Timeout settings control what happens when a chat goes unanswered or becomes idle. Proper configuration ensures visitors are not left waiting indefinitely.
No-Answer Timeout
This is the time the system waits for an agent to respond to a new chat before showing the visitor a timeout message. If no agent answers within this period, the visitor sees your configured timeout message.
Available Timeout Values
| Value | Use Case |
|---|---|
| 30 seconds | Fast-paced sales teams where speed matters |
| 60 seconds | Active support teams |
| 90 seconds | Standard response expectation |
| 3 minutes (default) | Balanced - gives agents time to finish other tasks |
| 5 minutos | Small teams that may be briefly away |
| 10-30 minutes | Teams that monitor chat alongside other work |
| 1-8 hours | Asynchronous support where visitors leave the tab open |
Setting the Timeout
Go to My Widgets > your widget > General tab. Find the Chat Timeout setting and select a value from the dropdown.
Timeout Message
Customize what visitors see when the timeout period expires. Go to the Customize Text tab and edit the timeout message. The default is: "I'm sorry we missed your chat. Please try again later."
A good timeout message should:
- Acknowledge the wait
- Offer an alternative (email, phone, leave a message)
- Set expectations for when they will hear back
Offline Message Form
When the timeout message appears (or when agents are offline), visitors can leave an offline message with their name, email, and question. These messages are delivered to the email addresses configured in your widget's transcript settings and appear in your Reports.
Hide When Offline
Instead of showing an offline message form, you can hide the chat widget entirely when no agents are online. Enable Hide When Offline in the General tab. The widget will not appear on your pages during offline hours.
Best Practices
- Set the timeout based on your actual team's response speed - too short and visitors see timeout messages unnecessarily, too long and visitors leave frustrated
- If you use an AI chatbot, the chatbot responds instantly so the no-answer timeout only applies when the visitor is escalated to a human agent
- Monitor your missed chat rate in the Dashboard and adjust the timeout accordingly
- Use the Online Schedule to automatically go offline during non-business hours rather than relying on agents to manually go offline