# Auto-Opening the Live Chat Window: A/B Test Example

Page: https://alidemirbas.com.tr/en/lab/ab-test-library/tests/auto-opening-the-live-chat-window-ab-test-example

## Hypothesis

If the chat window opens on its own under one fixed rule, visitors who need help but never notice the closed button may start asking questions. Purchase conversion rate (CR) might rise, though it could also fall if the panel interrupts visitors who did not want help.

## When to run this test

This test makes sense when the closed chat button gets little use even though visitors seem to need help, such as few button clicks alongside repeated pre-sale questions in support tickets, or session recordings of visitors wandering without deciding. If the idea works, chats that users start with their own first message increase, and those conversations lead to purchases. If the questions come from information missing on the page, add that information first; if the support team cannot handle extra requests at the same response time, check capacity first.

## Primary metric

**Purchase conversion rate (CR)**: Compare purchases among eligible assigned visitors, not the number of chat windows opened.

## Other metrics

- **User-started chat rate**: Do not count automatic opening as a chat; measure the first message sent by the user per assigned visitor.
- **Unqualified or empty chat rate**: Track started chats that do not meet the predefined qualification criteria.
- **Page exit rate**: Compare session exits among eligible assigned visitors.
- **Support response time**: Track time to first human reply and the team's capacity to handle requests.

## What to check before and during the test

- **Opening behavior**: Compare a click-to-open chat button with automatic opening under one fixed rule.
- **Trigger**: Choose one trigger, such as time, page or inactivity, before launch.
- **Quality**: Keep qualification criteria and the response process the same.
- **Dismissal**: Track voluntary reopenings and respect a dismissal for the rest of the session.
- **Device**: Make sure the panel leaves required mobile content usable.

## What to watch when reading the result

- An automatically opened window is not a chat; count only the first message a user sends. More user-started chats are not enough on their own: let purchase conversion rate decide, and read unqualified or empty chats and support response time alongside it. Do not ship if purchases show no clear gain or if the extra chats push support workload beyond what the team can handle.
- The window needs a visible, working close control, and it should never open while someone is filling in a form or paying. Otherwise a rise in page exit rate may come from bad timing rather than from auto-opening itself. Keep the greeting message identical in both arms so the difference belongs to the opening behavior alone.
- Treat the result as belonging to the trigger rule you chose and the pages you tested; a different time or page rule is a separate test. Review mobile sessions separately, especially on screens where the panel sits over required content.
- If the result is not clear, first check that both arms received visitors at the planned split (sample ratio mismatch), because trigger-based assignment or logging errors can unbalance them. If the split is sound, run each arm's visitors and purchases through the [A/B test significance calculator](https://alidemirbas.com.tr/en/calculators/ab-test) and check whether the conversion rate gap is beyond chance.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Does an automatically opened panel count as a conversation?

No. Measure the first user-sent message across all assigned visitors. Track unqualified conversations among starts. Use purchase conversion as the primary outcome.

### How should opening time be chosen?

Fix one time-, page- or inactivity-based rule before launch. Avoid interrupting form entry or payment. Keep the greeting unchanged.

### What risk does automatic opening create for visitors?

It may interrupt people who did not request help and increase exits. Allow dismissal without reopening in the same session. Keep essential mobile content usable.

### Which support-team metrics matter?

Monitor time to the first human response and capacity. Empty or low-value conversations may increase workload without producing sales.