6. Management of offline messages

This guide will help you understand how to view and reply to offline messages from your customers.

Access to offline messages

1. Log in to the chatbot dashboard with your access data.
2. Click on the "Offline messages" option in the navigation menu on the left-hand side to open the area for offline messages.

Understanding the "Offline news" area

The "Offline messages" section is designed to collect messages that customers leave when they are unable to interact with the chatbot or live support. You will find the following in this section:

• An "Offline Messages" heading at the top of the page, confirming that you are in the correct area to review messages sent outside of live chat times.
• A short description under the heading explaining that all messages sent by your customers while they are offline will be displayed here.
• An illustration showing a person with a message symbol, symbolizing the receipt of offline messages.

Checking the offline messages

When a customer leaves an offline message:

• The message is displayed in the main area of the "Offline messages" section.
• Each message usually displays the customer's name, contact information, the time of the message and the actual message content.
• If there are no offline messages, the content area remains empty and a placeholder text is displayed: "Offline messages from your customers will appear here."

Replying to offline messages

When a customer sends an offline message, you will receive an e-mail to the e-mail address you have provided. You can reply directly to this email to respond to the customer's message.

Expert: Configure the offline message settings for your chatbot widget

This guide will show you how to set up and customize the offline messaging feature of your chatbot to capture messages from users when live support is not available.

Access to the offline message settings

1. Log in to your chatbot control panel.
2. Select "Customize" in the navigation menu on the left-hand side.
3. Click on the "Offline message" tab at the top of the customization window.

Activating and managing offline messages

Activate offline messages

To enable users to leave messages outside of live support times, switch the "Activate offline message" switch to the "On" position.

E-mail forwarding

Enter an e-mail address in the "Send e-mail to" field to which offline messages should be forwarded. This allows you to respond to messages from users even after business hours.

Customization of the user interface

Headings for assistant and offline tab

• Assistant tab heading: Enter the title of the chatbot tab here, e.g. "AI Assistant", to indicate that the chatbot is available.
• Offline news tab headingUse a title such as "Offline message" here, which signals to the user that they can leave a message.

Heading and description

• HeadingThis is the title of the offline message form. A clear and precise title such as "Offline message" works well.
• DescriptionEnter instructions or a friendly message here, such as "Please fill out the form below and we will get back to you as soon as possible."

Customization of the form elements

Access to the customization of the fields

• Expand the "Field labels and placeholders" section to define the text for form fields and placeholders.
• In the "Error messages" section, you can define user-defined messages for errors that occur when filling out the form.
• Customize the text of the "Send" button, e.g. with the word "Send".

Customize the field labels and placeholders

Once you have activated the offline messages and defined basic headings and descriptions, you can further customize the labels and placeholders of the form fields.

Name field

• Name field labelingEnter "Name" to show users where they should enter their name.
• Name field placeholderUse a placeholder such as "Enter your name" to direct users.

E-mail field

• E-mail field labelingEnter "Email" as a label to show users where they should enter their email address.
• E-mail field placeholderA placeholder such as "Enter your e-mail" works well here.

Message field

• Message field labelingEnter "Message" to show users where they should enter their message.
• Message field placeholderA placeholder such as "Enter your message" prompts users to share their request or feedback.

Adaptation of the error messages

Access to the error messages

• Navigate to the customization area in the dashboard and expand the "Error messages" section.

Customizing the error messages

• Required fieldsEnter a message that appears if a mandatory field is not filled in, e.g. "This field is required."
• Invalid e-mailEnter an error message informing the user that the e-mail address entered is invalid, e.g. "Please enter a valid e-mail address."

Review error messages to ensure they are clear and understandable and guide users to correct errors without confusion.

Access to the settings of the "Send" button

• In the customization area, expand the "Send button" section to see the corresponding fields.

Labeling of the send button

• Enter a clear and concise request such as "Submit" as the button label.

Text after sending

• The "Sending text" is displayed after the user has clicked on the button. Use a text like "Sending..." to show the progress.

Success message when sending

• The "success message" confirms to the user that their message has been sent successfully, e.g. "Your message has been sent successfully!"

Error message when sending

• A message like "Oops! Something went wrong" informs the user of a problem without alarming them.

Label for "Send again"

• If the form allows users to send another message, you can label the button "Send again".

Label for "Try again"

• If an error occurs, use an encouraging caption such as "Try again" to motivate the user to resend.

Review and save your customizations

Review all copy to ensure it is clear and user-friendly. Make sure the language matches your brand tone and guides the user through the process.

Preview your configuration

The preview window on the right side of the screen updates in real time as you make changes. Use this to ensure that the offline message form is intuitive and brand compliant.

Accept changes

Once you have configured the offline message settings to your liking, click on the "Update widget style" button at the bottom right to save and apply your settings.
If you do not wish to save the changes, you can return to the previous page by clicking on "Back" at the bottom left.