After activating the plugin, go to Social Chat in your WordPress admin menu. The settings are organized into four tabs:
Operators represent your team members that visitors can chat with.
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Display name shown to visitors | Yes |
| Role / Title | Job title (e.g. "Support Agent") | No |
| Platform | Messaging app (WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, Signal, LINE, iMessage, SMS) | Yes |
| Phone / Username | Phone number or username for the selected platform | Yes |
| Default Message | Pre-filled message when a chat starts. Use {{title}} and {{url}} as variables | No |
| Avatar URL | Image URL for the operator's avatar. Leave empty for initial letter | No |
| Status Text | Custom status text shown next to the operator | No |
| Availability | Controls when the operator appears (see below) | Yes |
| Mode | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Always Online — Operator always shown | FREE | FREE |
| Always Offline — Operator hidden (useful for days off) | — | PRO |
| Follow Schedule — Show only during configured business hours | — | PRO |
PRO availability modes unlock:
09:00-17:00)| Limit | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum operators | 3 | Unlimited |
Widgets define how the chat button looks and behaves on the frontend.
| Mode | Description | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chat popup (same network) | A floating button that opens a popup listing operators on a single network (e.g. all WhatsApp) | FREE | FREE |
| Chat popup (different networks) | A floating button that opens a popup listing operators on different networks with an accent color | FREE | FREE |
| Direct Chat Button | Single button that directly links to one operator's chat without a popup | FREE | FREE |
| Operator popup | A full popup interface with welcome message, suggested replies, and an input prompt | FREE | FREE |
| Persons Card | A styled card showing one operator with their platform badge | — | PRO |
| Persons Card Group | Multiple person cards displayed inline or in a group | — | PRO |
| Field | Description | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Widget Name | Internal name for identification | FREE | FREE |
| Type | Floating (fixed position) or Static/Inline (placed in content) | FREE | FREE |
| Network | Filter operators by platform ("All / Auto" shows all assigned) | FREE | FREE |
| Button Shape | Round, Pill, Rounded Edges, or Square | FREE | FREE |
| Button Label Type | Icon only or Icon + Label | FREE | FREE |
| Button Text | Text shown when "Icon + Label" is selected | FREE | FREE |
| Text Above Button | Small label displayed above the chat button | — | PRO |
| Default Message | Pre-filled message sent to the messenger (supports {title} and {url}) | FREE | FREE |
| Entrance Animation | Subtle entrance animation on page load | FREE | FREE |
| Auto-open Chat | Automatically opens the chat popup after a timeout | — | PRO |
| Auto-open Timeout | Seconds before the chat opens automatically | — | PRO |
Shown when the Operator popup mode is selected:
| Field | Description | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Popup Title | Title displayed in the popup header | FREE | FREE |
| Popup Message | Description/subtitle shown below the title | FREE | FREE |
| Default Message | Pre-filled message when user sends a chat | FREE | FREE |
| Welcome / Greeting Message | Message shown when the popup first opens | — | PRO |
| Suggested Messages | Pre-defined reply buttons (one per line) | — | PRO |
| Input Placeholder | Placeholder text in the message input | FREE | FREE |
| Popup Corner | Corner style (Default, Round, Square) | FREE | FREE |
| Popup Operator | The operator assigned to receive popup messages | FREE | FREE |
| Assigned Operators | Which operators appear in the popup | FREE | FREE |
Shown when Persons Card or Persons Card Group mode is selected:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Card Type | Default or Compact |
| Direct Chat Operator | The operator linked to the card |
| Display on same line | (Group only) Show cards horizontally |
| Limit | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum widgets | 1 | Unlimited |
Display rules control where and when chat widgets are shown.
| Type | Description | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic | Widget appears automatically on matching pages | FREE | FREE |
| Manual | Widget is placed via shortcode [essb_chat display="..."] |
FREE | FREE |
| WooCommerce | Widget appears on WooCommerce pages (shop, product, cart, checkout) | FREE | FREE |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Location Type | "Entire Website" or "Selected Locations" |
| Locations | When "Selected" is chosen, pick Homepage and/or specific post types |
| Exclude URLs | URL fragments (one per line) — if the current URL contains any fragment, the widget is hidden |
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Floating Locations | Shop, Single Product, Checkout, Cart |
| Products from Category | Show only on products from a specific category |
| Static Locations | Below Product Price, Below Product Description (for static/inline widgets) |
| Exclude URLs | URL fragments to exclude |
| Limit | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum display rules | 1 | Unlimited |
The Options tab provides:
All options tab features are available in both Free and Pro.
| Integration | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
Shortcode — [essb_chat display="..."] |
FREE | FREE |
| Gutenberg Block — "Social Chat Widget" block in the block editor | — | PRO |
| Elementor Widget — Drag-and-drop widget for Elementor page builder | — | PRO |
| WooCommerce — Display chat buttons on shop, product, cart, checkout pages | FREE | FREE |
[essb_chat display="display_id"]Place this shortcode in any page or post to render the widget associated with the given display rule. The display rule must be of type Manual.
To find the display ID, look at the Display tab — each display rule shows its shortcode with the correct ID.
The plugin registers the following frontend assets when needed:
essb-click-to-chat — CSS stylesheetessb-click-to-chat — JavaScriptAssets are enqueued automatically when:
[essb_chat] shortcode| Class | Purpose |
|---|---|
.essb-ctc-widget | Main widget container |
.essb-ctc-btn | Chat button |
.essb-ctc-round | Round button shape |
.essb-ctc-pill | Pill button shape |
.essb-ctc-rounded | Rounded edges shape |
.essb-ctc-rect | Square button shape |
.essb-ctc-btn-mode-icon | Icon-only mode |
.essb-ctc-btn-mode-icon-label | Icon + label mode |
.essb-ctc-floating | Floating position |
.essb-ctc-inline | Inline/static position |
.essb-ctc-popup | Chat popup container |
.essb-ctc-operator | Operator item in popup |
.essb-ctc-person | Person card |
.essb-ctc-powered | Powered-by link (Free version only) |
WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, Signal, LINE, iMessage, and SMS.
Yes. The plugin does not set cookies, track users, or store personal data. All chat links open directly in the messaging app.
PRO Yes. The Pro version includes a schedule system with per-operator availability, weekly schedules, timezone support, and automatic offline status.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Operators | 3 max (always-online only) | Unlimited with schedules |
| Widgets | 1 max | Unlimited |
| Display Rules | 1 max | Unlimited |
| Widget Modes | 4 basic modes | 6 modes (+ Person Card & Group) |
| Operator Availability | Always Online only | Online, Offline, Schedule |
| Weekly Schedule | — | PRO |
| Text Above Button | — | PRO |
| Auto-open Chat | — | PRO |
| Welcome Message | — | PRO |
| Suggested Messages | — | PRO |
| Gutenberg Block | — | PRO |
| Elementor Widget | — | PRO |
2.1
2.0 — Major rewrite with new popup interface and operator management
1.0 — Initial release