A successful live chat rollout depends on more than just adding agents - it requires a clear plan, proper configuration, and training so every team member is confident from day one. This guide provides a complete onboarding checklist for bringing your team onto Social Intents, from initial setup through the first week of live conversations.
Before You Start: Pre-Onboarding Checklist
Before inviting your team, make sure the foundation is in place. Completing these steps first means your agents can start productive conversations immediately after logging in.
| Step | Estado | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chat widget created and installed | ☐ | Your JavaScript snippet is on your website and the widget is visible. See Setting Up Your First Widget. |
| Widget customized | ☐ | Colors, welcome message, offline message, and branding match your website. |
| Platform integration set up | ☐ | If using Teams, Slack, or Google Chat, the integration is connected and working. See Choose Your Integration. |
| AI chatbot configured (optional) | ☐ | If using an AI chatbot, it is trained and tested. See AI Chatbot guides. |
| Groups/Departments created | ☐ | If routing chats by department, groups are defined in widget settings. |
| Canned responses created | ☐ | Common responses are saved as shortcuts. See Canned Responses. |
| Schedule configured | ☐ | If using an online schedule, business hours are set. See Online Schedule vs. Manual Status. |
| Test conversation completed | ☐ | You have tested a full chat from visitor initiation through agent response to ensure everything works. |
Step 1: Add Your Agents
Start by adding each team member as an agent. For each person, you will need their name, email address, and preferred display name. Decide on roles before adding agents:
- Frontline chat agents → Agent role
- Team leads who need reporting → Manager role
- Administrators managing settings → Admin role
Step 2: Send Onboarding Instructions
After adding agents, send a brief onboarding message explaining what Social Intents is, how they will use it, and what they need to do first. Here is a template you can customize:
Subject: Getting started with live chat on Social Intents
Hi team,
We are launching live chat on our website using Social Intents. You will receive (or have already received) an invite email with your login credentials.
What to do:
1. Check your email for the Social Intents invite and log in
2. Update your profile: set your display name, upload a photo, and add your job title
3. Review the canned responses - these are pre-written replies for common questions
4. Set your status to "Online" when you are ready to accept chats
How it works:
[If using web dashboard:] Log in to the Social Intents dashboard and keep the chat console tab open. You will receive browser notifications when a visitor starts a chat.
[If using Slack:] Chats will appear in the #live-chat channel. Reply in the thread to respond to visitors.
[If using Teams:] Chats will appear in the Live Chat channel. Reply in the thread to respond to visitors.
Please have your profile set up by [date]. We will go live on [date].
Questions? Reach out to [admin name].
Step 3: Agent Profile Setup
Each agent should complete their profile setup after receiving the invite email. Walk agents through these steps during a team meeting or share this checklist:
Step 4: Train Agents on the Chat Experience
Before going live with real visitors, make sure every agent understands the chat workflow. The best way to do this is a hands-on training session where agents practice with test chats.
Key Concepts to Cover
- How to accept a chat - When a new chat arrives, agents see a notification. Explain how to open and respond to the conversation in their platform (web dashboard, Slack, Teams, or Google Chat).
- Using canned responses - Show agents how to access the shortcut menu and insert pre-written responses for common questions.
- Visitor information panel - Explain what visitor data is visible during a chat: name, email, location, current page, referrer, and custom variables.
- Transferring chats - If your team uses groups, explain how to transfer a conversation to a different department.
- Ending conversations - Explain how and when to close a chat, and what happens after the conversation ends.
- When to escalate - Define when agents should escalate to a manager or specialized team member.
Practice Session
Have one team member open your website in a browser (or use incognito mode) and initiate a test chat. Another team member acts as the agent and responds. Practice the full flow: greeting the visitor, asking qualifying questions, using canned responses, looking up visitor information, and closing the conversation. Run 3-5 practice chats so every agent gets hands-on experience before going live.
Step 5: Establish Chat Guidelines
Clear guidelines ensure consistent quality across all agents and help new team members know exactly what is expected. Document your chat guidelines and share them with the team before going live.
