Take over a live conversation
See who is talking to your agent right now, step into the chat, send your calendar times or start a video call.
Relay lets your team act on buying intent while it's still live. Relay in the sidebar shows every visitor who is chatting with your agent right now. When someone is ready for a person, you can take over the chat, drop your calendar times into it or start a video call, while they're still on your site.
This article covers watching live visitors and taking over a conversation until you hand it back.
You're in the right place when a hot visitor is on your site now and a rep should talk to them before they leave.
What do you need before you start?
- Your calendar connected, if you want to send your own times. See Connect your email and calendar.
How do you see who's on your site?
Open Relay. The top shows how many visitors are Live right now, split into Hot, Warm and Customers. The page refreshes every five seconds.
A visitor appears once they've messaged your agent in the last few minutes. Visitors who are still on the page but not doing anything show dimmed.
Visitors are grouped into columns:
| Column | Who's in it |
|---|---|
| Hot right now | High intent. Take over while interest is alive. |
| Researching | Prospects warming up. |
| Customers on-site | Existing accounts. |
| Just landed | Cold visitors with low intent so far. |
Switch between Kanban and List at the top right.
The Relay panel in the bottom-right corner lists hot visitors under Needs a human. From there you can Meet, Reply, or send a Relay request, which invites the visitor to chat with you. If the visitor has left the page, the request waits for them.
How do you take over a conversation?
Open the conversation
Select Take over → on a visitor's card, or Reply in the Relay panel. A panel opens with the conversation so far and the visitor's profile. The visitor sees that you joined the chat.
Read the room
Why now sums up why this visitor matters at this moment. Suggested opener is a first message the agent drafted for you. Select Use it to put it in your reply box. Nothing is sent until you send it.
Reply
Type in the reply box and select Send. The visitor sees your name and avatar, and sees when you're typing. Select Suggest replies for a few drafts based on the conversation, then pick one to edit and send.
While you're replying, the agent holds back. It stays quiet for five minutes after your last message, then picks the conversation back up if you've gone quiet.
Book or meet
- Send times puts your own open calendar times into the chat, so the visitor can book you directly.
- Start meeting opens a live video meeting in a new tab and invites the visitor to join. The meeting view shows the visitor's details next to the video. Use Return to meeting to get back to it.
Hand back to the agent
When you're done, select Release. The visitor sees that you handed the chat back.
How do you set your availability?
From Relay, select Routing to open Routing activity. The button shows while at least one visitor is live. Under Your availability, pick Available to be first in line for live visitors. Pick any other status to be skipped. The page also lists your teammates' statuses and recent routing decisions. See Routing activity.
Test it
Check Relay end to end with your own visit:
- Open your website in a private window and send the agent a message.
- In ShowPilot, open Relay. Your test visit appears within a few seconds.
- Select Take over →, send a reply and check that it appears in the chat on your site with your name.
- Select Release and check that the chat shows the hand-back.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | What to check |
|---|---|
| A visitor on your site doesn't appear | A visitor appears once they've messaged your agent in the last few minutes. |
| A visitor's card is dimmed | They're still on the page but not doing anything. |
| Send times doesn't offer your times | Connect your calendar. See Connect your email and calendar. |
| You aren't being routed conversations | Check Your availability is set to Available. |
Frequently asked questions
Does the visitor know a person has joined?
Yes. The visitor sees that you joined the chat, and sees your name and avatar. They also see when you hand the chat back.
Will the agent talk over me?
No. While you're replying, the agent holds back. It stays quiet for five minutes after your last message, then picks the conversation back up if you've gone quiet.
Is the suggested opener sent automatically?
No. Use it puts it in your reply box. Nothing is sent until you send it.
What if the visitor left before I sent a Relay request?
The request waits for them.