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Live Chat

Live chat is one of the most popular ways visitors interact with your business through the Knock Knock widget. Whether they are chatting with your AI agent or a human team member, the experience is smooth and intuitive.

Chat Window Layout​

When a visitor opens the chat, they see a clean conversation window with three main areas:

  • Company name and logo at the top
  • Close button (X) to dismiss the chat window
  • Minimize button to collapse the chat back to the widget

Message Area​

  • Full chat history — previous messages are preserved if the visitor returns
  • Agent avatars next to each message so the visitor knows who they are talking to
  • Timestamps showing when each message was sent
  • "Seen" indicator confirming the agent has read the visitor's message
  • Typing indicator (animated dots) when the agent is composing a reply

Input Area​

  • Text field where the visitor types their message
  • Emoji picker for adding emoji to messages
  • Send button to submit the message

AI Chatbot and Human Agents​

Your visitors do not need to know whether they are talking to an AI agent or a human team member. The transition between the two is seamless.

  • When the chat starts, your AI agent typically responds first, answering common questions instantly
  • If the visitor needs more help, they can click the "Talk to Human" button to request a human agent
  • When a human agent joins, a system message appears (for example, "Agent John has joined the conversation")
  • The conversation history carries over — the human agent can see everything the AI discussed with the visitor
tip

The seamless handoff between AI and human agents means your visitors never have to repeat themselves. The human agent picks up right where the AI left off.

Message Types​

Visitors can send and receive several types of messages during a chat:

Text Messages​

Standard text messages with support for rich formatting:

  • Bold text for emphasis
  • Links that are clickable and open in a new tab
  • Other markdown-style formatting as needed

Images​

Agents can send images directly in the chat. Visitors see them inline and can click to view the full-size version.

Product Carousels​

If your business has products, agents or the AI can send a product carousel — a horizontal slider showing product cards. Each card includes an image, name, price, and a link to the product page. Learn more in Product Recommendations.

Quick Reply Buttons​

Sometimes the AI or an agent sends quick reply buttons below a message. These are pre-written responses the visitor can tap instead of typing. For example:

  • "Yes, tell me more"
  • "No thanks"
  • "Schedule a meeting"

Quick replies make the conversation faster and help guide visitors toward the right outcome.

Guided Questions (Bot Flow)​

If your account uses the Bot Flow Builder, the chat can open with a scripted set of questions — buttons to tap or short answers to type, with a "3/10 ·" progress count. Answers are checked as they're typed (for example, an email must look like an email), and the bot can hand over to your AI agent or your team when the flow ends.

Escalation to a Human​

At any point during a chat with the AI, your visitor can tap the "Talk to Human" button. This sends a request to your team. What happens next:

  1. The visitor sees a message confirming their request has been sent
  2. When a team member accepts the conversation, a system message appears: "Agent [Name] has joined"
  3. The conversation continues in the same chat window with full history intact

Escalation only reaches your team when the Chat Agent's routing is set to AI to Human and you're within working hours. New accounts start on AI Only — switch it under Settings > AI Agents > Chat Agent > Routing (see Chat Agent).

note

If no human agents are available — or routing is AI Only — the visitor is told nobody can respond right now and the team will get back to them within one working day, and the AI continues to assist. Visitors can also leave their contact information so your team can follow up later. See Contact Capture for details.

System Messages​

Throughout the chat, visitors may see system messages that keep them informed:

  • "Agent John has joined the conversation" — a human agent has taken over
  • "You are now chatting with AI Assistant" — the AI is handling the conversation
  • "Agent is typing..." — someone is composing a reply

These messages appear in a distinct style so visitors can easily tell them apart from regular chat messages.

Chat Persistence​

If a visitor closes the chat and comes back later — or navigates to another page on your site — their chat history is preserved. They pick up right where they left off without losing any messages.