Help Center

Note: These help docs are a work in progress and are constantly being updated for clarity and completeness.

Notifications

To understand how notifications work and when they are sent read the information below. If you think notifications are not working, most probably you're just testing them in the wrong way, please read the information below before asking for support.

Email notifications

Both agents and users can receive an email notification when a new message is received.

Email notifications for admin and agents

• When a user sends their first message, if the conversation is assigned to a department, an email is sent only to the agents assigned to that department, if the conversation is assigned to a specific agent, an email is sent only to that agent, otherwise an email is sent to all agents who are not online at the moment. Subsequent emails are sent only to the last agent in the conversation.
• Email notifications are sent only if the last agent in the conversation is offline.
• If you're using the Artificial Intelligence app, and Settings > Artificial Intelligence > Human takeover is active, no emails are sent if the chatbot knows the answer.
• To prevent admins from receiving email notifications check Settings > Notifications > Do not send email notifications to admins.

Email notifications for users

• When an agent sends a message to a user, an email is sent to the user only if the user is offline.
• Only 1 email is sent. Subsequent messages will not trigger a new email alert.

Create the email

To manage the emails and create the contents go to Settings > Notifications. You can use text and HTML. New lines are automatically converted to <br />. You can use the following merge fields in the email. Merge fields are automatically replaced with the updated information.

CodeDescription

The name of the user or agent who is receiving the email.

The name of the user or agent who was sending the message that triggered the email notification.

The profile image of the user or agent who was sending the message that triggered the email notification.

The links to any attachments that were part of the message that triggered the email notification.

Emails may not be delivered for several reasons; below are the most common ones:

Cron job

You can run the following cron job for sending email notifications to both users and agents, in which case you also need to select Settings > Notifications > Email notifications via cron job. Sending emails via cron job will improve your email notifications: they will include the whole conversation and will be sent only 1 time.

• Use this URL: https://cloud.board.support/script/include/api.php?email-notifications=true&cloud=API-TOKEN and replace API-TOKEN with your API token.
• Our support doesn't include assistance with this feature, as it is for advanced users and related to your server. For help with this, feel free to feel free to hire us by emailing support@generous.chat.

Problems?

Emails may not be delivered several reasons; below are the most common ones:

ReasonDescriptionSolutionHosting problemsThe email server of your web hosting provider is not able to send emails or the emails are sent but they are automatically detected as spam and deleted by the email clients.If the settings at Settings > Notifications > SMTP are not set, your server will send the emails instead. Contact your web hosting provider regarding email support or use your SMTP server by activating it in Settings > Notifications > SMTP.SMTP problemsThe email is not sent also if you activated the SMTP option in the Notificationsarea.If you don't receive the emails make sure they are working by sending a test email from Settings > Notifications > Send a user email notification or Send an agent email notification. If you don't receive the test email, your SMTP server, is not working. Open the browser console for more details about the error. Because this is not an issue related to Generous Chat , the support doesn't cover it, please contact your server/hosting/SMTP support instead. You can use sendgrid.com, you can send 40000 emails for 30 days for free, then 100/day forever for free.Google GmailThe email is not sent also if you activated the SMTP option in the Notifications area and you are trying to the Gmail SMTP server.If you're using Gmail enter smtp.gmail.com as host and set 465 or 587 as port. You need also to allow access to Gmail to less secure apps, you can do it from https://myaccount.google.com/lesssecureapps.

Push notifications

Push notifications are like Desktop notifications but with some key difference. Desktop notifications, also called Web notifications, are requested directly by the client while Push notifications come from a server. The main difference is that the Push notifications work always, also if your device is offline, or Generous Chat is not open. Also, they are persistent and always visible until closed. Push notifications require an external service to work. We support Pusher and OneSignal, they are free to use for up to 2000 users/devices. Pusher does not support iOS devices. You need to use OneSignal if you have an iOS device.

We use OneSignal by default, you do not have the option to configure it. For the admin area everything is already configured and you only have to check the Settings > Notifications > Push notifications > Active for agents option, save the changes, and reload the admin area.

Activation

• Download the service worker file here.
• Upload this file to your site at the following location: https://your-site.com/service-worker.js
• Go to Settings > Notifications > Push notifications > Service Worker URL and enter the URL of the file. E.g. https://your-site.com/service-worker.js.
• You're done.

Information

• Push notifications only work for full HTTPS websites. The only exception is localhost to ease development.
• When a user click the notification the last page visited by the user is open and the chat is open automatically.
• On desktop the browser needs to be running since that is the process that receives the push messages.
• When Push notifications are active, they replace desktop notifications.
• On Android and mobile devices, desktop notifications may not work, in which case you need to use Push notifications.
• Push notifications can not be received on a desktop PC unless a browser is running.
• Push notifications on iOS devices (iPhone) are available only from iOS 16.4. You need to install Generous Chat as a PWA (details here). You need to use OneSignal. Pusher does not support iOS devices.

