Setting up Live Chat using Zoho SalesIQ
Open an immediate line of communication between your support team and your customers by adding the power of live chat to Zoho Desk. It enables your agents to have real-time conversations with your customers to serve them more quickly, and to build a human connection that can be harder to do via email. Your customers can initiate a chat from their Help Center or, if you allow it, even from your business website. You can also streamline your live chat follow-up process by creating support tickets from chat interactions.
Permission Required Users with the Support Channels administrative permission can access this feature.
Check Feature Availability and Limits
Key Features
Here are some of the key features and benefits you get:
- Real-time chat translation (powered by Google Translate)
- Automatic conversion of chats to tickets (configurable in Zoho SalesIQ)
- Access to all the features of a chat widget whenever there is an update from Zoho SalesIQ.
- Start live chat conversations from the convenience of your mobile phones, on the Zoho Sales IQ app.
- Additional features like FAQs on the chat window, conversation view, IP blocking, and making an audio call.
Powered by Zoho SalesIQ
Zoho SalesIQ powers the chat channel in Zoho Desk. This means you can customize the appearance of your chat embeds, and other chat specific settings in Zoho SalesIQ by accessing the account. Whether you are an existing or a new customer to Zoho SalesIQ, you can enable chat channel in Zoho Desk with just a few easy steps.
Getting Started
Before you can embrace the power of chat support you need to link your Zoho Desk account with your Zoho SalesIQ account. If you don’t yet have a Zoho SalesIQ account, we will be automatically creating one that is linked to the Zoho Desk portal. Since Zoho SalesIQ powers the chat channel, the Zoho SalesIQ account linked to Zoho Desk provides free access to most of the SalesIQ features. The features available under this exclusive plan are given below:
Zoho SalesIQ Features | Availability |
No of operators | Equivalent to chat agents in Zoho Desk |
Chat volume | Unlimited |
Departments | 25 |
Conversation search | Yes |
Translation Support | Yes |
Chat History | Unlimited Days |
Number of Websites (embeds) | Unlimited |
Customize embeds and chat window | Yes |
Reporting | Yes |
Chat app for agents | Yes |
Mobile SDK | Yes |
Monitor live chats | Yes |
IP block spammers or harassers | Yes |
Chat from email signature | Yes |
Set concurrent chat limit | Yes |
Notes:
- If you are in the free plan of Zoho SalesIQ, you could link it to Zoho Desk to access these features.
- Some of the enterprise-grade features like screen sharing, remote access, visitor tracking, visitor routing, and chat routing are not available.
- You may purchase licenses in Zoho SalesIQ to access other plan specific features.
New to Zoho SalesIQ
If you're new to Zoho SalesIQ, we will be automatically creating a Zoho SalesIQ portal (i.e., account) on enabling the chat channel in Zoho Desk. This account gets linked to the Zoho Desk user whose credentials made the request. Follow the instructions below to enable chat as a new Zoho SalesIQ user.
- Click Setup (
) > Channels > Chat.
- In the Chat Settings page, click Enable Chat.
A Zoho SalesIQ account will be created with the Portal Name of your Zoho Desk. Also, its default embed is automatically linked here.
Note:
- You can also go to Setup >> Departments >> [Select Department] >> Channels >> Chat to enable the chat channel.
Existing Zoho SalesIQ Customers
If you're an existing customer, you have to select the Zoho SalesIQ portal to enable chat. Follow the instructions below to do this.
- Click Setup (
- In the Chat Settings page, click Enable Chat.
- Select the Zoho SalesIQ portal from the drop-down list, which will be linked to the Zoho Desk account.
- Click Continue.
Setting up Live Chat
Once you enable live chat, you must select the embed, add departments and associate agents in your Zoho Desk. Please continue with the following steps to do so:
- Select an embed from the drop-down menu called Name.
For new Zoho SalesIQ users, the default embed is pre-selected. - Copy the code snippet for the embed chosen in Step 1.
Paste this code into your website's source file for your customers to chat with agents from there. - By default, the chat widget will be added to your Help Center.
You may uncheck the "Include live chat in Help Center" option to disallow chats from the Help Center. - From the moment you enable chat, your live chat operation is staffed with one user and administrator—you. You can choose to enable live chat for other departments and add chat agents to them. To do so:
- Select the departments from the drop-down menu.
You can choose All Public Departments to add chat channel for all public departments quickly. - Click the Plus icon (
) corresponding to a department, to add chat agents to it.
You can search for agents based on their name. Also, click All Agents to add all agents in the department quickly. - And, voila! Live chat will be ready for use.
Points to Remember
- You must add at least one agent to enable live chat in a department.
- An agent can be added to the live chat channel in more than one department.
- Chat can be enabled only for public departments in Zoho Desk (i.e., those visible in the Help Center).
- Enabling Include live Chat in Help Center option will automatically add the chat service in your Help Center without requiring you to embed any script.
- You can select just one embed at a time for all unbranded departments.
- Any customization of embeds or chat window must be done in Zoho SalesIQ.
You can click the Advanced Settings button on the chat settings page to open Zoho SalesIQ on a separate tab. - Disabling customer happiness ratings in Zoho Desk will not automatically disable the visitor feedback feature in Zoho SalesIQ.
- Since Zoho SalesIQ powers the chat channel, chat visitors rate agents' performances by stars, on a scale of one (poor) to five (excellent) stars. These numerical ratings are then converted into Happiness Ratings on tickets as listed below:
- 1 - 2: Bad
- 3: Okay
- 4 - 5: Good
Disabling Live Chat
If you are convinced that live chat is not for your business, you can disable the same in Zoho Desk. When you disable, the chat widget will be removed from your Help Center.
To disable live chat:
- Click Setup (
- In the Chat Settings page, click the toggle at the top of the page to disable chat.
- Click Disable to confirm your action.
The chat channel will be disabled in your Zoho Desk. Please note that the chat widget gets removed from your Help Center and your agents cannot answer customer chats from inside Zoho Desk. Also, your Zoho SalesIQ subscription will be moved to the Free plan automatically.
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