How to Add Live Chat to a Wix Site

Today, as many as 46% of customers prefer live chat to interact with a brand when given the option of all forms of communication. Fortunately, it’s becoming increasingly simpler to implement a live chat tool on your website, no matter what site builder or host you use. Wix offers multiple options for integrating live chat:

1. Live Chat and Chatbot Apps from the Wix AppMarket
2. Wix Chat Integration 
3. Custom Live Chat Embedding

Choosing the right solution is going to be a matter of deciding what works for your business and its unique needs. However, regardless of which route you choose, we’ll cover everything you need to know in this guide. First, we’ll go over a few of the important things to know about the value of adding live chat to your website, the benefits, and what today’s consumers expect from brands in terms of communication and support tools. 

Then, we’ll cover the various methods of installing live chat on your Wix site, with step-by-step instructions to help you set your tool up in less time. We’ll even help you look at the factors involved in choosing the right chat tool and tell you how you can take all the work off your plate by partnering with the live chat agents from Smith.ai. 

First, let’s talk more about the state of the consumer market and what they expect from the brands they choose. 

The case for customer service upgrades

Live chat offers a real-time solution for people who want to get in touch with a business because they have a question or concern. Instead of having to wait for an email response or social media message, people can engage right away and right from the convenience of your website thanks to the chat tool that you’re adding. 

Today’s consumers have big demands and expectations when it comes to service and support. The growing, ever-expanding nature of the Internet is affecting how people view things and causing them to expect more from brands. Currently, that “more” is focused on more answers and more support with less waiting. 

90% of all consumers expect brands to offer online support and service. However, only a fraction of brands today utilize all these resources for their audience. A shocking 9% (yes, nine percent) of sites use live chat today, so as you can see there’s a bit of a gap in the market. For your brand, that spells a big competitive advantage when you embrace chat sooner than later. 

Other perks of live chat include:

• Instant answers for your customers as much as your business 
• Improved service experience that can build brand loyalty and improve your reputation
• Increased conversions to drive business growth and expansion
• Valuable data and insights that can advise you on how you can improve your business or customer experience

No matter what your mission may be, installing a live chat tool is going to help you on your journey. You can expand your business reach, offer more value to your current customers, and give everyone a reason to stick around and see just what your brand has to offer. Plus, you’ll be able to gain valuable insights for your own use that could help you give your customers a better experience all while helping grow your business. And you’re doing it all without spending a single dollar on market research—what more could you ask for?

The benefits of live chat are plentiful, but the sheer fact is that now is the time to get on board. Despite the growing popularity of this feature, only nine percent of all websites even use a live chat tool today. And, of those, as many as 21% of the conversations go unanswered. If you want to set your brand apart in a big way, get on board with live chat and get the jump on your competition. 

If you’re offering live chat from a Wix website, you’ll be happy to know it’s not that difficult to get started. Let’s dive in. 

How to install live chat on Wix websites

Ok, let’s take a look at just how you can get started with live chat on your Wix site. Fortunately, the installation process is pretty simple, which is why Wix is one of our favorites for easy integrations and customization. 

You can choose a host of Chat tools from the Wix AppMarket:

You can use a third-party app, or you can simply install the Wix Chat tool that the builder offers for brands, which is pretty effective as far as basic chat tools go. First, we’ll cover how to install Wix Chat for your chatbot and live chat needs, and then we’ll go over more information on installing a third-party app like the live chat from Smith.ai. 

Installing Wix chat

Wix’s chat tool is an option that several people choose if they’re going to manage their own live chat. It offers plenty of customization features and provides you with access to things like accessing saved and new messages and visitors from your Wix Owner app, and more. You can custom design your chatbox, manage your status and hours, and more, all from the easy-to-use dashboard. If you go this route, the installation won’t take a lot of work. 

This process starts by going to the Wix AppMarket. Depending on whether you’re using Editor X or Wix Editor, you’ll be looking for an icon that says, “Add Apps” or “App Panel”. Search for Wix Chat and then select it from the list of results. 

Then, click “Add to Site” and look in the bottom right of the editor for the chatbox, where you will find a “Settings” button. This is where you can customize the features of the widget:

1. Click “Display” to choose the appearance of the chatbox on your website (but don’t change the location*). 
2. Click “Design” to choose the design of your chatbox and customize more features. 
3. Click “Texts” to customize your text in the chatbox. 

