Tidio Tutorial: How to Set Up Live Chat, Lyro AI, and Automation

Tidio is a customer service platform that combines live chat, AI-powered support, automation, and help desk tools in one place. It can help businesses answer customer questions, capture leads, automate repetitive conversations, and provide faster support.

For beginners, the number of available features can initially feel overwhelming. The good news is that you don’t need to configure everything at once.

This Tidio tutorial walks you through the basic setup and explains how to use its most important features step by step.

Step 1: Create Your Tidio Account

Start by creating a Tidio account with your business email.

After signing up, you’ll access the Tidio dashboard, where you can manage:

• Live Chat

• Lyro AI

• Flows

• Help Desk

• Contacts

• Analytics

• Integrations

• Settings

Start with the basic setup before adding advanced automation.

Step 2: Install the Tidio Chat Widget

The first important step is connecting Tidio to your website.

Tidio provides installation options for popular website platforms such as:

• WordPress

• Shopify

• Wix

• Squarespace

After installation, the chat widget will appear on your website.

Visit your website in another browser or an incognito window to confirm that the widget is working correctly.

Step 3: Customize the Chat Widget

Open the chat widget settings and customize its appearance.

You can adjust things such as:

• Brand colors

• Logo

• Chat position

• Welcome message

• Language

• Appearance

Keep the design consistent with your website so visitors immediately recognize it as part of your brand.

Step 4: Configure Live Chat

Open the Live Chat section to manage conversations.

When a customer starts a conversation:

1. Open the chat.

2. Read the customer’s question.

3. Respond clearly.

4. Ask for additional information if necessary.

5. Resolve the issue or transfer it to another agent.

Live Chat is best for questions that benefit from direct human assistance.

Step 5: Create Saved Replies

Customer support teams often receive the same questions repeatedly.

Create saved replies for common topics such as:

• Shipping

• Returns

• Payments

• Business hours

• Account setup

• Product information

This allows agents to respond quickly without typing the same information repeatedly.

Step 6: Set Up Lyro AI

Now configure Lyro AI Agent.

Lyro can help answer common customer questions using information about your business.

Provide accurate information about:

• Products

• Services

• FAQs

• Policies

• Support documentation

Before allowing Lyro to handle a large number of conversations, test its responses carefully.

Step 7: Test Lyro’s Responses

Ask Lyro several common customer questions.

For example:

“What are your business hours?”

“How long does shipping take?”

“What is your return policy?”

Check whether the answers are accurate.

If Lyro gives an incorrect or incomplete answer, update the information it uses.

Step 8: Set Up Human Handover

AI should not handle every situation.

Create a clear process for transferring conversations to a human agent.

For example:

Customer → Lyro → Complex issue → Human agent

Human handover is particularly important for complaints, complicated technical problems, billing issues, or situations requiring judgment.

Step 9: Create Your First Flow

Tidio’s Flows allow you to create automated customer journeys.

A simple example is a welcome Flow:

Visitor arrives → Welcome message → Ask if they need help → Collect email → Notify team

You can also create Flows for:

• Lead generation

• Promotions

• FAQs

• Cart recovery

• Customer surveys

• Product recommendations

Step 10: Create a Lead Generation Flow

You can use Tidio to turn website visitors into potential customers.

Example:

Message:
“Hi! Are you looking for help choosing the right product?”

Then ask:

“Would you like us to recommend a product?”

If the visitor says yes, collect:

• Name

• Email

• Product requirements

Your sales team can then follow up with the lead.

Step 11: Connect Shopify

If you operate an online store, connect your Shopify store with Tidio.

This can provide additional eCommerce context during customer conversations.

Depending on the setup, Tidio can help teams work with information related to:

• Products

• Orders

• Customer carts

• Product recommendations

This makes it easier to provide relevant support.

Step 12: Use Lyro for Product Recommendations

For supported eCommerce setups, Lyro can help shoppers find relevant products.

For example:

Customer:
“I need a gift for someone who loves photography.”

Lyro:
It can ask follow-up questions about budget, product type, or preferences before recommending suitable products.

This creates a more personalized shopping experience.

Step 13: Manage Customer Tickets

Use the Help Desk functionality when a customer issue needs additional follow-up.

Tickets can help your team:

• Organize unresolved requests

• Assign issues

• Track progress

• Follow up with customers

• Maintain conversation history

This becomes increasingly useful as your support volume grows.

Step 14: Connect Other Tools

Tidio supports integrations with various business applications.

Depending on your workflow, you can connect tools such as:

• HubSpot

• Shopify

• Mailchimp

• Zapier

• WordPress

• Zendesk

Integrations can reduce manual data entry and connect customer support with other business processes.

Step 15: Check Analytics

Once Tidio has been running for a while, review your analytics.

Pay attention to:

• Conversation volume

• Agent performance

• Customer satisfaction

• AI interactions

• Support activity

• Sales-related performance

Analytics can show which questions customers ask most frequently and where automation could help.

Step 16: Improve Your Setup

Don’t consider your Tidio setup finished after the initial configuration.

Review conversations regularly and look for:

• Questions AI couldn’t answer

• Frequently repeated questions

• Customers requesting human assistance

• Poorly performing Flows

• Common customer complaints

Use these insights to update your AI knowledge and automation.

Example Tidio Workflow

Here’s a simple workflow for an eCommerce website:

Visitor enters website
↓
Tidio welcome message
↓
Customer asks a question
↓
Lyro answers common questions
↓
AI recommends a product if appropriate
↓
Customer needs additional help
↓
Human agent takes over
↓
Issue resolved
↓
Customer feedback collected

This combination of AI and human support can provide a smoother customer experience.

Best Practices

Keep Your Information Accurate

Update product information, policies, prices, and FAQs regularly.

Don’t Automate Everything

Use AI for repetitive questions and human agents for complex situations.

Test Before Launch

Always test your chatbot and Flows before making them available to every visitor.

Keep Messages Natural

Avoid long, robotic responses.

Monitor AI Conversations

Regularly review conversations to identify errors and opportunities for improvement.

Use Analytics

Data can help you decide which support processes should be automated.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Installing the widget without testing it.

• Giving Lyro outdated information.

• Creating complicated Flows unnecessarily.

• Making human support difficult to reach.

• Automating sensitive customer issues.

• Ignoring failed AI conversations.

• Never reviewing analytics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Tidio easy for beginners?

Yes. Tidio has a relatively straightforward interface, although advanced AI and automation features may require some experimentation.

What is Lyro?

Lyro is Tidio’s AI Agent designed to handle customer service conversations and answer common customer questions.

What are Tidio Flows?

Flows are no-code automation workflows that can be used for customer support, lead generation, promotions, and other automated interactions.

Can Tidio be used for eCommerce?

Yes. Tidio provides eCommerce-focused functionality, particularly through its Shopify integration.

Can a human agent take over from AI?

Yes. Tidio can hand conversations from AI to human agents when additional assistance is needed.

Conclusion

Tidio brings live chat, AI customer support, automation, and help desk functionality together in one platform.

For beginners, the best approach is to start with the basic chat widget, then gradually add saved responses, Lyro AI, Flows, integrations, and analytics.

The most effective setup isn’t one where AI handles everything. Instead, use AI for repetitive questions and automation for predictable workflows, while keeping human agents available for complex customer needs.

Once your setup is running, review conversations and analytics regularly. This will help you improve your AI responses, refine your automation, and create a better customer support experience.