Tell people you are closed without losing the message
The offline message replies for you when nobody is there to answer. The visitor knows their message landed, and it waits for you in the panel.
Use this when your chat is open around the clock but your team is not. It suits any business with set office hours, or with agents who go offline at the end of the day.
Step by step
Write the message
Go to Settings > Messages and fill in the offline message. This is what the user sees when they write outside office hours, or when every agent is offline.
Make it personal
The offline message supports text formatting and merge fields, so you can greet the person by name instead of sending a flat notice.
Decide when it fires
By default the message is also sent during office hours if all agents are offline. If you only want it outside your opening hours, turn on Disable agents check in Settings > Messages.
Settings reference
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Offline message | The reply sent to a user whose message arrives outside office hours or while all agents are offline. |
| Disable agents check | Stops the offline message being sent during office hours when every agent happens to be offline. |
Good to know
One per hour, per person
The same user receives the offline message at most once an hour. Someone sending several messages in a row will not be told twice.
Offline during office hours still counts
Out of the box, the message goes out whenever all agents are offline, even in the middle of your opening hours. Disable agents check is the switch that changes this.
Team chat keeps you online
An agent who is online through a connected team-chat tool counts as online. If someone is signed in there, the agents check sees your team as available.
Human takeover changes the timing
When human takeover is active, the offline message is only sent during human takeover.
Messaging channels skip the timetable
On messaging channels the timetable itself is not sent, so write the message so it makes sense on its own.
Common questions
Where do I write the offline message?
Why does the offline message go out while we are open?
Will someone get the message over and over?
Can I use the customer's name in it?
Does an agent signed in to our team chat count as offline?
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