Stay on top of every live chat — and jump in when it matters
Your shoppers reach out from more than one place. Some chat on your website, others message you on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, or WhatsApp. The Live Conversations view in your Rep AI Console now brings all of those conversations together in real time, so you can watch them as they happen, see when your AI needs a hand, and reply to any shopper — on any channel — without leaving the Console or switching apps.
This guide explains what you'll see, when to step in, and how to reply.
One live list for every channel
The Live Conversations view shows in-progress shopper conversations as they happen, refreshing automatically every few seconds. Conversations from all of your connected channels appear in the same list, side by side:
Web — chats on your storefront (desktop and mobile)
Instagram — direct messages
Facebook — Messenger conversations
WhatsApp — WhatsApp messages
Each conversation carries a small channel icon so you can tell at a glance where it's happening. There's nothing to turn on — once a channel is connected to Rep AI, its live conversations show up automatically alongside your web chats, with no difference in how they're treated.
Note: Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp conversations appear only if you've connected those channels to Rep AI. Stores using web chat only will see no change.
Knowing when your AI needs you: "Needs Human Assistance"
You don't have to watch every conversation. Rep AI flags the ones that need a human with a Needs Human Assistance signal. A conversation is flagged when:
a shopper explicitly asks to speak with a person, or
the AI determines it can't confidently handle the request and hands off.
This works the same way on every channel. An Instagram or WhatsApp conversation that needs attention is highlighted just like a website chat would be, and your browser tab indicator lights up so you'll notice even when the Console isn't in front of you.
The flag clears on its own once you reply, once the conversation is resolved, or once it's no longer active.
Replying to a shopper from the Console
When you open a live conversation, you'll see the full thread and a reply box at the bottom. Type your message, send it, and it's delivered to the shopper on whatever channel they're using — Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, or web. You manage every channel from one screen, with no need to open the native Instagram, Messenger, or WhatsApp apps.
To reply to a live conversation:
Open the Live Conversations view in your Console.
Select the conversation you want to join — the channel icon shows where it's taking place.
Read the thread. Shopper messages, AI replies, and your own replies all appear in order, each clearly labeled by who sent it.
Type your message in the reply box and send. The shopper receives it on their channel.
Your message appears in the thread right away with a badge showing it came from you (not the AI), so anyone on your team reviewing later can see exactly who said what.
The AI steps back when you step in
As soon as you send a reply, Rep AI stops auto-replying in that conversation so the shopper never gets a human answer and a bot answer at the same time. The AI stays out of that specific conversation for the rest of the session, while continuing to handle all your other conversations as normal.
Replying on WhatsApp: the 24-hour window
WhatsApp has a messaging rule set by Meta that affects when you can send a free-form reply:
Within 24 hours of the shopper's last message, you can reply freely with any text.
After 24 hours have passed since their last message, WhatsApp no longer allows a free-form reply. When this happens, the reply box for that conversation is disabled and the Console explains why.
This rule comes from WhatsApp/Meta, not from Rep AI, and it applies only to WhatsApp conversations. Instagram, Facebook, and web replies are not affected.
What you can and can't do today
You can:
See live conversations from web, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp in one list
Spot which ones need a human, on any channel
Reply to shoppers on any channel directly from the Console
See who authored every message in the thread
Not yet available:
Sending images, files, or attachments — replies are text-only for now
Sending a WhatsApp message outside the 24-hour window
Managing these conversations from a separate inbox tool
Troubleshooting
A WhatsApp conversation won't let me reply. The 24-hour window has likely passed since the shopper's last message. You'll need to wait until they message you again before you can send a free-form reply.
My Instagram/Facebook/WhatsApp conversations aren't showing up. Confirm the channel is connected in your integration settings. Only connected channels appear in the live list.
My message didn't send. You'll see an error with the option to try again. If it keeps failing, check that the channel connection is still active in your settings.
The AI replied after I did. Your reply pauses the AI for that conversation. If you're seeing both, confirm your message sent successfully (a sent message shows in the thread with your attribution badge).