Note: Lofty is rolling out in stages. Depending on the version your account is on, some features or screens described in this article may look different or may not yet be available to you.
Introduction
The chat widget in the bottom-right corner of your website lets visitors start a conversation — capturing their contact information and connecting them to you in real time.
⚠️ Important: If the AI Assistant is enabled on your account, the chat box will not appear on your website. The AI Assistant takes priority and handles visitor engagement. To use the chat box, the AI Assistant must be inactive or disabled.
How to Access Chat Box Settings
In the CMS, go to Settings > Lead Capture > Chat Box Settings.
Option 1: Lofty Live Chat
The default chat mode uses Lofty's built-in chat widget. Here's how the experience works for both the visitor and you.
Visitor experience
- The visitor clicks the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of your site.
- They are prompted to register — provide name, email, and phone.
- After registering, the questionnaire appears (if enabled in Questionnaire Settings).
- The visitor clicks the chat bubble again to open the message window and send a message.
Your experience (in Lofty CRM)
- Click the chat bubble in the bottom-right of your CRM to access website chat conversations.
- Read the visitor's message and respond directly in the chat window.
- Your response appears immediately in the visitor's chat window on your website.
Message sync rules
Understanding how messages sync between web chat and text is important:
| Channel | Appears in website chat? | Appears on lead profile timeline? |
|---|---|---|
| Message sent via website chat (visitor) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No — not recorded on lead profile |
| Message sent via website chat (agent reply) | ✅ Yes (visitor sees it) | ❌ No |
| Text message (from CRM) | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Text message (visitor replies via text) | ❌ Not in web chat | ✅ Yes — synced to lead profile |
Recommendation: Choose one communication channel per conversation. If you start a conversation via web chat, continue it there. If you move to text, the visitor should text back — not use the web chat — to ensure the full conversation is captured on their CRM profile.
Option 2: Facebook Messenger
Replace the Lofty chat widget with Facebook Messenger so visitors communicate via their Messenger account instead.
Before enabling: Set up Facebook Messenger integration first. Follow the instructions in [Facebook Page Set Up].
To enable:
- In Chat Box Settings, toggle the Facebook Messenger option on.
- Enter your Facebook Page ID.
- Click Save.
When Facebook Messenger is enabled, the Lofty chat box is hidden and Messenger handles all chat conversations.
Tips
- Check whether your AI Assistant is active before configuring chat. If the AI Assistant is on, the chat widget won't appear regardless of your chat settings. This is the most common reason the chat box is "missing" from a site.
- Test the full chat flow. Open your site in a private/incognito browser window, register, and send yourself a test message to verify the end-to-end experience works correctly.
- Use Facebook Messenger if most of your clients are on Facebook. Messenger conversations are stored in your Facebook Page inbox as well as in your CRM — good for clients who prefer the Messenger interface.
- Keep response times short. The live chat widget sets an expectation of near-immediate responses. If you can't respond quickly, consider the AI Assistant instead for initial engagement.
Troubleshooting
The chat bubble isn't showing on my website. Check whether the AI Assistant is enabled — if it is, the chat widget is automatically hidden. If the AI Assistant is not active and the chat still isn't showing, verify the Chat Box Settings are configured and saved.
Facebook Messenger isn't appearing even though I turned it on. Confirm your Facebook Page ID is entered correctly and that your Facebook Page is published (not in draft mode). Review the Facebook Messenger setup in [Facebook Page Set Up].
Chat messages aren't showing in my CRM. Click the chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of your Lofty CRM (not the website). Website chat messages appear there, not in the main messaging inbox.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the chat box appear on all pages? By default, yes — the chat widget appears on all pages.
What happens to chat conversations if I switch from Lofty chat to Facebook Messenger? Switching to Facebook Messenger hides the Lofty chat widget site-wide. Existing Lofty chat conversations remain in the CRM but no new ones will be created via the website.
Can the AI Assistant and the chat box both be active? No. The AI Assistant takes priority — when it is enabled, the chat widget does not appear on the website.
Questions?
If you have any questions regarding this topic or any others, please reach out to our Support Team via email at support@lofty.com, by phone at 1 (855) 981-7557, or by chat with us through your Lofty CRM.
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