Live Chat with Website Visitors

Live Chat lets you talk with families visiting your website in real-time — right from your Enrollio inbox. Answer questions instantly, guide parents through enrollment, and turn more website visitors into tours and enrollments.

This article covers how to set up Live Chat, manage incoming conversations, and make sure no inquiry goes unanswered.

What is Live Chat?

Live Chat appears as a small widget on your enrollment site. When a parent clicks it, you get their message instantly in your Conversations inbox — alongside texts, emails, and other messages.

No more waiting hours for email replies. Parents get immediate answers while they're actively interested in your center.

You can assign chats to specific staff members, set up automated responses for after-hours, and capture contact details even when you're away. Everything stays organized in one place.

Why Use Live Chat?

  • Instant responses: Answer parent questions in real-time while they're browsing your site
  • All in one inbox: See chats alongside texts and emails — no switching between platforms
  • Better conversion: Faster replies mean more tour bookings and enrollments
  • Capture every lead: Even when offline, the widget collects contact info automatically

Before You Start

You'll need to install and configure the Chat Widget on your enrollment site first. Here's how:

1. Create Your Chat Widget

  1. Go to Sites → Chat Widget
  2. Click + New
  3. Set Chat Type to Live Chat (this is critical — other types won't route to Conversations)

[SCREENSHOT: Chat Widget creation screen showing Chat Type dropdown with Live Chat selected]

2. Customize Your Widget

Configure these essential settings to create a smooth parent experience:

  • Intro Message: Your opening greeting (e.g., "Hi! Have questions about enrollment? We're here to help!")
  • Branding: Add your center's logo and colors so parents know it's you
  • Inactivity Fallback: If you don't respond within a set time, this automated message asks for their contact info
  • Timeout Message: Closes the chat gracefully if the visitor stops responding

[SCREENSHOT: Chat Widget customization screen showing intro message, branding, and fallback settings]

3. Install the Widget

  1. Copy the installation code from the widget settings
  2. Paste it into your enrollment site's footer or body section
  3. Save and publish your site

The chat widget will now appear on your site, and messages will flow into your Conversations inbox.

[SCREENSHOT: Installation code box with copy button highlighted]

Using Live Chat in Conversations

Once your widget is live, parent messages appear in real-time in your inbox. Here's how to manage them:

Viewing and Responding to Messages

  1. Open Conversations from your main navigation
  2. Live Chat messages appear with a chat icon next to them
  3. Click any chat to open it and reply instantly

Your responses appear in the widget on their screen immediately — just like texting.

[SCREENSHOT: Conversations inbox showing multiple message types with Live Chat message highlighted and chat icon visible]

Filter for Live Chat Only

To see just your live chats without other messages:

  1. Click the Filter option in Conversations
  2. Select Live Chat as the channel
  3. Your view updates to show only chat widget conversations

This is helpful when you want to focus on real-time website inquiries separately from scheduled follow-ups.

[SCREENSHOT: Filter dropdown in Conversations with Live Chat option selected]

Assigning Chats to Staff Members

You can route incoming chats to specific team members automatically. This ensures enrollment questions go to your director, tour requests go to your tour coordinator, etc.

To set up automatic assignment:

  1. Go to Automations → + New Automation
  2. Click Add New Trigger → select Customer Replied or New Chat Message
  3. Under trigger filters:
    • Set Channel = Live Chat
    • Add filter Chat Widget is → select your specific widget
  4. Click + below the trigger → choose Assign to User
  5. Select the staff member who should receive these chats
  6. Click Save → toggle from Draft to Published

Now every chat from that widget automatically assigns to the right person on your team.

[SCREENSHOT: Automation builder showing trigger filters for Live Chat and Chat Widget, plus Assign to User action]

Pro Tip: Create different widgets for different pages — one for your enrollment page, another for your FAQ page — and route them to different staff members based on context.

Closing Conversations

When a chat is complete, click End Chat to close it. This keeps your inbox organized and helps track response times.

You can also configure automatic closure in your Chat Widget settings. If a parent doesn't respond for a set period, the chat closes automatically and they're notified.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why aren't Live Chat messages appearing in my Conversations inbox?

Check two things:

  1. Make sure your Chat Widget is installed correctly on your enrollment site
  2. Verify that Chat Type is set to Live Chat in your widget settings (Sites → Chat Widget). If it's set to another type, messages won't route to Conversations.

What happens if I'm not available to respond immediately?

Your Fallback Inactivity Message kicks in. After the time period you set (say, 2 minutes), the widget automatically asks the parent for their contact details. You can then follow up by text or email when you're available.

This means you never lose a lead, even during busy times or after hours.

Can I assign chats to specific team members?

Yes. You can assign chats manually by clicking into any conversation and selecting a team member. Or set up an automation (see "Assigning Chats to Staff Members" above) to route chats automatically based on which widget they came from.

Can I see only Live Chat conversations, separate from texts and emails?

Absolutely. Use the Filter option in Conversations and select Live Chat as the channel. Your inbox will show only chat widget conversations, making it easy to focus on real-time website inquiries.