The Queue threshold to trigger the offline scenario setting allows you to automatically show a chat button as offline when the number of visitors waiting in queue reaches a specified limit.
Where to find the setting
You can find this option under Configuration > Chat > Chat buttons. Edit the desired button and go to Online scenario. The queue threshold is set per button and is not global for the whole account.
How it works
- You can define the maximum number of people allowed to wait in the department's chat queue for each individual button.
- When the number of queued chats is equal to or higher than the threshold, the offline scenario is triggered.
- The offline scenario defines what will happen in that case. You can configure it under Offline scenario with the following options:
- Show offline button - the offline button with a contact form will appear.
- Show no button - the button is hidden completely.
- Show online button with chatbot - the online button remains visible, but only a chatbot is available to handle chats.
- Once the number of people in the queue drops below the defined threshold, the online scenario is resumed.
The button’s online/offline state is determined when the page is loaded. If the threshold is reached after the page loads, the offline scenario is triggered only when the customer clicks the button.
Use case example
Let’s say you have a dedicated chat button on your pricing page and want to avoid showing long queues to potential new customers. You can set the queue threshold for that button to 5. When there are already 5 or more people in the queue for that department, the offline scenario is triggered. If the offline scenario is configured to "Show no button", the button disappears completely.
It’s not possible to fully disable this functionality - the threshold must always be set to a value between 1 and 100.