Enable live chat for the intended website.
Open the website in the Sairo workspace, go to its assistant settings, and find Live chat. The switch belongs to that site, so enabling one client or brand does not publish live chat on every website in the workspace.
At least one eligible specialist must be selected before the feature can be enabled. Save the setting, then review the public widget on the website identified by that site’s public key.
Assign specialists with the right access.
Choose active workspace members who are authorised to read and answer conversations for this site. Project access still applies in an agency workspace, and client viewers cannot configure or operate live chat.
Use individual accounts rather than a shared login. The visitor sees the replying specialist’s display name, while private account details such as the specialist’s email address are not exposed in the public response.
| Responsibility | Decision to record |
|---|---|
| Site coverage | Which specialists are assigned to this website. |
| Working hours | When someone is expected to set themselves Available. |
| Response authority | Which questions the specialist can answer or decide. |
| Offline requests | Who checks queued messages and how the team follows up. |
| Escalation | What happens when the specialist needs another team or private system. |
Understand what “available” means.
A specialist is shown as available after they set Available in the workspace, including from other pages. Browser notifications can alert them when a visitor is waiting. Setting Away, or never opting in, keeps the widget in the offline queue.
When nobody is available, the visitor sees Leave a message for the team. Their request still enters the site’s queue, but the wording does not promise an immediate reply. Published availability should match the way the team actually staffs the desk.
Keep the AI context during handoff.
A visitor can choose the live chat control, and the assistant can also request live chat when its escalation workflow is triggered. In both cases, the existing conversation enters the specialist queue with the earlier visitor and assistant messages attached.
The visitor can continue writing while waiting. When a specialist joins, the widget shows the specialist’s name and keeps new replies in the same transcript, so the visitor does not need to open another tool or repeat the original question.
Claim, reply, take over, and end deliberately.
Open Live chat from the signed-in workspace. Waiting conversations appear for the sites assigned to that specialist. The first specialist to join claims the conversation atomically, preventing two people from becoming its active owner at the same time.
Only the active owner can reply or end the session. Other assigned specialists can see that it is being handled. If the owner stops reporting presence, an eligible teammate can take over after the inactivity window rather than leaving the visitor permanently attached to an absent operator.
Take over a live conversation. Move from assistant to specialist in one conversation.
Before you start: A website owner enables live chat and selects an eligible teammate. The workspace, visitors and figures shown are fictional examples.
Read the transcript
- When a visitor needs a person.
Some questions need your team. Sairo lets a specialist join the visitor's existing conversation.
- Choose a specialist
Open the website's Settings and installation. Enable live chat, choose an eligible teammate, and save the live chat settings.
- Set Available
The specialist selects Go available in the workspace header. Check that the status says Available. Visitors can now see that a person is online.
- The visitor asks
The visitor selects Talk to a person and leaves their question. Their request appears in your live queue.
- Join the request
Open Live chat. Read the earlier messages for context, then select Join live chat. The conversation is assigned to you.
- Reply as yourself
Write a helpful reply in Message to visitor and select Send. The visitor sees your name and your response in the same chat.
- One conversation
There is no need for the visitor to repeat the earlier question. Your team reply stays alongside the assistant's messages.
- Finish clearly
When you have finished helping, select End live chat. Set yourself Away when you are no longer available to take requests.
- A human reply. All the context.
If nobody is available, Sairo lets the visitor leave a message for the team without promising an immediate reply.
Read the context
Review the visitor’s question, the assistant’s earlier answer, and any messages sent while waiting.
Join the chat
Claim the conversation when you are ready to own the reply.
Identify the next step
Answer within your authority or explain which follow-up route is required.
End the live session
Close it clearly when the live exchange is complete so the widget returns to assistant mode.
Set expectations for near-real-time delivery.
Live chat uses a WebSocket connection between the visitor widget and the specialist desk. PostgreSQL remains the source of truth for the queue, ownership, messages, and status. If the socket is unavailable, the widget falls back to authenticated HTTP updates about every 2.5 seconds.
A short delivery delay is normal on the fallback path. The stored transcript remains the source of truth for the inbox, reconnecting the visitor’s browser session, and reviewing what happened after the live exchange.
Test every visible state before launch.
Use a site and accounts your team controls. Test a visitor request while a specialist is online, send a message while waiting, join from the desk, reply, refresh the visitor page, and end the session. Confirm speaker names, status messages, and transcript order.
Set every specialist Away and repeat the request. Confirm that the offline wording is accurate and that the request remains available when an assigned specialist returns. Include keyboard operation, screen reader announcements, zoom, narrow screens, and the host website’s other fixed controls.
Common questions
Can a visitor send messages before a specialist joins?
Yes. Messages sent while the request is waiting are stored in the same conversation and are visible to the specialist who claims it.
Does live chat work when nobody is available?
The visitor can leave a message in the site’s queue. The widget clearly says that no specialist is available and does not promise an immediate response.
Does Sairo live chat use WebSockets?
Yes. The widget and specialist desk use a WebSocket connection, with HTTP updates about every 2.5 seconds if that connection is unavailable.
Can two specialists reply to the same visitor?
One specialist owns the live session at a time. Claiming is atomic, and takeover is limited to eligible teammates after the active owner’s presence expires.