Setup
How to set up website widget for urgent care wait time co…
How to set up website widget for urgent care wait time communication — answered from your own docs. How Urgent Care Centers teams use Chatref (website widget, w
To set up the Chatref website widget for urgent care wait-time communication, embed the snippet on your site, then teach it your practice’s wait-time details. Configure custom actions to collect patient info and hand off to your team, so visitors get immediate answers while you track requests. This guide covers setup, testing, and common fixes step by step.
Before you start
You need a Chatref account, access to your website’s HTML, and your wait-time information in plain text or a page you can share. Prepare a short description of typical wait times, how patients can check the current wait, and any special instructions (like “call for an appointment” or “walk-ins welcome”). This content is what the widget will use to answer questions.
If your practice details are already set up in the Urgent Care Centers industry docs, you can reuse them - just make sure the latest wait-time notes are included.
Step-by-step setup
-
Add your wait-time content - In Chatref, go to Knowledge base, click Add source, and either upload a text snippet or paste a URL that contains your wait-time guidance. This is what grounds the widget’s answers. A good starting point: “Current wait time averages 15-30 minutes. On weekends mornings are often shorter. You can also check by visiting our live page.” Keep it factual and update it when things change.
-
Configure the widget - Navigate to Widget settings. Give it a welcome message like “Ask me about wait times, check-in steps, or anything else.” Match the primary color to your brand and set the position (bottom-right or bottom-left). These options appear right after you create your first agent.
-
Set up a custom action for wait-time follow-ups - Under Custom actions, create a new action. Define a simple flow: when a visitor asks about wait times, after the widget answers, offer: “Would you like to receive a notification when the wait is shorter?” Collect a name and phone number, then send the lead to your Chatref inbox (or to your existing tool via a webhook if you have it). This turns a routine answer into a captured patient request without extra phone calls.
-
Embed the snippet on your website - From the Widget page, copy the JavaScript snippet. Paste it just before the closing
</body>tag on every page where you want the widget to appear. Also, add your site’s domain in the Origin allowlist so the widget loads correctly. -
Make it live - Once the snippet is live, the widget will be visible immediately. You can then monitor conversations and custom action leads from the Conversations tab.
Check it works
After publishing, visit your site in an incognito window and open the widget. Ask “What’s the wait time right now?” Confirm the answer matches the content you uploaded. Test the custom action by asking the same question and clicking through the follow-up prompt - verify that the lead appears in your inbox.
If you update the wait-time content in the Knowledge base, ask the question again after a minute to make sure the widget picks up the new version. You can also use the Live playground inside Chatref to do a dry run before anyone sees it.
Common issues
- Widget doesn’t appear - Most often the domain wasn’t added to the allowlist, or the snippet was placed outside the
<body>tags. Double-check both and clear your cache. - Answers are outdated - The widget only knows what you last fed it. Re-upload the text or re-sync the URL if your wait-times change often. There is no automatic real-time feed unless you build a deeper integration through custom actions and your own API - but that’s a developer task beyond this guide.
- Custom action doesn’t fire - In the custom-action editor, make sure the trigger condition is set to “Always after this message” or tied to a specific intent like “wait time.” If the bot’s answer doesn’t contain a clear prompt to start the action, it might not engage. Preview the flow in the playground.
- Slow responses - Response speed depends on the model and query complexity, but typical answers come back in under two seconds. If it’s slow for every question, check your internet connection or try a lighter query first.
FAQ
What causes urgent care wait time communication problems for Urgent Care Centers?
Outdated website information, no after-hours answering, and inconsistent phone-to-web handoffs create a mess for patients. When wait times are posted only on a static page that isn’t updated, visitors call for clarity - flooding the front desk. Without a way to capture patient details and follow up, long wait experiences feel worse than they need to.
How do I improve urgent care wait time communication for Urgent Care Centers?
Embed a widget that answers wait-time questions from your own practice details, right on your site. Use custom actions to collect patient contact info so you can notify them when the queue shortens, and update your wait-time content daily or at shift changes. This keeps the message consistent and reduces the call volume that stems from uncertainty.
Related guides
Put this into practice
Chatref answers your customers from your own content, day and night. Add it to your site and go live in minutes – free to start.