*Note: All chat widgets allow you to put them anywhere on your website that you’d like. However, consumers are programmed to look to the bottom right corner of the screen, so both Wix and Smith.ai recommend leaving the placement of the chat tool alone to ensure engagement and visibility. 

You can also use the Chat Form and Member Chat tabs to customize this tool further, as explained in the Wix support page for their chat installation. There’s also an Overview of Wix Chat that explains all of the options for setting up and customizing the chat tool so that it’s ready to use. 

How to embed a live chat widget

If you choose to use a tool other than Wix Chat, you’ll need to know how to use the embed code to get it on your site. We'll cover all of those instructions right here to make it simple. First, sign in to your Wix admin panel and go to the Settings section on your sidebar. Then:

1. Select “Tracking and Analytics”
2. Click “+New Tool” in the upper right, and then “</> Custom” 
3. Grab the code from your chat provider dashboard
4. Return to the Wix dashboard and paste the code into the box that says “Paste the code snippet here”
5. Give it a name and set it to show on All Pages
6. Disable the Wix Chat widget if you’ve got that enabled 
7. Click “Publish” in the top right of the screen
8. Test your new chat tool 
   

This process is fairly simple and makes it easy to get started with live chat even if you don’t use the provided tool from Wix. That’s one of the reasons we love them, after all—they've got their own tools, but welcome others, too. With a site builder like that, you’ll have a dynamic resource hub for your audience in no time at all. 

Choosing your live chat tool (and provider)

Of course, with so many options on the market today for live chat software and apps, you’ve got a big job ahead of you—or do you? Well, if you use the tips below, you’ll have a much easier time finding the best chat solution for your brand. There are some features that may be specific to your business in terms of what you need, but as a general rule of thumb, you’ll want a live chat widget that is:

Customizable: How much can you customize the chat features, settings, and messages? For example, can you brand it with a welcome message or add the chance to offer feedback after the chat is over? What kind of color schemes and other customization features are available, if those matter to you? Look at these elements and make sure that you choose a chat tool that’s going to fit your needs. 

Scalable: Again, your business is not going to have the same needs as others, and that includes the capacity of your chat app. You might not need an enterprise-level solution just yet, but someday you may get there. And even if not, your chat tool (and the rest of your tech stack) should be capable of growing with you along the way. 

Easy to Integrate: Wix is one of the better site builders for integrations and widgets. Still, not all chat apps are so agreeable. When reading up on the different tools, consider those that are easy to integrate into your website and with the rest of your tech stack. The last thing you need is another hurdle that makes your job more challenging. 

Automated: Yes, you still need live chat agents to field these conversations. However, there are several features of your chat plugin that you can automate, from general welcome messages that let people know you’re there to the away messages and even setting up the open hours for your chat (if you’re not doing it 24 hours a day, of course). AI isn’t about TOTAL automation. It's about creating a balance between automating and using AI where you can and freeing up more resources for the human connections that people need. 

Compatible: Of course, you can’t integrate a chat tool if it’s not compatible with your site design. Make sure that you consider this first and foremost. Of course, if you’re using Wix Chat, working with the dedicated agents from Smith.ai, or installing an app from the Wix marketplace, you won’t need to worry about this as much. 

When you’re in the market for live chat tools, these are the things that should be at the top of your list. You’re making improvements, after all, so you want to make sure that you’re not choosing a subpar chat tool. There’s a lot to consider here, but if you just take it one step at a time, it should be a simple process. 

Or, just leave it to the pros at Smith.ai

All of these tips and suggestions are great, but if you’re truly ready to embrace the digital future and just don’t have the time, you might be wondering how to proceed. Fortunately, the dedicated live chat agents at Smith.ai can handle it all for you, from setting up and adding the live chat tool to your website to answering every single live chat, along with calls, and so much more. 

We include free white glove setup, configuration, and installation with every single live-staffed chat plan. That way, you don’t have to deal with the work of setting up and managing the plugin at all—just one more way we’re helping improve your business operations. And when you leave the work to us, you can trust that your chats get answered by experienced agents and that your business never misses a beat, even if you’re busy. 

You can schedule a consultation to learn more about our 24/7 live chat solutions, as well as other ways we can help your business with things like appointment scheduling, after-hours phone answering, and more. You can also reach us at hello@smith.ai or (650) 727-6484.