Push notifications for admin and agents

• When an agent click the notification the admin area is open and the right conversation is selected. If the admin area is already open the notification will not open a new tab.
• When a user sends their first message, a Push notification is sent to all validated agents; subsequent notifications are sent only to the last agent in the conversation.
• If you're using the Artificial Intelligence app, and Settings > Artificial Intelligence > Human takeover is active, no notifications are sent if the chatbot knows the answer.
• If the Routing setting is active, only the agent assigned to the conversation receive the notification, admins see all conversations but don't receive notifications.
• If queue or routing settings are active, only the agent assigned to the conversation receive the notification. Notifications are not sent for messages sent by the user while waiting in queue. Admins see all conversations but don't receive notifications.
• If a user conversation is assigned to a department, only the agents assigned to that department receive the notification.
• If a user conversation is not assigned to any department, only agents with no assigned department receive the notification.
• Notifications are sent only if the last agent in the conversation is offline.
• If human takeover is active, no notifications are sent if the chatbot knows the answer.
• If Push notifications are not working, make sure you allowed the notifications, in Chrome you can check this from Privacy and Security > Site settings > Notifications. If they don't work on a mobile device, try these steps too: install the PWA or delete it and install it again, restart the mobile device.
• If you are using Chrome, to enable Push notifications also when the tab is closed you must enable the Continue running background apps when Google Chrome is closed option from Chrome > Setting > System (chrome://settings/system).
• If Push notifications are not working, and you are using Windows, ensure that the notification feature is not being blocked by Windows. To do this, click on the Start button and search for Notifications. Then, open the Turn app notifications on or off option and verify that your browser is not being blocked.
• If Push notifications are not working, ensure that the Generous Chat admin area is not visible and open. If the admin area is open, please minimize it or open another window or browser tab.
• If Push notifications are not working, your system might be blocking them. If you are using Windows 10+ check this link. If you are on Mac check this link. For all devices also check this link.

Desktop notifications

Desktop notifications

• Desktop notifications are not sent if the user is viewing a page with include the chat (the user browser is open and visible, and the active page contains the chat).
• Desktop notifications are not supported on iPhone and iOS devices.
• Desktop notifications work only for secure URLs that use HTTPS (not HTTP). Your Generous Chat admin URL must use HTTPS.
• When Push notifications are active, they replace desktop notifications.
• If desktop notifications aren't working, try the solutions in the Push notifications section.

Text message notifications

Both agents and users can be notified via text message when a new message comes in. Text message notifications are provided by Twilio. Twilio is a paid service, but it is cheap, and you can use the trial version to test text message notifications for free.

Activation

• Go to https://www.twilio.com and create a new account.
• Verify your phone number.
• Complete the form and choose SMS.
• Once into the dashboard, click Get a Trial Number, then Choose this number.
• Enter the Generous Chat admin area, go to Settings > Notifications > Text message notifications, and paste account SID, auth token, trial number (or a purchased phone number). Find all details in the Twilio dashboard.
• If you're using the trial version, you can send notifications only to verified numbers. Enter the Twilio dashboard and click the left button # (Phone Numbers), then click Verified Caller IDs and add your phone number.
• To start using the service live and to receive text messages in Generous Chat you need to purchase a phone number. After the purchase go to Phone numbers > Manage > Active numbers, click your number, and enter the URL of Generous Chat, get it from Generous Chat > Settings > Notifications > Text message notifications > Get configuration URL.
• You're done.

Information

• Ensure that your agents and admins are assigned a phone number so that agent text messages can be sent to the appropriate numbers.
• All phone numbers must have the country code starting with the symbol + (eg. +15558675310).
• You can get the user's phone number via registration form, follow-up message, or via [email] shortcode. You can manually enter the user phone from the admin area or via API.
• When a user sends their first message, if the conversation is assigned to a department, a test message is sent only to the agents assigned to that department, if the conversation is assigned to a specific agent, a text message is sent only to that agent, otherwise an text message is sent an email is sent to all agents who are not online at the moment. Subsequent text messages are sent only to the last agent in the conversation.
• Text message notifications are sent only if the last agent in the conversation is offline.
• If you're using the Artificial Intelligence app, and human takeover is active, no text messages are sent if the chatbot knows the answer.
• To use the Sender ID feature enter the sender name in the Sender number field.

Sound notifications

• When Settings > Notifications > Sounds are enabled, a sound will play whenever a new message or conversation is received.
• Audio will only play when the user or agent engages with the document by clicking somewhere in the admin area or on the page displaying the chat widget. This is because of a security feature of the browsers.
• If the sound is set to repeat, it will loop as long as the admin area or the chat widget page is not open or minimized. If the the admin area or the chat widget page is open and visible, you will not hear the sound.