A live chat widget lets your website visitors start real-time conversations with your team directly from your website, without leaving the page. Sakura SMS provides a fully featured live chat solution that integrates with WhatsApp, SMS, and AI auto-replies, creating a unified customer communication hub for your business.
Why Add Live Chat to Your Website?
Live chat has become one of the most effective customer support channels. Studies show that businesses with live chat see significantly higher conversion rates and customer satisfaction scores compared to email-only or phone-only support:
- Instant engagement: Capture visitor interest while they are actively browsing your site
- Higher conversions: Answer pre-sale questions in real-time, reducing cart abandonment
- Lower support costs: Agents can handle multiple conversations simultaneously, unlike phone calls
- Customer preference: Over 70% of customers prefer live chat for quick questions
- Data collection: Gather visitor information and behaviour insights automatically
Sakura SMS Live Chat Features
All-in-One Communication Hub: Unlike standalone live chat tools, Sakura SMS live chat connects directly with your WhatsApp Business API, SMS platform, and AI auto-replies. A customer who starts on your website widget can seamlessly continue the conversation on WhatsApp, and your team manages everything from a single inbox.
Core Features
- Customisable Widget: Match your brand colours, position, welcome message, and agent avatars
- Multi-Agent Support: Route conversations to different teams or departments
- AI First Responder: AI auto-replies handle initial inquiries before routing to a human agent
- WhatsApp Continuation: Offer visitors the option to continue the chat on WhatsApp for persistent conversations
- Pre-Chat Form: Collect visitor name, email, and inquiry type before connecting to an agent
- Offline Mode: When agents are offline, collect messages and follow up via SMS or WhatsApp
- Typing Indicators: Show when an agent is typing for a natural conversation feel
- File Sharing: Visitors and agents can share images, documents, and screenshots
- Chat Transcripts: Automatically email conversation transcripts to visitors and archive for your records
Setting Up the Live Chat Widget
Access Live Chat Settings
Log in to sms.sakuragroup.co.tz and navigate to Live Chat > Widget Setup.
Log in to sms.sakuragroup.co.tz and navigate to Live Chat > Widget Setup.
Customise Appearance
Configure the widget to match your website's brand identity:
Configure the widget to match your website's brand identity:
- Primary Colour: Set to match your brand (e.g., #E8375A for Sakura branding)
- Position: Bottom-right (default) or bottom-left of the screen
- Widget Icon: Choose from chat bubble, message icon, or upload a custom icon
- Welcome Message: The greeting visitors see when they open the widget (e.g., "Karibu! How can we help you today?")
- Agent Display: Show agent names and photos for a personal touch
Configure Pre-Chat Form
Decide what information to collect before starting a chat:
Decide what information to collect before starting a chat:
- Name (recommended)
- Email (recommended for follow-up)
- Phone number (optional, enables SMS follow-up)
- Department selection (optional, for routing)
- Custom fields relevant to your business
Set Up Routing Rules
Define how incoming chats are assigned:
Define how incoming chats are assigned:
- Round Robin: Distribute evenly among available agents
- Department-Based: Route based on the visitor's selected department
- Skills-Based: Route to agents with specific expertise (e.g., billing, technical support)
- AI First: Let the AI handle initial interaction and escalate to human when needed
Install the Widget Code
Copy the generated JavaScript snippet and paste it into your website just before the closing
Copy the generated JavaScript snippet and paste it into your website just before the closing
</body> tag. The snippet is lightweight (under 30KB) and loads asynchronously so it does not affect page performance.
Installation Code
<!-- Sakura SMS Live Chat Widget -->
<script>
(function(s,a,k,u,r,i){
s[r]=s[r]||function(){(s[r].q=s[r].q||[]).push(arguments)};
i=a.createElement(k);i.async=1;i.src=u;
a.getElementsByTagName(k)[0].parentNode.insertBefore(i,a.getElementsByTagName(k)[0]);
})(window,document,'script','https://sms.sakuragroup.co.tz/widget/chat.js','SakuraChat');
SakuraChat('init', { widget_id: 'YOUR_WIDGET_ID' });
</script>
<script>
(function(s,a,k,u,r,i){
s[r]=s[r]||function(){(s[r].q=s[r].q||[]).push(arguments)};
i=a.createElement(k);i.async=1;i.src=u;
a.getElementsByTagName(k)[0].parentNode.insertBefore(i,a.getElementsByTagName(k)[0]);
})(window,document,'script','https://sms.sakuragroup.co.tz/widget/chat.js','SakuraChat');
SakuraChat('init', { widget_id: 'YOUR_WIDGET_ID' });
</script>
Platform-Specific Installation:
- WordPress: Use the Sakura SMS plugin or paste the code in Appearance > Theme Editor > footer.php
- Shopify: Add to theme.liquid before the closing body tag
- WHMCS (SakuraHost): Add via the SakuraHost Lagom2 theme header/footer injection
- Custom HTML: Paste directly in your HTML template
Configuring Offline Behaviour
When no agents are available, the widget can:
- Collect messages: Show an offline form that captures the visitor's name, email, and message for follow-up
- Redirect to WhatsApp: Offer to continue the conversation on WhatsApp where AI auto-replies can handle the inquiry
- Send auto-response via SMS: If the visitor provides a phone number, automatically send an SMS acknowledging their inquiry
- Display FAQ: Show a list of common questions and answers from your knowledge base
Performance Note: The Sakura SMS live chat widget is designed to be lightweight and fast-loading. It loads asynchronously and does not block your page rendering. The widget code is hosted on our CDN for maximum performance. If you experience any page speed issues, verify you are using the latest widget code from your dashboard.
Managing Conversations
All live chat conversations appear in your unified inbox at sms.sakuragroup.co.tz alongside WhatsApp and SMS conversations. Agents can:
- Reply to multiple conversations simultaneously
- View visitor information (name, email, current page, browser, location)
- Access conversation history with returning visitors
- Use canned responses for common questions
- Transfer conversations to other agents or departments
- Tag and categorise conversations for reporting
- Add internal notes visible only to other agents
Analytics and Reporting
Track your live chat performance under Live Chat > Analytics:
- Chat volume: Number of conversations per day/week/month
- Average response time: How quickly agents respond to first message
- Average resolution time: Total time to resolve a conversation
- Customer satisfaction: Post-chat ratings and feedback
- Agent performance: Individual agent metrics and workload distribution
- Peak hours: Identify when chat volume is highest to optimise staffing
- Conversion tracking: Connect chat interactions to sales or sign-ups on your website
Advanced: WhatsApp + Live Chat Integration
The most powerful feature of Sakura SMS live chat is its seamless integration with WhatsApp Business API. When a visitor starts a chat on your website, they can choose to continue the conversation on WhatsApp. This provides several advantages:
- Conversations persist even after the visitor closes their browser
- You can follow up with the customer via WhatsApp template messages later
- The customer has a permanent record of the conversation in their WhatsApp
- AI auto-replies can continue assisting if the customer messages outside business hours
To enable WhatsApp continuation, ensure your WhatsApp Business API is set up (see our WhatsApp setup guide) and enable the "Continue on WhatsApp" option in Live Chat > Widget Setup > Channels.
Ready to add live chat to your website? Log in to Sakura SMS and set up your widget in minutes. For assistance, open a support ticket.