What it is

When a website visitor asks the Ai Assistant (Aiden) for a human and no one is available, or the Ai Assistant promises the visitor that someone will follow up, Olark emails your team so you can reach out to that visitor yourself.

The email goes to your team, not to the visitor. It’s sent to the address entered in the Follow-Up field on your Behavior settings page.

When it sends

After each chat, the Ai Assistant reviews the conversation. A follow-up email is sent when one of these happens:

  • The visitor wanted a person. They asked to speak with a live agent or human.
  • The Ai Assistant promised a follow-up. It told the visitor that someone would follow up.

And both of these are also true in the same chat:

  • No one was available. A live agent couldn’t be reached, or the handoff couldn’t be completed.
  • The visitor shared their email address. Your team needs it to follow up.

When it doesn’t send

  • The visitor only shared contact details. Giving an email address alone isn’t enough. The visitor must also have wanted a person who wasn’t available, or the Ai Assistant must have told them someone would follow up.
  • The conversation is unclear. If it’s ambiguous whether the visitor needed a human follow-up, no email is sent.
  • No email address was given. Without one, there’s no way for your team to follow up.
  • The Follow-Up field is empty. If no address is entered in the Follow-Up field on your Behavior settings page, follow-up emails are turned off.

What you’ll receive

Depending on various factors, the email generally arrives about 10 minutes after the chat ends.

Subject line: [olark] visitor’s email address requires follow up

Highlights, at the top of the email:

  • Visitor name
  • Visitor email
  • When the chat started
  • Visitor location
  • A link to view the full transcript in Olark

Content, below the highlights: the full chat, including the page the visitor was on, every message with timestamps, and notes such as when the visitor filled out a contact form.

What if I want a record of every chat transcript?

If you enter an address in the Transcripts field on your Behavior settings page, Olark emails a copy of every chat transcript to that address, not just the chats that need a follow-up. This means a chat that needs a follow-up will trigger both emails. Both emails have the same structure and arrive around the same time. The easiest way to tell them apart is the subject line.

How to tell them apart

  • Follow-up email: sent only for chats that need a follow-up from your team.
    Subject: [olark] visitor’s email address requires follow up
  • Transcript email: sent for every chat in your account when an address is entered in the Transcripts field.
    Subject: Chat transcript: no operator and visitor identity

In the transcript email’s subject line, visitor identity is replaced with the visitor’s name. If Olark doesn’t know their name, you’ll see their location or a label such as “return visitor” instead.

How do I change where these emails go?

Follow-up emails and transcript emails each have their own email address field on your Behavior settings page:

  • Follow-Up: where follow-up emails are sent
  • Transcripts: where transcript emails are sent

Update the address in either field to change where those emails go. The two fields can use the same address or different ones. To stop either type of email, leave its field empty.

What if I didn’t receive an email as expected?

If you didn’t receive a follow-up email or transcript you expected, contact your Account Manager or the Olark Support team at support@olark.com. Please include:

  • The chat transcript link
  • The visitor’s email address, if available
  • The approximate date and time of the chat