Suggested Guidelines
| Topic | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Tiempo de respuesta | Respond to new chats within 30 seconds. If you cannot respond immediately, send a quick acknowledgment ("Hi! Give me just a moment to look into that.") |
| Greeting | Always greet the visitor by name if available. Example: "Hi Sarah, how can I help you today?" |
| Tone | Be friendly, professional, and helpful. Match the visitor's communication style - if they are casual, be conversational. If they are formal, be polished. |
| Grammar | Use proper spelling and grammar. Avoid excessive abbreviations or slang. |
| Escalation | If you cannot answer a question, transfer the chat to the appropriate department or take the visitor's contact information and have a specialist follow up. |
| Closing | Always ask "Is there anything else I can help with?" before closing a conversation. |
| Sensitive information | Never ask for passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive data through chat. Direct visitors to secure forms. |
| Concurrent chats | Handle up to [X] chats simultaneously. If you are at capacity, let new visitors know there will be a brief wait. |
Step 6: Go Live
With agents set up, trained, and familiar with the guidelines, you are ready to go live. Here is a recommended launch approach:
Soft Launch (Days 1-3)
- Start with a small team or limited hours to ease into live conversations
- Monitor response times and chat quality closely
- Gather agent feedback on the workflow and address any issues
- Review chat transcripts to identify common questions and update canned responses accordingly
Full Launch (Day 4+)
- Expand to the full team and full business hours
- Enable the online schedule if not already active
- Turn on the AI chatbot for after-hours coverage if applicable
- Share initial results with the team - number of chats handled, response times, positive feedback
First-Week Checklist
During the first week of live chat, monitor these items daily and address any issues immediately:
| Day | Action Items |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Verify all agents can log in, receive notifications, and respond to chats. Check for any technical issues. |
| Day 2 | Review first day's transcripts. Note common questions. Add new canned responses for repeated questions. |
| Day 3 | Collect feedback from agents. Adjust guidelines or canned responses based on real-world experience. |
| Day 4 | Expand to full team if soft-launching. Check agent utilization - are some agents idle while others are overwhelmed? |
| Day 5 | Review weekly performance: total chats, average response time, visitor satisfaction. Share results with the team. Celebrate wins. |
Common Onboarding Challenges
Agents not receiving invite emails
Check spam/junk folders. If the email is not there, go to the agent's profile and click Re-Send Invite Email to generate fresh credentials and resend.
Agents forget to go online
Set up an online schedule to automate widget availability. This eliminates the dependency on agents remembering to toggle their status each morning.
Canned responses do not cover common questions
After the first few days of live chats, review transcripts to identify frequently asked questions. Create new canned responses for each common question. Update weekly for the first month.
Agents feel overwhelmed by multiple simultaneous chats
Start with a limit of 2-3 concurrent chats per agent and increase as agents gain confidence. Reduce the limit if quality drops. Consider adding more agents to distribute the load.
Response times are too slow
Check that notifications are properly configured. Ensure agents have browser notifications enabled and the chat console tab pinned. For platform users (Slack/Teams), verify that channel notification settings are not muted.
Preguntas frecuentes
How long does onboarding typically take?
Most teams can complete the full onboarding process in 1-2 hours, including agent setup, profile configuration, and a practice session. The first week of live conversations serves as the real-world training period.
Do all agents need to be onboarded at the same time?
No. You can add and onboard agents in waves. Start with a core group, get them comfortable, and then add more agents over time. Each new agent follows the same profile setup and training steps.
Should I enable the AI chatbot before or after onboarding agents?
Configure the AI chatbot during your pre-onboarding setup so it is ready for after-hours coverage from day one. Train your human agents separately - they should know the AI chatbot exists and understand when it handles conversations versus when they take over.
What if we use multiple platforms (e.g., some agents on Slack, some on Teams)?
Social Intents supports multiple platform integrations simultaneously. Each widget can be connected to a different platform. You can have one widget routing to Slack for the sales team and another routing to Teams for the support team. Set up each integration before onboarding the respective agents.
Can I onboard agents without going live on the website?
Yes. Set your widget to offline mode or install the snippet on a staging page. Agents can practice with test chats before the widget is visible to real visitors.
How many agents should I start with?
Start with 2-3 agents for a soft launch. This keeps the initial volume manageable and gives you time to refine workflows. Scale up once the team is comfortable and processes are established.
What resources should I share with new agents?
Share links to the key help articles: Profile Settings, Canned Responses, Notifications, and Visitor Information. These four articles cover everything agents need to know for day-to-day chat operations. Bookmark this help center at /docs as a reference for ongoing questions.
Is there per-agent pricing when I add more team members?
No. Social Intents does not charge per agent on the Basic plan and above. You pay a flat monthly rate - Starter at $39/month supports up to 3 agents, while Basic ($69/month), Pro ($99/month), and Business ($199/month) all include unlimited agents. Add as many team members as you need without worrying about per-seat fees. Start a 14-day free trial to test with your team.