Chat Widget - Business Office Hours in Live Chat

How does it work?

1. 1Go to Sites > Chat Widget
2. 2Select the option of Live chat as the type of chat widget.
3. 3In the chat widget settings, the user can go to tab where there is option of Business Office Hour Setup.
4. 4Users can customize the welcome message for outside office hours using the Outside Office Hours Welcome Message option. The default message will be - We are currently offline.
5. 5Users can set multiple time ranges, ensuring no overlaps are allowed from Sunday to Saturday.
6. 6Flexibility is provided for users to copy time settings to any days, including multiple selections. [ Copied same function as Calendar availability functionality to build similarities. ]
7. 7The timezone will be based on the business (location) timezone.
8. 8Once the end user submits the contact form, the chat will automatically close.

If Business Office Hours is enabled and the end user's timezone aligns with the set business hours, the welcome message will be displayed from the Live Chat Welcome Message field. Outside office hours, contact details form will be sent to the end user.

Before you begin

“Chat Widget - Business Office Hours in Live Chat” is part of the Conversations → Live Chat area in Adaptive AI. Handle real-time website conversations and route new leads. Conversation, phone, SMS, chat, and messaging changes affect customer contact and consent. Test routing in both directions and confirm that messages land on the correct record and owner. The objective is not merely to save a setting; it is to confirm the result works for the staff member or customer who will depend on it.

• Confirm the phone number, inbox, social account, personal inbox, or chat channel is connected and assigned to the intended business.
• Verify user permissions, routing rules, forwarding destinations, business hours, voicemail behavior, and notification settings.
• Use an internal test contact with permission to receive the chosen channel and with do-not-disturb status set appropriately.
• Prepare the exact test message or call scenario, including the expected owner, reply, disposition, and follow-up action.
• Review registration, template, consent, opt-out, and service-window requirements before testing SMS or regulated messaging channels.

Verify the result

After completing the instructions in this guide, use a controlled test before treating the setup as finished. A saved screen or success message confirms configuration, but only an end-to-end test confirms the business outcome.

1. 1Initiate the test from the same direction a customer would use and confirm it appears in the correct conversation thread.
2. 2Verify assignment, notifications, sender identity, timestamps, contact matching, and message or call status.
3. 3Reply through Adaptive AI and confirm the recipient receives the response once from the expected number or account.
4. 4Test after-hours, missed-call, voicemail, forwarding, or automated follow-up behavior when those rules are part of the setup.
5. 5Confirm opt-out or do-not-disturb behavior stops restricted communication without blocking unrelated permitted channels.

Troubleshooting checklist

If the result differs from what you expected, preserve the current state and isolate one variable at a time. Start with the checks below before deleting the configuration or rebuilding it from scratch.

• Check channel connection status, number assignment, user availability, and routing rules before changing message content.
• Compare the contact's normalized phone number or email address when activity appears in a duplicate or unexpected thread.
• Review delivery, call, forwarding, or conversation logs for the first failed handoff and its provider response.
• Confirm business hours, quiet hours, service windows, approved templates, and opt-out status when a send is blocked or delayed.
• Test without overlapping workflows to determine whether duplicate replies come from routing, automation, or a second connected channel.

Best practices

• Use clear ownership and escalation rules so every inbound conversation has one accountable responder.
• Keep automated replies transparent, concise, and able to hand the conversation to a person when the request falls outside scope.
• Honor channel consent and opt-outs immediately and preserve the conversation history needed for support or compliance review.
• Use internal test records for routing changes and avoid sending experimental messages to active customers.
• Review missed, failed, unassigned, and long-waiting conversations as an operating metric, not only when a customer complains.