Why Add Live Chat to Your Website

When a potential customer visits your website, they often have a question before they are ready to book or buy. If there is no fast way to get an answer, they leave. WebChat solves this by placing a live chat window directly on your website, so visitors can reach you in real time — and you can respond from your inbox without switching tools. The faster you respond to a new lead, the more likely you are to convert that visitor into a paying customer.

WebChat is a live chat feature you install from the App Market. Once installed, WebChat adds a chat widget to your website so visitors can start a conversation with you directly from any page. All incoming WebChat messages arrive in your inbox alongside your other conversations, so you never miss a lead. Use WebChat to:

• Capture leads the moment they land on your site — Visitors can start a conversation before they decide to leave, giving you the chance to answer questions and keep them engaged.

• Respond from one place — WebChat messages appear in your inbox alongside your emails, texts, and other messages, so you manage all customer communication in one view.

• Add chat to any website — WebChat can be installed directly on your Thryv® website, or you can use the provided HTML code to add it to a website hosted on a different platform.

How to Install WebChat on Your Website

To install WebChat, you first need to add the WebChat App from the App Market. Click App Market in the left-hand navigation of your dashboard. Find the WebChat App in the App Market and click on it to open the app detail page.

The screenshot above shows the App Market page with the WebChat App listing visible. The WebChat App is displayed with its icon and a brief description. The App Market page does not show pricing or account settings — those are accessed after you open the app detail page.

On the WebChat App detail page, click the Get This App button to begin the installation.

The screenshot above shows the WebChat App detail page. The Get This App button is displayed in the center of the page. Clicking the Get This App button starts the installation process and adds the WebChat widget to your website. The detail page also displays a description of the WebChat App and any associated plan requirements — it does not show your inbox or chat history.

To get started, customize the Header Color, Text Color, and Action Button Color for your WebChat. 

Click on Pick Color 

for each item (Header, Text, and Button) to open the color picker. You can select a color by clicking on it in the square, and using the brightness slider to adjust. You also can enter a HEX Code or RGB code as well. Note: The exact RGB Code for your website can be found by navigating to Online Presence>Website Widgets. 

Once you have customized the color for all 3 items, click on Install

For an Internal Site, meaning your website is managed by Thryv, click on Alert Web Team. This will alert Thryv's web team to add the WebChat widget to your website and make sure everything is running smoothly.

For an External Site, meaning your site is managed by someone other than Thryv, you will need to copy the HTML code and paste it at the end of your header in the code for your website. If you're not able to add the script to your site right away, you will receive a message in your Thryv inbox that contains the Script, so you can do so when you are ready.

After this step, the install is complete! Please allow 24-48 hours for our web team to add the WebChat widget to your Thryv site. Alternatively, for immediate service, you can call us directly at 866-239-8317 to have WebChat added. Between 8am to 2am CST, Monday through Thursday, Friday between 8am to 7pm CST, Saturday 10am to 4pm CST, and Sunday 5pm to 2am CST.

To make changes to your WebChat widget, navigate back to the app. Upon visiting again, some new buttons will appear:

• Update - The changes you have made to your WebChat widget will take effect
• Uninstall - This will remove the app and remove the WebChat widget from your website.
  • Note: This option will only work if your website is managed by Thryv. If you have an external website, then to uninstall you will need to delete the HTML code for the WebChat widget from your website. 
• Back To Thryv- The changes you have made to your WebChat widget will be discarded and you will be taken back to the App Market

Using WebChat to Communicate

When a visitor to your website initiates a conversation through WebChat, they will be prompted to enter their information. This is used to either create a client card for them, or associate the conversation to an existing client card. 

When your customer completes the form and sends their message, you will instantly receive a Thryv notification, and the message will appear in your inbox.

After sending their message:

• Your customer can set up a notification in their Facebook Messenger to be notified when you've sent a response
• An auto-response will be sent indicating the time zone in which your business hours operate, so the client will know when to expect a response

In Thryv Business Center™, their message will appear in your Inbox.

