How to configure office hours for web chat

How to configure office hours for web chat

Estimated 3 minute read

Updated Jan 27, 2026, 12:00 AM EST

Table of contents

About office hours for web chat
Set up office hours and automated replies
Additional resources

Learn how to set up office hours for web chat so your site visitors know when live chat support is available and what to expect outside of those times.

About office hours for web chat

Office hours help you set clear expectations for when site visitors can connect with a live support representative via web chat. During office hours, your team is monitoring the Klaviyo Helpdesk and can respond to incoming web chat tickets in real time.

Outside these hours, visitors automatically receive an away message that you configure, letting them know when chat support will be back or how to get assistance in the meantime.

You can customize the automated messages customers receive after they send a web chat both during and outside of your office hours to maintain transparency and provide a positive support experience.

Tip: Even if you use the Customer Agent, setting office hours is important. When the AI escalates an inquiry, office hours let customers know when a human will follow up if one isn't available at the time of handoff.

Set up office hours and automated replies

Before you begin, enable web chat and make sure you have permission to edit Helpdesk settings. See Getting started with web chat.

Setting up office hours involves 2 main steps:

Specify the days and times your support team is available (i.e., when they’re actively monitoring new tickets in the Klaviyo Helpdesk).
Customize the automated messages customers see during and outside those hours.

Set your office hours

In Klaviyo, go to Service > Helpdesk.
Click Settings, then select General.
In the Office hours section, click Add hours to set the days and times your team is available. Times are based on your account’s time zone.

To add another time range, click Add hours. To reuse a range, click the Duplicate icon beside it, then change the day or times in the new row.
The end time must be later than the start time, and time ranges on the same day must not overlap.
Click Save.

You can edit these hours at any time, or delete them using the trash icon next to each entry. Be sure to click Save after making changes.

Set automated messages for office hours

Keep each automated message to 240 characters or fewer.

In Helpdesk settings, select Autoresponders. If channels are listed beneath it, select Web chat.
If you see Enable autoresponder, turn on its toggle. Otherwise, scroll to the Web chat auto-responders section.

Under During office hours, enter the message visitors receive when live agents are available to respond to their message. For example, “One moment, a member of our support team will be with you soon.”
If you see Enable autoresponder, both messages are required. In the Web chat auto-responders panel, this message is optional; if agents typically respond quickly during office hours, you can leave this field blank.
Under Outside office hours (or Outside of office hours), enter your message for when support is offline. For example: “Thank you for your message. Our live chat is unavailable right now, but leave your name and email and we’ll get back to you soon.”
Click Save.

Note that customers only see these automatic replies if office hours are set.