Website chat in Bitrix24 open channels

What the operator sees

1. 1 The visitor writes in the chat window on the site An ordinary question in the chat — no request form to fill in.
2. 2 The message arrives in an open channel In the portal's contact centre, through the WidgetChat channel, following that channel's own queue rules.
3. 3 The operator answers from Bitrix24 From the same feed where they handle the other channels. No separate operator tab is needed.
4. 4 The reply comes back into the chat window Within a second, with no page reload. The visitor sees it where they asked.

What is carried into the portal

• Text and files — Visitor messages and their attachments arrive in the open channel; the portal downloads the file with a temporary link.
• A reply with a file — The operator answers with a file from the portal — the visitor gets it in the chat window on the site.
• Edits and deletions — Edited text changes in the open channel too, and a deleted message disappears.
• A delivery mark — The portal sees that the message reached the visitor.
• Closing a conversation — A dialog finished in the portal is closed on our side too, and the next message starts a new session in the channel.

The portal does not replace the other places

Bitrix24 is a second workplace for the operator, not a separate channel. The message still comes from the widget on the site, and it can be answered from Telegram or from the portal: both sides see the reply, and the visitor receives it once.

So connecting the portal breaks nothing that already works: the team used to Telegram stays in Telegram, and the department that lives in Bitrix24 answers from the open channel.

What the setup takes

1. 1 Create a local application in the portal Developers → Other → Local application, server type. Scopes: crm, imopenlines, imconnector, im.
2. 2 Move the portal domain and the application keys into the dashboard The site card, the Integrations section. The install link comes from there too — paste it into the Handler path field.
3. 3 Pick the WidgetChat channel in an open channel In the settings of the contact centre channel you need. After that the messages go there.

A local application works immediately: it needs no Bitrix24 Marketplace review and does not delay the launch. The keys are stored closed and never shown in dashboard responses.

What this connection does not do

A screenshot already sent to an open channel cannot be replaced: the portal accepts an edit of the text only, and the file goes with the message. The visitor replaces the image on their side, the operator keeps seeing the old one — and a record of that stays in the exchange log so the difference does not look like a fault.

Deals, leads and orders are not created from the chat: the connection carries the conversation, it does not sell for the operator.

This was tested on a real cloud Bitrix24 portal — it revealed five defects a mock portal did not, and they are fixed. The portal is our own, so we do the first client connection together with the client.

Frequently asked questions