Within the Conversation, an icon will display to indicate a WebChat session has started, and this icon: will appear to indicate the message was sent through WebChat.

From here, you can respond to your client as normal, and you can always change the conversation channel to another method (email, SMS, Facebook Messenger, etc) by clicking on the channel icon.

FAQ

Can I add WebChat to my website if my website platform or provider does not allow me to insert custom HTML onto my website? No, in this case you wouldn't be able to install WebChat onto your website. For example, some website platforms do not let you install custom HTML on your website, such as HIBU or GoDaddy's website builder (WebChat can be used on a GoDaddy hosted site if the site is built on another platform, such as WordPress).
 

How do I know which connected channel I received a message from? All incoming messages are organized and shown in the conversation thread under a header of the channel it was received from. Once a new message is received from a different channel a new header will appear in real-time above the new message within the conversation thread.

How long after the initial message can I respond to a WebChat conversation?From the initial message, you can respond to the customer directly from your inbox to WebChat. A WebChat session stays open indefinitely, as long as your customer does not clear their browser cache. Or, if your customer opened webchat in an incognito window, the session will end when they close the session. In this instance, you can then only respond to the customer by selecting SMS or Email if the telephone number or email address is saved.

How do I capture lead contact information from multiple platforms? Messaging apps connected via the App Market include an instant-reply request feature. When a customer connects with you from any connected channel, they will receive an instant reply requesting their name and email address. All information entered automatically creates a new contact in your Thryv Business Center™ or updates an existing contact with additional details captured.

Can I connect WebChat to my website if I don’t have a Thryv Managed website?Yes! WebChat will connect to any Website that can accept using a source code. You will need to paste the WebChat snippet into the code of your website yourself. Below are some guides we have created for some of the most popular 3rd party website platforms:

• Wix
• WordPress
• SquareSpace

I have an external (managed by someone other than Thryv) website, and I'm trying to make changes to my WebChat widget. Do I need to copy and paste the code again?No, any changes you make in the app will update automatically using the same code, there is no need to copy and paste again.

How can I uninstall WebChat from my website?If you have a Thryv Managed website, you can remove WebChat by disconnecting the app from the App Market. If WebChat was added to your site using an Html code you will need to remove the code to remove WebChat from your site.

How to Use WebChat to Communicate with Visitors

Once WebChat is installed, a chat widget appears on your website. When a visitor starts a conversation through the chat widget, the message arrives in your inbox. Click Inbox in the left-hand navigation of your dashboard to view and respond to WebChat messages. Each WebChat conversation is displayed as a thread alongside your other messages, including emails and texts, so you can manage all customer communication from a single location.

To reply to a WebChat message, open the conversation thread in your inbox, type your response in the message field at the bottom of the thread, and click Send. Your response is delivered to the visitor's chat window on your website in real time. WebChat does not send automatic replies — every response is sent manually by you or a member of your team.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this article cover?

This article covers how to install the WebChat App from the App Market, how to add the WebChat widget to your website, and how to respond to WebChat conversations from your inbox. This article does not cover how to set up automated chatbot responses — WebChat is a live chat tool and does not send automatic replies. This article does not cover other messaging channels available in your inbox. To learn about all the messaging platforms that connect to your inbox, see Messaging Platforms Connected to Your Inbox.

Is WebChat a chatbot?

No. WebChat is a live chat tool, not a chatbot. WebChat does not automatically respond to messages from your website visitors. Every reply is sent manually by you or a member of your team from your inbox. If a visitor sends a message when you are unavailable, the message will be waiting in your inbox when you return.

Can I add WebChat to a website that is not hosted on Thryv?

Yes. After installing the WebChat App, you can add the WebChat widget to a website hosted on a different platform by copying the HTML code provided during installation and pasting it into your external website's code. If you need help with this step, contact support for assistance.

What other messaging platforms connect to my inbox?

Your inbox supports multiple messaging channels beyond WebChat. To see the full list of messaging platforms that connect to your inbox and how to set them up, see Messaging Platforms Connected to Your Inbox.