When starting a New conversation with a contact and selecting a Web Widget inbox (website chat), the inbox only appears in the source list under certain conditions — this prevents triggering actions that would not reach the customer or would duplicate an ongoing conversation.
1. The contact must be identified in the widget
A proactive conversation via Web Widget can only be started with an identified contact (who has logged in/authenticated in the widget — logged-in area). An anonymous visitor does not appear as an option: without an identified session, the message cannot be reliably delivered when they return.
2. Single conversation widget ("Maintain Single Conversation")
The inbox is only offered if the contact does not have an active conversation in it:
-
Active conversation (open, pending, or snoozed) → the inbox does not appear (to avoid creating a second parallel conversation).
-
Resolved conversation → does not block: you can start a new one normally (create a new, not reopen the old).
-
Previous proactive message that the customer hasn't responded to → does not block: you can start a new one normally.
The check is made by contact within that inbox, not per session: if they opened the site chat in another browser or device and have an active conversation there, the inbox also does not appear.
3. Multiple conversations widget
If the widget allows multiple conversations per user, the inbox always appears — the contact can have several conversations in parallel.
When does the customer receive it?
The conversation you start stays waiting: it appears to the customer as soon as they reopen the widget on the site — even in another tab or session.
"Why doesn’t the site inbox appear?"
To initiate the flow, open the contact and click New Message:
If the site inbox is not in the list, check:
-
Is the contact identified in this widget? (anonymous is not offered)
-
Is there already an active conversation (open/pending/snooze) with them in this inbox? If yes, continue or resolve the existing one.
-
Is the widget set to single conversation? Then, only one active conversation is allowed.
The same rule applies on the server: even if the conversation is attempted through another method, it will be rejected for reasons such as (contact not identified or an active conversation already exists). This also covers the case when the customer sends a message while the New Conversation window is open.