Forums/Tips & Tricks

Know How: Invitations and Proactive Chat

Błażej Szperliński
posted this on November 30, 2011 06:08 pm

Chat invitations (Proactive Chat) are graphical and textual boxes that appear on a visitor's screen while browsing a website. Clicking them (accepting) leads into chat with a LiveChat Operator. Visitors can also decline by clicking the usual upper right-hand corner X button.

Only one invitation can be displayed during a browsing session. If he just browses on however, neither accepting nor declining, it will keep showing up until reacted to.

To add an invitation, go to panel.livechatinc.com, Settings and Invitations:

They are invoked thanks to the Tracking code you have installed in <head> of your website.

Settings_Invitations.png

Automatic invitations can be sent to visitors based on ALL defined conditions.

  • Time On website - Total time spent by a visitor on a certain website (one domain)
  • Time On current page - Total time spent on a defined page address
  • Current page address - Page address the visitor is currently on
  • Any visited page address - Page address the visitor had visited during the browsing session
  • User visited following pages - Defined page addresses, browsed during the browsing session
  • User visited at least - No. of pages browsed by the visitor
  • Referring website address - Specific address of referring page source (can be external domain)
  • Searched Keyword is - Keyword used in a search engine which lead to your website
  • Chat window language - Langauge parameter of the monitoring code installed on your page
  • Skill - Skill parameter of the monitoring code installed on your page
  • Custom Variable - Variable other than the above, defined by your on board website developer.


Advanced settings enable adding ANY additional conditions, one of which must be met in order for the invitation to show up.

There are TWO types of Invitations - Embedded and Popup - If you have Embedded window design turned on, it'll be the embedded invitation, and if you have the New Window design turned on, it will be the popup invitation. Set up your LiveChat window at Panel.livechatinc.com > Settings > Window Type Before proceeding !

embedded_or_popup.png

1. Embedded Invitations (Invite visitor to chat)

Embedded_Invitation.png

Right now Invitations that are set up at Panel.livechatinc.com > Invitations (When Conditions are Met Invite visitor to chat) send a custom message inside the chat box.


To turn off the embedded window and prevent it from popping up BEFORE visitors are invited, first go to Panel.livechatinc.com > Settings > Chat Window > Roll out the right hand menu, and Tick "Display the chat window only for invited visitors". Save Changes and all will be fine

 

Hide_Embedded.png


2. Popup invitations (Custom Invitation Picture)

PopUp_Invitation.png

They enable upload of an invitation template which is used as a placeholder for a custom message, which will pop up to a new visitor.


NOTE: a Popup Invitation can be used to invoke both an embedded and pop-out chat window.
NOTE: each invitation can have a defined target Skill (group). Operators of that Skill (group) will receive the chat after acceptance.

 

Common (BEST!) Practices:

  • Invitations cover up the screen, so content of your website. You must be confident when this can be done. If a visitor is reading, or looking to confirm if your page is appropriate for his needs, you NEVER want to pop up an invitation.
  • Identify customer behaviour patterns - Make use of LiveChat's reporting module - know when your visitors attempt chat, on which page and after how long - this will help you define the best combo for your invitation triggering conditions.
  • Paying for AdWords? Make use of the Keyword condition of triggers, and tailor custom messages inside invitation placeholders in order to personalize the invitation experience. Those convert significantly more often than generic ones.
  • Use custom templates rather than our of the box generic ones. They add style to your website, along with making them feel like an inherent element of the page.
  • Triggering Invitations after 2 browsed pages and at least 30 seconds is the most common configuration which has an average 10% invitation to chat conversion rate.

 

Do you know any good practices on this subject?