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The Messages page combines SMS and website chat for the active business. Operators can review inbound and outbound messages, search conversations, send replies, and control AI handoff for website chat. The AI doesn’t reply to SMS. Texts sent to your business number wait here for a manual reply. Website chat is restricted and only appears for workspaces that already have widget keys. LobbyStack Messages page Use Messages to review SMS and website chat, reply to customers, and control website chat handoff.

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Find a conversation

The left panel shows conversations and their latest activity. Filter the list by All, Web, or SMS. Each item shows:
  • The contact, visitor, phone number, or email address.
  • The latest message preview.
  • The latest activity time.
  • A web chat marker when the conversation came from the widget.
Use search to find conversations by contact details or the latest message.

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Review a conversation

Open a conversation to see its message timeline. The thread shows inbound customer messages, outbound AI or operator messages, and the time for each message.

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Send a reply

1

Open a conversation

Select an SMS or website chat conversation from the list.
2

Write your reply

Use the composer at the bottom of the thread.
3

Send the message

Click Send.

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Take over or resume AI

Website chat threads show their current automation state in the header. Click Take over when an operator should handle the conversation. Sending a reply in a website chat takes it over too, so the AI doesn’t answer alongside you. Click Resume AI when the website assistant should respond again. While your team has a website chat, the AI doesn’t answer it and the visitor sees that a team member will reply. If the visitor still has the chat open, your replies show up there right away. A full web address, starting with https://, shows there as a link the visitor can open in a new tab. A chat stays with your team, and under Action required on the home page, until someone clicks Resume AI. When a website chat has had no messages for a day, the visitor’s next message starts a new chat. SMS threads do not show the AI handoff control. Replies from this page are manual.

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Join a visitor who asks for a person

When a widget key has live chat with your team on, a visitor who asks for a person waits for your team. The conversation shows Wants a person in the list and Visitor waiting in its header, and your team gets an alert. Reply, or click Join chat, within 3 minutes to take the chat. The visitor sees that you joined, with the first name on your profile. Click Resume AI to hand the chat back to the receptionist instead. If nobody joins in time, the receptionist takes the chat back and offers the visitor a callback. Once you join, the chat goes back to the receptionist if your team stops writing in it. When nobody on your team has written in it for 10 minutes, the receptionist answers the visitor’s next message. A chat you took over with Take over, or by replying while the receptionist had it, stays with your team until someone clicks Resume AI.