Messages while you're away and phone alerts
What happens when a visitor writes while nobody is online, and how to get chat alerts on your phone or in Telegram.
You don't have to sit in the inbox all day. When nobody on your team is online, the chat still takes messages, turns them into leads and emails you.
When nobody is online
When the Live chat screen isn't open anywhere, the chat window shows Away and your away message. The visitor gives their name and email, and sends their message.
Then:
- The visitor sees the thank-you text ("Thanks! We are away right now and will reply by email as soon as we can.").
- The message is saved in Leads & Growth → Leads, with the source "Live chat:" and the page they were on.
- You get an email, "Chat message while you were away from…", with an Open Live chat button.
- The conversation is listed in the inbox with · sent while away.
When you reply in the inbox, your answer is emailed to the visitor ("You have a reply from…"), because they have left.
Choose who gets emails
In Live chat settings → Notifications:
| Email me about new chats | When you get an email |
|---|---|
| Only when I'm away (recommended) | Only for messages sent while nobody is online. |
| Always | For every new chat ("New chat from…"). |
| Never | No emails. Messages sent while away are still saved in Leads. |
Send them to takes the address. Leave it empty to use the Lead Notification Email in System → Settings.
Get alerts on your phone
Each person turns this on for their own phone or computer. Nothing to install on Android; on an iPhone, first add the admin to your Home Screen (in Safari: Share → Add to Home Screen) and open it from there.
- On your phone, sign in to the admin and go to Leads & Growth → Live chat.
- Tap Phone notifications.
- Tap Turn on notifications on this device (1) and allow notifications when asked. The phone is listed under Your devices.
- Under Alert me about (3), choose All chats and new messages, Only chats assigned to me (and new chats nobody has yet) or Nothing.
- Tap Send a test (4). Your phone shows "This is how chat alerts look on this device."
By default your phone stays quiet while you have Live chat open. Tick Even while I'm in Live chat if you want alerts anyway. Tap Remove next to a device to stop alerts on it.
Get alerts in Telegram
Telegram (2) works on any phone and computer. An Administrator creates a bot once; then each person connects their own Telegram.
Once, as an Administrator:
- In Telegram, open @BotFather and send
/newbot. - Give it a name (for example "Summit Ridge chat alerts") and a username ending in "bot".
- Copy the token BotFather sends you.
- In Live chat settings → Phone notifications, paste it in Telegram bot token, click Test, then Save settings. It says Connected bot: and the bot's name.
Each person:
- Open Leads & Growth → Live chat → Phone notifications and click Connect Telegram.
- Press Start in Telegram, then click I pressed Start. It shows ✓ Connected.
- Click Send a test. The alert arrives in Telegram with an Open chat button.