AI Studio lets you create customised chat widgets that match the websites and apps you build in ZipLeads. Instead of using a standard chat bubble, you can design a chat experience that fits your site's branding. It still uses ZipLeads' existing chat features behind the scenes. This article explains how to create, customise, manage and track chat widgets in AI Studio.
Chat Widgets in AI Studio
AI Studio Chat Widgets let you create a chat experience that looks and feels like a natural part of your website. Simply ask AI Studio to add a chat widget, and it builds one that matches your site's colours, fonts and layout. You can customise everything from the greeting and placement to the overall look, using AI prompts or by editing the code.
AI Studio builds the chat interface directly into your application's code, while ZipLeads powers the messaging behind it. This means your widget can have a completely custom design while still using your existing ZipLeads contacts, Conversations and chat widget settings. You can even create multiple chat widgets in the same project for different pages or visitor experiences.
Note: AI Studio supports Live Chat and SMS / Email Chat. Voice Chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram chat widgets are not currently supported.
How AI Studio Chat Widgets Work
When someone sends a message through the widget, it appears in Conversations, where your team can read and reply to it. Replies are sent back to the visitor through the chat widget, just like a standard Live Chat conversation.
The widget also supports existing ZipLeads chat features, including conversation history, file attachments, message delivery status, business hours and spam protection. Returning visitors can continue previous conversations, and the widget follows your chat settings.
Each widget created through AI Studio also appears under Sites → Chat Widgets in your account, alongside your other chat widgets. If you open an AI Studio widget for editing, you'll be taken back to AI Studio to manage its settings.
How to Add a Chat Widget in AI Studio
AI Studio creates and connects chat widgets through a guided setup, so you don't need to install any embed code yourself.
From within your AI Studio project, enter a prompt asking AI Studio to add a chat widget.
For example, "Add a chat widget to my website."
Choose the chat type you want to add, then click Connect.
Answer AI Studio's design questions to customise the chat experience. You can choose how the widget greets visitors, where it appears and the tone of its messages.
Once AI Studio finishes, it creates a chat widget in your account, names it after your project and connects it to your application automatically. Open your application preview to see how the widget looks and behaves for visitors.
To make changes, simply ask AI Studio to update the widget's appearance. You can also edit the generated code for more control over the design.
For example, "Change the background colour of the chat widget to yellow so it sticks out."
Chat Widget Settings
AI Studio lets you manage your chat widget's settings without leaving your project. You can customise the widget's look using AI Studio prompts. The Chat Widgets settings let you control what visitors see during conversations, what information they provide and how the chat behaves.
To open these settings, go to your AI Studio project and click More → Chat Widgets. Select the widget you want to manage to open its settings.
From here, you can rename the widget and set up the following:
Messaging: Customise welcome messages, inactivity timeouts, chat-ended messages, acknowledgements and feedback messages.
Contact Form: Choose what contact details visitors must provide before starting a conversation.
Compliance Notice & Consent: Set up legal notices and consent options for privacy, marketing, SMS and any applicable HIPAA requirements.
Spam Protection: Manage suspicious leads, tagging and optional Do Not Disturb (DND) restrictions.
Live Chat Business Hours: Set when your team is available and what visitors see outside those hours.
Note: If your project doesn't have a widget yet, click Add a chat widget on the Chat Widgets page to have AI Studio create one.
Chat Widget Analytics
Chat Widget Analytics helps you understand how visitors use the chat widgets in your AI Studio application. You can track how often widgets load and open, review visitor feedback and satisfaction ratings, and see which widgets are bringing in leads.
To view your analytics, open your AI Studio project and go to More → Analytics → Chat Widgets.
The dashboard shows the number of times a widget was Loaded or Opened, along with its Open Rate (the percentage of loads that led to an open) and Feedback from visitor chat ratings.
The All Leads table shows contacts created through your chat widgets, including available contact details, chat type, widget name and the page where each conversation started.
