# Proactive chat invitations

Offer targeted help to website visitors through an available operator or a configured autonomous agent.

*Release 3.3 · admin, operator, supervisor, visitor*

**Settings › Events › Visitor Events** · **Settings › General Settings › Admin**

## What it is

**Proactive Chat** offers help when a website visitor meets an event's rules. INSIDE selects an eligible operator or one of the event's configured autonomous agents and sends the invitation. Receiving an invitation and engaging in a conversation are separate stages.

## Who uses it and why

- Administrators and supervisors with the **Settings** or **Manager** role configure the audience, timing, message and eligible senders.
- Operators receive conversations from visitors who respond to invitations.
- Visitors can accept the invitation and complete any configured pre-chat intake.

## Where to find it

Open **Settings › Events › Visitor Events** and select **Proactive Chat** as the event **Type**. The **Settings** or **Manager** role provides event access, subject to delegated permissions.

Powerfront manages **Proactive Engagement Cooldown (mins)** in **Settings › General Settings › Admin** and can change it for you.

## How it works

1. The visitor must pass the event's trigger, filters, schedule and event cooldown.
2. INSIDE checks whether proactive engagement is currently allowed and whether the website-wide interval since the previous chat has passed.
3. INSIDE looks for an available human operator in the selected **Settings › Teams** and **Channels**. If none is eligible, it can use a selected autonomous agent. **Autonomous agents only** skips human selection.
4. If several selected agents qualify, INSIDE uses the highest-priority eligible agent. AI and bot facilities must be enabled and the chosen agent must be active and eligible.
5. A visitor in the control group receives no invitation. Otherwise, INSIDE chooses one invitation variation in the applicable language and fills in its macros.

The event remains associated with the invitation and resulting conversation. Depending on the website setup, INSIDE may create the conversation only after the visitor responds.

**Event Sender** changes the name and image on the initial invitation. It does not determine the identity shown after an assigned operator replies. **Trigger Prechat Survey** and **Trigger Prechat Task** can add intake when the visitor clicks.

## Configure it

Set the event's audience and timing first. Choose **Settings › Teams**, **Channels** and any **Autonomous agents**, then enter **Message** content in the website's default language. Add translations and variations as needed. **Autonomous agents only** starts off; switching it on requires at least one agent selection.

Select **Event Sender** and any pre-chat intake. **Theme Based** uses the visitor's chat theme to choose the pre-chat task.

Review both cooldowns. A new proactive event initially uses 1,440 minutes in its own **Cooldown** field. The separate website-wide cooldown also defaults to 1,440 minutes, accepts zero to disable that check and is limited to 43,200 minutes. Ask Powerfront to change the website-wide value.

### Settings

| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proactive Engagement Cooldown (mins) | Settings › General Settings › Admin | website | 1,440 minutes | Powerfront, on request | Prevents another proactive invitation until this interval has passed since the visitor's last chat started. |
| Settings › Teams | Settings › Events › Visitor Events | website | Not set: no event-specific team restriction | Settings role, Manager role | Restricts which teams can supply the human operator for the invitation. |
| Channels | Settings › Events › Visitor Events | website | Not set: no event-specific channel restriction | Settings role, Manager role | Restricts which channels can supply the human operator for the invitation. |
| Autonomous agents | Settings › Events › Visitor Events | website | Not set: no autonomous agents selected | Settings role, Manager role | Selects agents eligible to handle the invitation when autonomous routing is needed. |
| Autonomous agents only | Settings › Events › Visitor Events | website | Off | Settings role, Manager role | Uses the selected autonomous agents without first looking for a human operator. |
| Message | Settings › Events › Visitor Events | website | Not set: invitation text must be entered before saving | Settings role, Manager role | Supplies the invitation text, with language versions and message variations. |
| Event Sender | Settings › Events › Visitor Events | website | Operator | Settings role, Manager role | Chooses Operator, Virtual Assistant or Anonymous presentation for the initial invitation. |
| Operator Name | Settings › Events › Visitor Events | website | The configured virtual assistant name when Virtual Assistant is selected; blank if no name is configured | Settings role, Manager role | Supplies a custom name for Virtual Assistant presentation. |
| Operator Image | Settings › Events › Visitor Events | website | Not set: no custom image override | Settings role, Manager role | Supplies an image for Virtual Assistant or Anonymous presentation. |
| Department | Settings › Events › Visitor Events | website | Not set: the event does not select a department | Settings role, Manager role | Associates a department with the resulting proactive chat. |
| Trigger Prechat Survey | Settings › Events › Visitor Events | website | Off | Settings role, Manager role | Opens the selected pre-chat survey when the visitor clicks the invitation. |
| Trigger Prechat Task | Settings › Events › Visitor Events | website | Off | Settings role, Manager role | Starts the selected pre-chat task when the visitor clicks the invitation, including a Theme Based choice. |
| Notify Video Creator Only | Settings › Events › Visitor Events | website | Off | Settings role, Manager role | Limits human selection to the relevant video creator where video targeting is used. |

