Set up the website chat widget per dealership: turn chat on (from AutoBook Agent Autonomy), set the teaser bubble, the in-chat greeting and sounds, pick which websites it answers on, and decide what happens after a lead is captured.
The website chat widget is one of the channels AutoBook Agent answers customers on, alongside text, email and phone, wherever your store has turned them on. You configure it per dealership on Settings → Website. The page is one long scroll: the widget's Launcher and greeting, Widget appearance (colour, theme and the live preview), and Where your widget answers, then the install guide for your web provider. Every setting here applies to the dealership currently selected; switch dealerships to configure another store.
Turning the website chat on or off
The widget answers only when your plan includes it and the Chat row is on. To turn it on or off: open Settings → AutoBook Agent Autonomy, find the Chat row of the Channels chart, and set How it replies to On or Off. When it is Off, the widget still opens on your site but AutoBook Agent never answers in it. There is no separate on/off on the Website page.
Your plan
The website chatbot is part of the Reception plan. If your store isn't on it, the page is locked and says so. Contact AutoBook to change your plan.
Website chat is on
The on/off is the Chat row on Settings → AutoBook Agent Autonomy. Off leaves the widget opening but silent; On lets AutoBook Agent answer instantly, on its own.
The on/off lives on AutoBook Agent Autonomy
If the widget appears on your site but stays silent, open Settings → AutoBook Agent Autonomy and check that the Chat row is On and that AutoBook Agent is not paused at this dealership (the AutoBook Agent master switch at the bottom of that page).
Changing the launcher teaser bubble
The launcher teaser is the small bubble customers see next to the chat button before they open it, a nudge to start chatting. It's separate from the in-chat greeting.
1
Turn the teaser on
In the Launcher and greeting section, switch on Launcher teaser.
2
Write the text
A Teaser text field appears. Type a short prompt; the default is "Chat with us". Keep it brief, it sits in a small bubble.
3
Save
Save with the bar at the bottom. To see the result, use the live preview in Widget appearance on the same page and click Reload Widget.
Teaser vs. greeting: two different messages
The teaser is the bubble outside the chat. The greeting is the first message inside the chat once a customer opens it. Both are in the Launcher and greeting section of Settings → Website.
Changing the chat greeting (the first message in the chat)
1
Open the field
On Settings → Website, in the Launcher and greeting section, find Chat greeting.
2
Write it, or leave it blank
Leave it blank and the widget writes its own opener with the time of day and your dealership's name, then asks what the customer needs. To start with the time of day in your own text, type {time_based_greeting} where you want "Good morning", "Good afternoon" or "Good evening".
3
Save and check it
Save with the bar at the bottom, then click Reload Widget in Widget appearance to see it in the live preview. The four quick-reply buttons always show under the greeting, custom or not.
Turning message sounds on or off
Message sounds plays a short sound for the customer when a new message arrives while the chat is minimized, so they notice the reply. Switch it on or off in the Launcher and greeting section of Settings → Website, then save.
Choosing which websites the widget answers on
This section is an allowlist of the websites your widget may answer on. Leave it empty and the widget answers wherever it is installed. Once you list any website, the widget answers only there and is refused on every site you did not list. If you add a new website (a new domain, or a second site for the store), add it here too.
To add one, type the domain into Add a website domain in the Where your widget answers section of Settings → Website and save. The first time you list a website, AutoBook asks you to confirm (Turn on enforcement, or Cancel to check the list first), because the widget then stops answering on every other site. To remove one, use the remove button beside it.
What happens when a chat ends (continue by text or email)
There is no chat setting for this: the chat follows your Sales leads row on Settings → Routing. On Team queue or Both, AutoBook Agent offers to keep the conversation going by text or email, whichever the customer picks, so the lead stays with your team in AutoBook. On Email only, AutoBook Agent takes the customer's details and the chat ends. A store that cannot text yet (no sales texting number, or the SMS row on AutoBook Agent Autonomy not allowed to start conversations) also takes the details and ends the chat.
A phone number typed into the chat is always checked first. It is not a setting: at every dealership AutoBook Agent holds a number the customer types into the chat until the customer replies to one text, so nobody is texted at a number that is not theirs. A number entered on the booking form is used as given, so booking confirmations still go to it.
Changing the widget colour and theme, and testing it in the preview
How the widget looks is set on Settings → Website, in its Widget appearance section, right under the launcher. It is kept separate from your booking page's brand colours on Settings → Branding:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|
Live preview | The real widget runs in the bottom-right corner of the Website page. Click it to test a full conversation, or click Reload Widget to restart it with a fresh conversation. |
Primary Color | The widget's accent color (chat button, header, send button). Pick a color, type a hex code, or click a preset swatch. Match it to your website brand. |
Theme Mode | Choose Dark or Light so the chat window suits your site's look. |
Colour and theme preview live
Colour and theme edits show in the preview straight away and go live on your website when you Save with the bar at the bottom. Other changes (teaser, greeting, sounds) show in the preview after you save and click Reload Widget.
Putting it on your website
The embed snippet you paste into your site is further down the same page, in the install guide for your web provider (see Installing AutoBook on your website).
The widget is on my site but doesn't answer. Why?
Check three things. First, Settings → AutoBook Agent Autonomy: the Chat row must be on, and AutoBook Agent must not be paused for this dealership (Pause AutoBook Agent / Resume AutoBook Agent at the bottom of that page). Second, Where your widget answers on the Website page: if any website is listed, the widget is refused on every site not on the list, so add this site. Third, make sure the embed snippet from the install guide further down Settings → Website is on your site.
Where do I change the first message customers see inside the chat?
That's the greeting, not the teaser. It's the Chat greeting field in the Launcher and greeting section of the Website page. The teaser bubble (outside the chat) is set in the same section.
Do these settings apply to all my dealerships?
No. The chat widget is configured per dealership. The page edits the dealership currently selected; switch dealerships to configure another store separately.
Where's the code to install the widget on my site?
Further down the same Settings → Website page, in the install guide for your web provider.
What about text, email and phone?
AutoBook Agent answers on every channel your store has turned on (chat, text, email, phone). Text and phone answer once your store has a number (Settings → Phone & texting); email answers once its row is on. Each channel's row on Settings → AutoBook Agent Autonomy is its on/off.