# Chat with customers - Shopper app chat, no website chat

> How customers message your business from the SmartPOS Shopper app, how staff answer from the Inbox or the Business app, and what SmartPOS Hub does not have.

Source: https://docs.smartposhub.com/online/website-chat-and-app-chat/  
Last updated: 2026-10-30  
Product: SmartPOS Hub (https://smartposhub.com)

This page explains exactly how customers can chat with your business in SmartPOS Hub. In short: customers chat with you from the **SmartPOS Shopper app**, and your team answers from the **Inbox**, the contact page or the **SmartPOS Business app**. There is **no live-chat widget for your website**.

## What exists and what does not

| | Status |
|---|---|
| Chat from the **SmartPOS Shopper app** ("Message store") | **Available** - set up in **Settings › App chat** |
| One **Inbox** for app chats, SMS, e-mail, WhatsApp and calls | **Available** with the Messaging module |
| Answering from the **SmartPOS Business app** | **Available** |
| A chat bubble / live-chat widget on your **website** or online store | **Not available** |
| Staff starting a new app chat with a customer | **Not available** - only the customer can start |
| Replying to app chats through the API or an AI assistant | **Not available** |

**No website chat widget:** 
None of the eight [shop widgets](https://docs.smartposhub.com/online/widgets/) is a chat, and the online store has no chat bubble. If you want visitors to reach you from your website, show your phone and WhatsApp number, use your store's forms (entries land in **Website › Forms & webhooks**), and invite customers to the Shopper app.

> **How to turn it on**
> 1. **Plan:** Messaging, with Shopper app chat included (it is by default) and Shopper app & Scan & Go for your store
> 2. **Switch:** Settings › Business Settings › Modules › Messaging and Shopper app chat; your store must be shown in the Shopper app; then Settings › App chat › Customers can message us in the Shopper app
> 3. **Permission:** See chats assigned to me / see all chats / see unassigned app chats / reply / manage (User Management › Roles, Messaging group)
> - **Mobile app:** SmartPOS Shopper for customers, SmartPOS Business for staff

## How app chat works

- **Only the customer can start.** A customer who joined your store taps **Message store** on your store page in the Shopper app. They can ask about a product or an order, and attach a photo.
- **One conversation per customer.** It appears in your Inbox and on the customer's contact page next to SMS and e-mail, so the whole history is in one place.
- **Statuses**: open, pending (waiting for the customer) and closed. A new message from the customer re-opens a closed chat.
- **Not live**: the apps check for new messages when they open and every few seconds while the chat is on screen. Staff can get Business app notifications.

![Store page in the Shopper app with My store card, Message store with an unread badge, Browse products and Bookings](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/on-app-shopper-store-page.C6GkqSoB.png)
![Customer's chat with the store showing an automatic answer, a staff reply, a photo and a message about an order](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/on-app-shopper-chat-thread.DUzM9jTR.png)
*What the customer sees: the Message store button and the chat.*

## Step 1 - Turn on app chat

1. Make sure your store is shown in the Shopper app (see [Shopper app for your store](https://docs.smartposhub.com/online/shopper-app-for-your-store/)).
2. Switch on **Messaging** and **Shopper app chat** in **Settings › Business Settings › Modules**.
3. Open **Settings › App chat** (also reachable from **Inbox › Messaging › App chat**).
4. Tick **Customers can message us in the Shopper app**. When it is off, the "Message store" button is hidden and old chats stay in your Inbox.
5. Choose the options: **Customers can send photos**, **Show the first name of the person who answers** (otherwise customers see your store name), **Notify staff in the Business app about new messages**, and **Longest message (characters)** (100 to 2000).
6. Press **Save**.

![Shopper app chat settings with How it works, customer messages this month, General options and Who gets new chats](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/on-app-chat-settings.C8ozOZp9.png) (web app page: `/messaging/app-chat`)

## Step 2 - Decide who gets new chats

Under **Who gets new chats › New chats go to** choose:

- **Nobody (unassigned, anyone can take it)** - the chat waits in the unassigned pool; anyone allowed to see unassigned chats can take it.
- **One person** - every new chat goes to the person you pick.
- **Take turns (round robin)** - new chats go to the next person in **People who take turns**.

You can reassign any chat later from the Inbox.

## Step 3 - Set automatic answers and hours

- **Answer the first message automatically** - sent once, when a customer starts a chat. Leave the text empty to use the standard text in the customer's language.
- **Answer automatically when we are closed** - sent at most once every 12 hours per chat, outside your opening hours.
- **Opening hours** - **Same as the store hours in the Shopper app**, **Own hours for chat**, or **Always open (never send the closed answer)**.

## Step 4 - Answer chats

1. Open **Inbox** in the menu. Set the channel filter to **Shopper app** to see only app chats; use **Open + pending** to see what needs an answer.
2. Open a conversation. If it is unassigned, take it or assign it to a colleague.
3. Type your reply and send. Use **Internal note** for something only staff should see.
4. Set the status: **Mark pending** while you wait for the customer, or close it when done.
5. On a phone, open **Inbox** in the SmartPOS Business app: tabs **Mine**, **Unassigned** and **All**, and **Reply** / **Internal note** in each thread.

![Business app inbox with Mine, Unassigned and All tabs and conversations labelled Shopper app, SMS, E-mail and WhatsApp](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/inbox-list.DdiCEXOI.png)
![Business app chat thread with a product chip, an automatic answer, an internal note and a staff reply, with Reply and Internal note tabs](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/inbox-thread.DkhpJPrf.png)
*Staff answer from the SmartPOS Business app: assignment, status, notes and photos.*

## Tips and mistakes to avoid

- Keep the automatic first answer short and say when you usually reply.
- Use round robin for busy stores so no chat sits unanswered.
- Customers who left your store or whom you blocked cannot write. Writing again unblocks a customer who had blocked your replies.
- For order questions, open the order from the "About order" chip in the thread.

## Related pages

  - [App chat module reference](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/app-chat/)
  - [Messaging (SMS, e-mail, WhatsApp)](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/messaging/)
  - [Inbox and chat in the Business app](https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-app/inbox-and-chat/)
  - [Shopper app for your store](https://docs.smartposhub.com/online/shopper-app-for-your-store/)

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there a live-chat bubble for my website?

No. SmartPOS Hub does not have a website live-chat widget, and none of the eight shop widget types is a chat. Customer chat happens in the SmartPOS Shopper app.

### Can I start a chat with a customer?

No. Only the customer can start an app chat, by tapping Message store in the Shopper app. Once they have written, you can reply at any time. To contact a customer first, use SMS or e-mail from their contact page.

### Where do I answer app chats?

In the Inbox on the web (filter the channel Shopper app), on the customer's contact page in the Conversations tab, or in the SmartPOS Business app's inbox.

### Are messages instant?

Nearly. Chats are not live like a phone call - the apps check for new messages when they open and every few seconds while the chat is on screen. Staff can get a notification in the Business app.

### Can customers send photos?

Yes, if "Customers can send photos" is ticked in Settings › App chat. Photos are checked and stored privately.

### Do customers see internal notes?

No. Internal notes stay in the thread for staff only and are never sent to the customer.

### Can I block a customer from writing?

Yes. Staff who manage messaging can block a customer from writing; the customer can also block your replies. Both can be undone.

### How many chat messages can I receive?

Your plan sets a monthly number of customer messages. The App chat page shows "Customer messages this month". Contact support to raise it.

### How can website visitors reach me without a chat widget?

Show your phone and WhatsApp number on your website, use your store's contact or quote forms (entries arrive in Website › Forms & webhooks), and invite customers to join your store in the Shopper app to chat.