About Live Chat V2
The new Live Chat system represents a major upgrade for labs and ECPs using SpecCheck. Built directly into SpecCheck Lab View, this update replaces the old Intercom-based chat with a faster, more secure, and fully integrated communication experience. By moving chat in-house, we can better support real-time collaboration between labs and ECPs, improve data security, and roll out new features more quickly.
Whether your lab has already transitioned to the new system or is preparing to, this guide explains everything you need to know to get set up, manage conversations, and make the most of your new Live Chat solution!
Key Updates
Please watch the video above to learn more about everything included with Live Chat V2.
1. Live Chat Is Now On Lab View
Chats now live directly within SpecCheck Lab View, and replaces the previous system on Intercom. You can now see messages, orders, and account information all in one place without switching between sites.
If you don’t see the Live Chat button on the left hand menu in your SpecCheck dashboard, please reach out to our team at [email protected] and we’ll update your permissions.
2. New Notification System in SpecCheck
You’ll never miss a message - notifications are now built right into your SpecCheck dashboard. When a new chat comes in, you’ll see:
A toast notification in the top-right corner of your screen
A purple bubble indicator on the Live Chat navigation link showing the number of open conversations
A gentle notification chime when new messages arrive
An email alert whenever a new conversation is started by an ECP.
3. No More App, But Fully Mobile Optimized
Although the Intercom mobile app will no longer be supported, Live Chat is now fully optimized for mobile browsers! You can access all core chat features from any phone or tablet simply by logging in through your device’s browser. This gives you full flexibility on the go without the need for a separate app.
4. Automatic Conversation Closure
To help keep your inbox organized, SpecCheck now automatically closes conversations that have been inactive for more than 24 business hours. When this happens, a bot message will appear in the chat letting participants know that the conversation was closed due to inactivity.
5. We've Imported Your Initial Chat Flows
The initial chat flows — the automated messages ECPs see when they first start a new conversation — have been carried over from Intercom to the new system. This ensures the first message from the bot still appears just as it did before, welcoming the ECP and confirming their message has been received.
To make updates to your initial chat flows, please reach out to us directly at [email protected].
6. No Changes for ECPs
Although this represents a major upgrade for labs, ECPs will not experience any changes on their side. Their Live Chat interface, workflow, and messaging experience remain exactly the same. There is no action required from ECPs and no training or change management needed. Everything will continue to work just as it does today, so you can transition confidently without impacting your ECP partners.
Getting Started - Configure Live Chat V2
Please watch the video above to learn more about configuring your Settings for Live Chat V2.
Before you start chatting, please review your Live Chat settings in Lab View. Only admins can configure these. Learn more about lab roles and permissions here.
1. Set Lab Hours and Availability
Admins can manage your lab’s Live Chat hours directly in SpecCheck to control when your team is available to receive messages. These hours are also what is shown on the ECP dashboard. To set or update your lab’s hours:
Go to Settings → Live Chat
Set your lab’s Live Chat Office Hours
Click Save Changes
Next, configure your After Hours Messaging preferences. When After Hours Messaging is enabled:
ECPs can still send messages outside of business hours
Messages sent after hours will be received and flagged for review the next business day
Your team can reply once you’re back online
See below for how the Live Chat modal appears for your ECPs depending on your system settings:
2. Add Macros (Pre-Filled Responses)
Macros are pre-written responses you can send during a chat, helping you reply quickly without typing the same messages over and over. Please note that macros are personal – no one else can see your macros.
For example:
“Thank you for contacting our lab. Have a great day!”
“Thanks so much! We’ll update you as soon as your order ships.”
In the new Live Chat system, macros from Intercom are not automatically carried over. To set them up again:
Go to Settings → Live Chat → Manage Macros
Add or Delete macros one at a time from the Settings page
To Edit a macro, from the Settings page click the macro you want to edit, make your updates, then click the purple Save button.
If you’d like our team to help import your existing macros, send them to [email protected] in a spreadsheet, and we can backfill them for you.
3. Add Widget Links
Widget Links allow you to share helpful resources directly inside the ECP’s Live Chat window.
You can add one or more links that will appear when an ECP opens the Live Chat messenger.
Each link includes a label, which is what the ECP will see and click on.
Links open in a new browser window.
You can add, edit, or delete Widget Links one at a time in your Live Chat settings.
