat window: Enter the name you want displayed (e.g., Grand Budapest Hotel Front Desk).

  • Primary color: Choose a color that matches your brand by entering a hex code or using the color picker.

  • Position of the widget: Select where the widget will appear on your website (e.g., Bottom Right).

  • Initial state of the widget: Choose whether the widget is hidden or pops open automatically when visitors land on your site.

  • Delay opening (optional): Add a time delay (in seconds) before the widget appears.

Step 4: Add Custom Messages

  • First welcome message: This is the greeting visitors see when the widget opens (e.g., This is the Front Desk of the Grand Budapest Hotel. How may we assist you?).

  • First response after visitor question: Define what message appears immediately after a visitor submits a question (e.g., The front desk agent is being notified. We typically reply within a few minutes.).

Step 5: Save Your Settings

  1. Review your selections.

  2. Click Update at the bottom of the page to apply changes.

Step 6: Add To Your Website

  1. Click on Installation Instructions

  2. Share the generated website URL with your website designed, this page contains the HTML code that must be added to your website in order to launch the widget, you can also use this page to test the widget and how it will behave.

✅ Your chat widget is now live on your website! Guests can reach your team in real-time, and you can manage conversations directly from HelloShift.

Troubleshooting

If your chat widget doesn’t appear on your website:

  1. Check if disabled

    • Make sure the “Disable website chat” box is unchecked.

  2. Verify business hours

    • If you set start and end times, the widget will only appear during those hours. Leave these fields blank to make the widget always visible.

  3. Clear browser cache

    • Sometimes recent changes don’t show right away. Clear your cache or try opening your site in an incognito/private browser window.

  4. Confirm installation

    • Ensure the HelloShift chat widget installation code has been correctly added to your website. If needed, follow the installation instructions or share them with your website administrator.

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