Why can't I find my live chat settings in messaging?

Question

After I migrate my chat account to messaging, where are my live chat settings? Where do I set up my chat workflows in agent workspaces and messaging?

Answer

Accounts that previously used live chat and then enabled agent workspace and enabled messaging will need to set up similar workflows and configure chat settings in new locations.

With messaging instead of live chat, all conversations will be created in Support tickets. Your messaging settings appear in Admin Center.

See the detailed navigational differences below:

Where do I enable the widget?

Messaging

Open Admin Center

Go to Channels > Messaging and social > Messaging

Enable the Web Widget on your account

Live chat

Open Admin Center

Go to Channels > Classic > Web Widget

Select your Web Widget to open the settings

Enable the Web Widget (classic) under the Basics tab

Where do I find my widget code to install on my website?

Messaging

Open Admin Center

Go to Channels > Messaging and social > Messaging

Select a Web Widget and click the name of it to open settings

Under Installation tab, copy the code snippet

Install the Web Widget on your website

Live chat

Open Admin Center

Go to Channels > Classic > Web Widget

Select your Web Widget to open the settings

Under Installation tab, copy the code snippet

Add the Zendesk Chat widget to your website

Where do I add my widget to my help center?

Messaging

Open Admin Center

Go to Channels > Messaging and social > Messaging

Select your Web Widget channel and click the Installation tab

Install the Web Widget on your help center

Live chat

Open Admin Center

Go to Channels > Classic > Web Widget

Select your Web Widget to open the settings

Click the Installation tab

Add Web Widget (Classic) to your help center

Where do I customize my widget logo, color or style?

Messaging

Open Admin Center

Go to Channels > Messaging and social > Messaging

Select your Web Widget channel

Navigate to the Style tab

Configure the appearance of the Web Widget

Live chat

Open Admin Center

Go to Channels > Classic > Web Widget

Select your Web Widget to open the settings

Navigate to the Style tab

Configure components in the Web Widget (Classic)

Where do I create and assign roles to agents?

Roles created for Chat do not apply in Agent Workspace and messaging. Agents need to have Chat enabled to respond to messaging tickets and need a group assigned to them based on channel and other information.

Messaging

Open Admin Center

Go to People > Team members

Select your agent and under the Roles and access tab make sure they have Chat enabled

Additionally, you can add the agent to a group to be eligible for messaging tickets

Live chat

Open the product tray

Click the Chat icon

Select Settings > Roles

In this section, you can use Chat default roles and creating Chat custom roles and assigning agents

Where do I manage departments?

Messaging does not rely on Chat departments. After the migration to agent workspaces and messaging, agents are organized into Support groups.

Messaging

Open Admin Center

Go to People > Team > Groups

Create your groups and organize your team

Live chat

Open the product tray

Click the Chat icon

Select Settings > Departments

In this section of your account, you can create and edit departments and automatically route chats to departments

Where do I set operating hours?

Messaging does not rely on the Chat operating hours schedule. In messaging, set your operating hours in your business schedule.

Messaging

Open Admin Center

Select Objects and rules > Business rules > Schedules

Set up your business hour schedule

Live chat

Open the product tray

Click the Chat icon

Under Settings > Account

Click the Operating hours tab

Set up operating hours

Where do I set up routing?

Skills-based routing in live chat is not supported for messaging tickets. When messaging is enabled there are three elements that control how a messaging ticket is routed.

Messaging

Open the product tray

Click the Chat icon

Under Settings > Routing

Use the default Broadcast messaging routing configuration. You can also set up Support triggers based routing or omnichannel routing.

Note: When you have messaging with omnichannel routing enabled, the process for setting up routing and triggers is different from live chat routing. For more information, see the article: Routing messaging tickets and notifications.

Live chat

Open the product tray

Click the Chat icon

Under Settings, select Routing

Configure the notification routing method or enable skills routing. You can also route chats automatically to specific departments.

Where do I turn on conversation bot?

Activate messaging to allow you to expand bot's functionality of Article Recommendations in emails and ticket forms. Add the bot in bot builder flows within the Web Widget to include more customizable functionality.

Messaging

Open Admin Center

Select Channels > Messaging and social > Messaging

Select your Web Widget channel

Under the Responses tab, click Add an AI agent

Use AI agent builder to build a fully customizable bot and deploy it to your messaging channels. The AI agent can provide pre-configured answers, article suggestions, and other functionality.

Live chat

Open Admin Center

Select AI tray > AI agents > AI agents

Then click Manage AI agents for email and webform

Enable autoreply in Email and Web form

For more information, see the capabilities comparison matrix, impacted settings table, and evaluation checklist to understand if the functionality you're looking for exists in both products.

Video guide

See the video below on the different locations of roles, departments, operating hours, and routing:

See the video below on the widget settings locations:

Additional resources

Which Zendesk widget do I have with my account and website?

Messaging vs. live chat: Which is right for you?

How migrating to messaging impacts Chat settings

Enabling messaging for migrating accounts

Migrating from live chat to messaging