The difference between Online, Away and Invisible

Changing your online status is all about setting the right expectation for your visitor. No one wants to start a chat, wait 5 minutes and not have anyone respond. Setting your status helps keep customers from getting frustrated when they start a chat and don't get a response.

Understanding when the widget appears offline

By default, Widget offline when all Agent(s) offline is disabled in the widget’s Visibility Settings. This means the chat widget can still appear online even when you and your team are set to Invisible, Away, or logged out.
When Widget offline when all Agent(s) offline is enabled, the widget automatically switches to Offline mode when no human agents are available. In this state, visitors will see your widget’s Offline content. By default, the widget displays the Offline form, which you can customize in the Widget Content settings. If AI Assist is enabled and available to respond to chats, the widget may remain Online even when this setting is enabled.

How the Widget Scheduler and AI Assist affect widget status
The Widget Scheduler takes priority over agent status and AI Assist availability. During scheduled offline hours, the widget remains Offline even if AI Assist is enabled.

Outside scheduled offline hours, if AI Assist is enabled and available to respond to chats, your chat widget may remain Online even when all human agents are Invisible or offline.

Learn more about the Widget Scheduler here: Using the Widget Scheduler

Changing your status

To change your online status, click your Profile icon in the lower-left corner of the dashboard select one of three options: Online, Away or Invisible.

You can see when team members are online, offline, away or invisible by viewing their status in the group chat/direct messages area.

Online

Whenever you log in to your account, your status is automatically set to Online.


The Online status indicates that you are available to answer incoming chats from visitors.


When you are online, a green dot appears next to your name on both your Dashboard and your Personal Profile Page, indicating that you are available to chat.

Away

When you are busy around the office or in a meeting and need a break from answering chats, change your status to Away.


Setting your status to Away lets your visitors know that you may or may not be available to answer chats immediately. This sets the right expectation for the visitor and avoids disappointment or a negative customer experience. 


You can change your chat widget greetings and set up a Pre-Chat Form so your widget displays a different message when you are Away. When you set up a Pre-Chat Form, your visitors will be able to leave a message and their contact details so you can get back to them quickly.


To learn more about widget greetings, read this article: Changing the greetings on your widget


Businesses will often let people know when to expect them to be online to respond by changing the widget’s content.

Invisible

When you are logged in to your tawk.to Dashboard but do not want to appear active, change your status to Invisible.


Setting your status to Invisible sets your widget to offline mode, but you can still use the Dashboard.

Keep in mind: when your status is set to Invisible, the widget still appears Online if another agent is Online. If AI Assist is enabled and available to respond to chats, the widget may also remain Online even when all human agents are Invisible or logged out.

To automatically show the widget as Offline outside your business hours, use the Widget Scheduler. The Widget Scheduler takes priority over both agent status and AI Assist availability.

To ensure the widget goes offline when all agents are offline, enable Widget offline when all Agent(s) offline in the Visibility settings.

To learn more about the widget behavior settings, read this article: Change how the widget behaves on your site

You can use the Widget Scheduler to set the days and hours when you are online. This way, you never have to worry about forgetting to log out of your account and accidentally missing chats. Learn more about the Widget Scheduler here: Using the Widget Scheduler


Setting your status allows you to choose when you are available to chat. It sets accurate expectations for your visitors, helps you avoid missed chats, and allows you to deliver positive customer experiences. 


If you have other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team or schedule a call.


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