SalesThumb gives every shop a public, no-login chat page at `/widget/chat/[your shop ID]` — a self-contained chat window a customer can open directly, or one you can drop into your own website in an `<iframe>`. There's no separate app to install and no account for the visitor to create; they land on the page and can start typing right away. Whatever they send comes straight into your Inbox as a new conversation, and anything you reply from the Inbox appears back in their chat window within a few seconds.
Finding your widget link
Go to Settings → Integrations and look for the Public URLs card, alongside your other shareable pages (virtual business card, online booking page, front desk kiosk). The Web Chat Widget row shows the description "Send customers here to chat, or iframe it on your site," the full link, and buttons to copy it or open it in a new tab. That link is unique to your shop — copy it into your email signature, a QR code, a text message, or your site's contact page. If you'd rather embed it directly on your website, wrap that same URL in an `<iframe>` — there isn't a drop-in `<script>` embed snippet at this time, so the link (used directly or iframed) is the way to add it to a page.
What a customer sees
Opening the link shows a simple chat screen — a header ("Chat with us," with a note that you typically reply within a few minutes), a message thread, and a text box at the bottom. They type a message and hit Enter (or tap send) to start the conversation; there's a generous per-message length limit so it stays a chat, not a form submission. Behind the scenes, the page quietly remembers that visitor's spot in the conversation in their browser, so if they refresh the page or come back later on the same device and browser, they land back in the same thread instead of starting over. Switching devices or browsers, or clearing site data, starts a fresh conversation. While they wait for a reply, the page checks for new messages every few seconds so your responses show up without them needing to refresh.
Replying from the Inbox
New web chat conversations show up in your Inbox as their own thread, tagged Web Chat (with its own icon and color) so you can tell it apart from SMS, email, and your other connected channels at a glance. Because the visitor is anonymous — there's no name, phone, or email attached yet — the conversation opens in a simpler view than a regular customer thread: just the message transcript and a reply box, without the customer profile header or the AI-suggested-reply tools that depend on having a known customer. Type your reply and send it the same way you would any other Inbox message; it's delivered back to that visitor's open chat window on their next check-in.
Things to know
- The widget is public and unauthenticated by design — anyone with the link (or who lands on your iframe) can open a chat, so treat the link the way you'd treat any other public contact channel.
- Chat visitors start out anonymous. Nothing on the widget page collects a name, phone number, or email, so a web chat conversation won't automatically match to an existing customer record — you're chatting with a stranger until you or they establish who they are.
- There's no drop-in `<script>` embed for auto-installing a chat bubble on every page of your site. The supported way to put it on your website today is an `<iframe>` pointed at your widget link, or just linking out to it.
- The page enforces its own message-length and request-rate limits behind the scenes to keep the public link from being abused — a normal back-and-forth conversation won't run into them.
- If the link is broken or the shop ID in it doesn't resolve to a real shop, visitors see a simple "this chat isn't available" message rather than an error page.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Do I need to turn on or configure anything before this works?
A: No setup step — every shop already has a working widget link. Go to Settings → Integrations → Public URLs and copy or open the Web Chat Widget link whenever you're ready to share it.
Q: Can I put this on my own website instead of just sharing the link?
A: Yes — wrap the widget link in an <iframe> on your site. There isn't a one-line <script> snippet to auto-add a floating chat bubble; the iframe (or just linking to the page) is the supported way to embed it today.
Q: Do customers need to create an account or log in to chat?
A: No. The page is public and requires no sign-in — they open the link and can start typing immediately.
Q: Will a web chat conversation get matched to an existing customer's profile?
A: Not automatically. The widget doesn't collect a name, phone, or email up front, so the conversation starts as an anonymous thread in your Inbox rather than attaching to a known customer record.
Q: Where do I reply to a web chat message?
A: In your Inbox, same as SMS or email — the thread is labeled "Web Chat" so you can spot it. Replies you send there go straight back to that visitor's open chat window.
Q: What happens if a customer refreshes the chat page or comes back later?
A: On the same browser and device, they'll land back in the same conversation instead of starting a new one. Opening the link on a different device or browser, or clearing their browser data, starts a new conversation.