HubSpot Chatflows let you add live chat widgets and automated bots to your website without needing a developer. When set up correctly, they capture leads outside business hours, qualify visitors before they speak to sales, and route conversations to the right team member.
This guide walks through how Chatflows work in HubSpot, how to configure one for your site, and what to watch out for when targeting visitors in Southeast Asia.
Go to Conversations → Chatflows in your HubSpot portal and click Create chatflow.
Select Website for a site widget, or Facebook Messenger if you have that channel connected.
Live chat routes visitors to an available agent. Bot runs automatically and passes the conversation to a human when needed.
For bots: use the visual builder to set questions and branches. For live chat: choose the inbox and assign a team or individual.
Control which pages trigger the chatflow, which devices show it, and the visitor conditions (new vs returning, known vs unknown contacts).
Set business hours and decide what the widget does outside those hours: show a message, hide entirely, or switch to a bot.
What is a HubSpot Chatflow?
A Chatflow is a conversation widget you embed on your website (or connect to a messaging channel). It appears as a small chat bubble in the corner of the page. Visitors click it to start a conversation.
HubSpot supports two types:
- Live chat connects the visitor directly to an available team member. If no one is online, the visitor can leave a message.
- Bot runs automatically using a flow you build in the visual editor. The bot asks questions, collects contact details, and can hand off to a human agent or trigger a workflow.
Both types sit inside the same Chatflows tool and use the same Conversations inbox so your team sees all messages in one place.
How do you create a Chatflow in HubSpot?
Go to Conversations → Chatflows and click Create chatflow. You will be asked to choose a channel (Website is the most common) and then a type (Live Chat or Bot).
For a live chat flow, the main configuration steps are:
- Choose the inbox the chat routes to
- Write a welcome message visitors see before they type
- Set availability hours and what happens outside them (show offline message or hide the widget)
For a bot, you use the visual builder to map out a sequence of messages and questions. Common patterns include:
- Asking for a name and email early in the flow so the contact is created in HubSpot
- Branching based on visitor answers (for example, routing a sales enquiry differently from a support question)
- Ending with a clear next step: book a meeting, view a resource, or request a callback
Once built, click Add to website and install the HubSpot tracking code on your site. The widget appears automatically.
How do you control which pages or visitors see the Chatflow?
Under the Targeting tab, you set the conditions that determine when the widget appears. You can filter by:
- URL rules — show the chat only on your pricing page, only on product pages, or site-wide
- Device type — desktop, mobile, or both
- Visitor type — known contacts, unknown visitors, or specific list membership
- Time on page — wait 30 seconds before showing the widget so it does not interrupt someone who just arrived
Targeting matters because a chatflow that appears on every page with an immediate pop-open greeting can increase bounce rate on informational content. A targeted chatflow on a high-intent page (pricing, contact, product demo) generally performs better.
How do you handle visitors who contact you outside business hours?
Under Availability, you define your team’s working hours and time zone. When visitors arrive outside those hours, HubSpot gives you three options:
- Show the live chat but indicate the team is away — visitors can leave a message and your team replies when back online
- Swap to a bot — the bot captures their details and question, then a human follows up later
- Hide the widget entirely — nothing shows outside hours
For teams in Southeast Asia working across multiple time zones, the swap-to-bot option tends to work well. The bot captures the enquiry, a workflow sends an automatic reply confirming receipt, and the agent follows up the next morning.
How do you connect a Chatflow to your CRM?
When a visitor provides their email in a chatflow, HubSpot creates or updates a contact record automatically. The conversation is saved on that contact’s timeline, and you can trigger workflows from it.
Useful CRM connections to set up:
- Lifecycle stage update — move the contact to Lead or Marketing Qualified Lead when they complete a bot flow
- Deal creation — create a deal in your pipeline if the visitor indicates buying intent
- Task creation — assign a follow-up task to the contact owner so the lead does not go cold
- Notification — send the sales rep a Slack or email notification when a high-value visitor starts a chat
What are common mistakes when setting up HubSpot Chatflows?
- No targeting rules — showing the chat on every page can interrupt early-stage browsing and reduce engagement on informational content.
- Bot flows that go too deep — a bot with more than five or six questions before it asks for contact details tends to see drop-off. Keep the early flow short.
- No offline fallback — if the widget simply disappears outside hours, visitors who arrive late have no way to leave a message. Set up a bot or offline message.
- Routing to an unmanned inbox — if the inbox is not checked regularly, response time suffers and the chat tool loses its value. Assign a specific owner or team.
- Missing language support — in Thailand, a greeting in Thai before switching to English can reduce drop-off for local visitors.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a paid HubSpot plan to use Chatflows?
Basic live chat is available on the free tier. Bot features and full targeting rules are available on Starter and above.
Can I use Chatflows on a site not built in HubSpot?
Yes. Install the HubSpot tracking code on any website and the Chatflow widget will appear. You do not need to use HubSpot CMS.
Can I connect Facebook Messenger to HubSpot Chatflows?
Yes. Under Conversations → Inboxes, you can connect a Facebook page. Once connected, Messenger conversations appear in the same Conversations inbox alongside website chats.
How do I test a Chatflow before making it live?
Use the preview option inside the Chatflows builder. You can also set the chatflow to appear only for specific users until you are ready to go live.
Will the chatflow affect my page load speed?
The HubSpot tracking script loads asynchronously and the chat widget is lightweight. In most cases the performance impact is small. If Core Web Vitals are a concern, defer the tracking script until after the page’s main content loads.
This is an independent informational resource produced by a HubSpot Platinum Partner. HubSpot is a trademark of HubSpot, Inc. This content is not produced or endorsed by HubSpot, Inc.
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