Widget Links are a simple way to surface important resources such as FAQs, order guidelines, warranty policies, or holiday hours.
4. Widget Announcement Message
The Widget Announcement Message is a customizable message that appears at the top of the ECP’s Live Chat view. You can use it to communicate important updates, reminders, or announcements.
Examples include:
“Welcome to Live Chat. Our team typically responds within one business hour.”
“Please include your order number when reaching out about a specific job.”
“Our lab will be closed on Monday for a holiday.”
Only lab admins can update this message, and changes take effect immediately for all ECPs.
5. Set Your Communication Preferences
Live Chat V2 includes improved notification controls so your team can decide which email alerts they want to receive. You can customize these in the Communication Preferences section of your settings.
To update your preferences:
Go to Settings → Communication Preferences
Review the list of available notifications
Toggle email alerts on or off based on your needs
The following notifications can be managed:
Payment has been made
Autopay has been enabled or disabled
A new live chat request has been received
A new support inquiry has been received
These settings help you control the flow of email communication. You can update your personal communication preferences at any time!
Using Live Chat
There are a couple different ways to initiate a Live Chat through the new system. Both ECPs and Labs can initiate new conversations.
1. Lab to ECP Live Chats
Lab users can start a live chat directly with an ECP from SpecCheck Lab View, making it faster and easier to connect with your ECPs! To initiate a message with an ECP:
From the Live Chat page on Lab View, click the New Chat button located at the top left, just above your chat history.
In the search bar, type the name of the ECP’s office to find the correct location.
Once you’ve selected the office, choose one or more people to include in the conversation.
Type your message and click Send to start the chat.
The selected ECPs will receive a notification on the bottom left of their SpecCheck dashboard when a new message arrives.
2. ECP to Lab Live Chats
From the ECP’s perspective, the live chat experience looks almost identical to before. When an ECP starts a new conversation, your team will be notified in several ways:
The new chat will appear in your Live Chat inbox.
A toast notification will appear on your screen.
A notification chime will play.
You will receive an email alert for visibility outside of Lab View.
Once the chat begins, the ECP will receive the initial automated message (your welcome chat flow) confirming that their message has been received.
3. Adding a Participant to a Live Chat
Custom routing can be set up for Live Chats based on your lab's preferences. We've been imported existing routing rules, but to make adjustments please contact us at [email protected].
Additionally, other lab members can always be manually added to a conversation. If someone doesn’t see a conversation, they can be manually added. By default, all lab users are added to all new conversations. To manually add a participant:
Open the conversation
Click the purple Add Participant button in the Details section to the right
Select the team member you’d like to add
Click Add to Conversation
4. Filtering Chats
To help you stay organized, Live Chat now includes simple filtering options that let you control which conversations you see in your inbox. You can filter your chats by:
Open: Shows only active conversations that haven't been resolved.
All: Displays every conversation, including both open and resolved chats, so you can easily reference past conversations and reopen them, if needed.
Use these filters to quickly locate ongoing discussions, review previous chats, or keep your inbox focused on only what needs action.
Tip: If you don’t see a conversation in “Open,” switch to “All” to check if it has already been resolved or automatically closed after inactivity.
When You're Done Chatting or Need to Step Away
1. Setting Yourself as Away (and Returning Online)
When you’re marked as Away, you won’t receive new messages or notifications until you return. New chats will not appear in your inbox while you’re away.
To set yourself as Away:
Go to Live Chat in Lab View.
Toggle Away under Your Status.
When you’re back:
Switch your status back to Online to start receiving messages again.
You’ll immediately see new conversations in your inbox.
Tip: Always set yourself to Away if you’ll be out of office or unavailable for an extended period! It ensures chats don’t go unanswered and helps your team manage workload and response times effectively.
2. Closing Conversations
When a conversation is complete, you can close it manually or allow the system to close it automatically after 24 hours of inactivity. To close a chat manually:
Click on the conversation.
Click Mark as Resolved in the upper right hand corner.
If needed, you can click Reopen Chat to reopen a closed conversation.
Closed chats will move out of your active inbox and can be reopened at any time if the ECP replies again.
Conclusion
This new in-house Live Chat gives labs a faster, more reliable, and more connected way to communicate with their ECPs, all from one place. We’re excited to roll this out and can’t wait for you to experience how much smoother communication feels with everything integrated into SpecCheck.
For any setup questions, feature requests or if you ever need any help, please reach out to [email protected]!