How to Customize the Away Configuration for the Live Chat Widget
When your team is offline, the Away Configuration keeps live chat useful and on‑brand. You define Business Hours, and outside those hours the widget automatically switches to an offline flow that lets visitors leave a message or create a support ticket—so every request is captured and routed to your team.
What you can do
- Create & assign Business Hours: Set operating hours for live chat and apply them per widget. Learn more on How to Configure Business Hours for Tickets and Live Chat in BoldDesk.
- Configure the offline form: Choose the form type and attachment behaviour, and customise labels shown to visitors during away hours.
Use the preview panel on the right to validate copy, labels, and layout before you save.
Steps to Personalise Away Configuration
To manage your live chat widget and enhance customer engagement, follow these steps:
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Go to Admin > Chat > Live Chat.
From the Live Chat page, either select an existing widget to edit or click Add Widget to create a new one. -
Open the widget and go to Business Hours > Away Configuration.
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Configure how the widget behaves outside business hours so visitors can still reach you when agents are unavailable.
Banner Description
A header message that appears when the widget opens outside business hours.
Away Message
A message that displays when visitors access the chat outside your defined hours.
Form Support
Show a form so visitors can create a ticket when you’re offline or outside business hours.
The following are the Form Support options:
1. None
No ticket form is shown. Visitors only see the Banner Description and Away Message.
2. Contact Form
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Displays a simple ticket form (e.g., Name, Email, Phone Number (optional), Subject, Description).
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Create Ticket Button Text controls the label of the call‑to‑action shown in the widget (see the “Create Ticket” link in the preview on the right).
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File Upload Option (see Image 4) determines attachment behaviour:
- None – No file picker is shown.
- Single file – Allows one attachment.
- Multiple file – Allows multiple attachments.
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Button Text – Label of the Submit button on the form.
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Confirmation Message – Message shown after submission. You can include the ticket link using the
{{ticket.link}}placeholder.
3. Contact form with ticket fields
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Renders a ticket form you’ve created in Help Desk settings.
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Additional fields appear:
- Form – Choose which ticket form to display.
- Create Ticket Button Text – Label for the call-to-action shown before the form opens.
- File Upload Option – None, Single file, or Multiple files.
- Button Text – Label of the Submit button on the form.
- Confirmation Message – Message shown after submission. You can include the ticket link using the
{{ticket.link}}placeholder.
After creating forms, enable the chosen form in a Web Widget, Web Form, or Live Chat so it appears in the widget when users create tickets. Learn more on How to Set Up Multiform Feature in BoldDesk Ticket Forms Easily.
Create Ticket Button Text
Label of the action users click to start the offline ticket flow. This appears when away hours are active.
Attachment Support (File Upload Option)
Choose whether to allow None, Single file, or Multiple files uploads with the offline form.
Option 1 — None
No file picker is shown. Visitors can submit the form without attachments.
Option 2 — Single file
Allows exactly one attachment with the offline form.
Option 3 — Multiple files
Allows multiple attachments with the offline form.
Button Text
The label on the launcher button of the live chat widget.
Confirmation Message
The message shown after a user submits the form during away hours.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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What is the Away Experience in BoldDesk’s Live Chat Widget?
It’s the offline state of the live chat widget. When the current time is outside the widget’s assigned Business Hours, the widget switches to an away flow so visitors can leave a message or create a ticket. -
What’s the difference between Banner Description vs. Away Message?
Banner Description is the short header shown when the widget opens outside hours; Away Message is the body text that sets expectations and guides the next step. -
What offline form options can be shown in the Live Chat Widget in BoldDesk?
Form Support offers: None (no form), Contact Form (simple ticket form), or Contact Form with ticket fields (a custom ticket form you built in Help Desk settings). -
Where do offline submissions via Live Chat go?
They become tickets and follow your existing workflows (SLAs, notifications, automations).
