If you run a website and want to actually talk to your visitors, live chat is a no-brainer. Problem is, most people ignore the chat box—unless you give them a real reason not to. That’s where automated greetings come in. This guide is for anyone using Olark who wants to set up chat greetings that don’t annoy or scare off customers, and actually get results.
Let’s get you set up without wasting time—or turning your site into a pop-up circus.
Why Automated Chat Greetings Matter (and Where Most Go Wrong)
Automated greetings are basically a “hello” from your site. When done right, they make people feel like you’re awake at the wheel. When done wrong, they’re just another pop-up to close.
What works:
- Reaching out when it’s helpful (not instantly, not everywhere)
- Personalizing the message—at least a little
- Keeping things short and human
What to ignore:
- Pushing discounts or sales right away
- Using generic “Welcome to our website!” lines
- Setting the chat box to open on every page load
You want to greet people, not ambush them.
Step 1: Know What You’re Trying to Do
Before you touch any settings, get clear on your goal. Do you want to answer questions? Reduce cart abandonment? Just look friendly?
Common use cases:
- Offering help on product or pricing pages
- Nudging people who’ve been stuck for a while
- Following up if someone’s about to leave (exit intent)
Don’t try to do everything at once. Pick one goal per greeting.
Step 2: Log In and Find Your Automation Settings
Let’s get into Olark and set things up.
- Sign in to your Olark dashboard.
- In the left sidebar, find Automation (sometimes called “Targeted Chat” or “Rules”—they keep renaming it, but it’s there).
- Click Add Rule or Create Rule.
This is where you’ll tell Olark when and how to greet visitors.
Step 3: Set When the Greeting Should Trigger
This is where most people mess up. If you greet everyone instantly, it’s obvious you’re a bot—and it’s annoying.
Better triggers to use: - Page URL: Only greet on certain pages, like your pricing or checkout. - Time on page: Wait 10–30 seconds before popping up. If they’re still there, they might need help. - Repeat visits: Only greet people who are back for a second look. - Scroll depth: If they’ve scrolled 50% down a page, they’re probably engaged.
How to set it in Olark: - In your new rule, look for Conditions. - Choose things like “Visitor is on page containing...” or “Visitor has been on site for X seconds.” - You can mix and match, but don’t overdo it. More rules = more complexity = more stuff to break.
What to skip:
Don’t set greetings to fire on your homepage, every page, or instantly. It’s not friendly—it’s just noise.
Step 4: Write a Message That Sounds Like a Person, Not a Robot
Here’s where you separate yourself from every other site begging for attention.
What works: - Be direct and specific: “Need help picking the right plan?” - Reference the page: “Got any questions about shipping?” - Keep it short: One or two sentences, max. - Use a real name, not “Team” or “Support Bot.”
Examples:
- On pricing page:
“Hi, I’m Sam. Let me know if you want a quick rundown of the plans.”
- On checkout:
“Hey, happy to answer any questions before you place your order.”
What doesn’t work: - “Welcome to our website! How can we help you today?” - “We are here to assist you 24/7.” (Nobody believes that.) - Anything that sounds like it was written by ChatGPT.
Pro tip:
If you wouldn’t say it out loud to a stranger in a store, don’t use it in your chat greeting.
Step 5: Set Who the Greeting Comes From
People ignore bots. Give your chat a face and a name.
- In your rule, set the Agent Name and Avatar.
- Use a real person, or at least a real-sounding name (“Jamie from Support” beats “Customer Care”).
- Don’t use stock photos. If you don’t have headshots, use initials.
Honest take:
If your team is tiny (or just you), don’t fake it. People appreciate honesty more than a sea of generic “agents.”
Step 6: Test It Live (and Don’t Skip This)
Don’t trust the preview. Open your site in a private browser and trigger the greeting yourself.
- Make sure it doesn’t pop up too early or too often.
- Check mobile and desktop—timing can feel very different.
- Try it as a new visitor and as a repeat visitor.
If it feels even a little annoying to you, it’ll be annoying to your customers.
Step 7: Keep an Eye on Results (and Don’t Obsess)
Olark gives you some basic stats—how many people responded, how many ignored it, and so on.
- Check the Reports tab after a few days.
- If nobody’s responding, try changing the timing or the message.
- If you’re getting lots of “go away” messages, you’re probably too aggressive.
What not to stress about:
You won’t get a huge response rate. Most people will ignore the greeting. That’s fine. The goal is to help the small percentage who do want to talk.
Things to Avoid (Based on Real Mistakes)
- Over-automation: If you have five different greetings firing everywhere, people will just close chat entirely.
- Salesy language: Pushing discounts or “limited time offers” in the first message kills trust.
- Ignoring mobile: Your greeting might cover half the screen on a phone. Always check.
- Not updating greetings: If your message references a promotion or event, remember to turn it off.
Pro Tips for Better Engagement
- Rotate your greeting every month: People get blind to the same message.
- Use follow-up rules: If someone ignores the first greeting, don’t hit them with another.
- Let real humans jump in fast: If you can, reply quickly when someone bites. Automated greetings are pointless if nobody’s there to answer.
- Don’t overthink it: A simple, honest message outperforms clever marketing copy 99% of the time.
Keep It Simple—Then Tweak
Automated chat greetings in Olark are easy to set up, but easy to overdo. Start with one or two targeted messages, test them, and see what happens. Don’t chase perfection or try to script every possible scenario. Just be helpful, sound human, and adjust as you learn.
If you ever wonder whether your greeting is a good idea, ask yourself: “Would I respond to this?” If not, rethink it. That’s how you actually boost engagement—by being real, not by being louder.