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Settings | Manage proactive visitor events, subject to delegated permissions. |
| Manager | Manage proactive visitor events, subject to delegated permissions. |

## Limits and good to know

- These invitations apply to website chat visitors, not every messaging platform.
- Blocked visitors, visitors in an active stream and visitors with operator-specific chat links are excluded. Existing chat state can also prevent an invitation.
- No eligible human or selected autonomous agent means no invitation.
- An empty invitation message prevents sending.
- An unanswered pre-chat task may be cancelled so that the proactive invitation can proceed.
- An invitation is not proof that the visitor saw it, replied or started a staffed conversation.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Requires** [Visitor event rules and actions](ENG-001.md): A matching visitor event starts the invitation.
- **Configured in** [Visitor event targeting conditions](ENG-002.md): Visitor filters select the audience.
- **Configured in** [Visitor event and bot schedules](ENG-003.md): Event schedules restrict invitation times.
- **Configured in** [Proactive chat control group settings](ENG-005.md): Control-group membership suppresses the invitation.
- **Configured in** Admin settings and feature switches (managed by Powerfront): Powerfront manages the website-wide proactive cooldown.
- **Configured in** [Teams](ADM-013.md): Event team choices restrict human selection.
- **Configured in** [Website, channel and subsite access](ADM-009.md): Channel membership contributes to eligible human selection.
- **Configured in** [Chat limits and wind-down](CHAT-008.md): Operator availability and chat limits determine eligibility when a human sender is selected.
- **Configured in** [Departments](CHAT-006.md): Department definitions supply the department applied to conversations started by the event.
- **Configured in** [Spam review and blocking](CHAT-020.md): Blocked visitors are excluded.
- **Configured in** [Visitor chat themes and branding](VX-003.md): Theme Based pre-chat task selection uses the task chosen in the visitor theme.
- **Works better with** [Autonomous agents for proactive chat](AI-005.md): Selected autonomous agents can handle proactive invitations.
- **Works better with** [Pre-chat survey for visitors](VX-008.md): Clicking an invitation can open pre-chat intake.
- **Works better with** [Virtual Assistant task setup](ENG-009.md): Invitations can start a configured pre-chat task.
- **Works better with** [Video Feed for visitors](VX-025.md): Video viewing allows an invitation to target the creator of the watched video.
- **Related** [Starting, ending and expiring chats](CHAT-001.md): An invitation can precede conversation creation, which may wait until the visitor responds.
- **Related** [Event, link and Virtual Assistant reports](REP-013.md): Automation reports separate proactive event results from invitations and messages.

### Used by

- **Required by** [Proactive chat control group settings](ENG-005.md): Assignment occurs during an otherwise eligible proactive-chat attempt after a sender is found.
- **Required by** [Autonomous agents for proactive chat](AI-005.md): Autonomous selection is part of proactive chat invitations.
- **Required by** [Proactive chat control group sales comparison](COM-022.md): The comparison concerns visitors eligible for proactive engagement.
- **Enhances** [Time-based visitor event triggers](VIS-026.md): Timed rules can trigger proactive invitations.
- **Enhances** [Visitor event rules and actions](ENG-001.md): A matching event can offer a proactive chat.
- **Enhances** [Visitor popup event setup](ENG-006.md): A Popup Click event can lead to a proactive chat action.
- **Enhances** [Custom bots and FAQ bots](ENG-020.md): Eligible FAQ bots need Proactive Chats to participate in proactive conversations.
- **Enhances** [Chat performance and tab visibility reports](REP-003.md): Proactive measurements need recorded proactive invitations.
- **Enhances** [Event, link and Virtual Assistant reports](REP-013.md): Events and Messages report proactive chat performance.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Why does a matching visitor receive no invitation?

Check both cooldowns, control-group membership, current chat state, the invitation text and sender eligibility.

### Why does the invitation show a different name from the later reply?

**Event Sender** controls the initial invitation's presentation. Replies use the assigned participant's identity.

### Why is an autonomous agent used when my team has operators?

Check **Autonomous agents only**. Otherwise, a human must be available and eligible in the event's selected teams and channels.

### Why is there no conversation yet for an invitation?

Some websites create the conversation only when the visitor responds. Powerfront can confirm your website's setup.