The Microsoft Teams Live Chat Replacement With an AI Front Desk
Keep answering website visitors from Microsoft Teams. An AI assistant handles routine questions 24/7, and when someone asks for a person, your team claims the chat in Teams and replies live — no seat limit, no per-seat fees, and nothing lost if nobody's free.
Free for 14 days · $300 setup only if you keep it · Setup waived on annual plans signed by October 31, 2026
What's Happening to Teams Live Chat
Microsoft has retired its built-in website chat widget for Teams. If your website chat sent visitors into a Teams channel through it, those chats have stopped.
August 6, 2026
New setups blocked
Microsoft stopped letting new customers set up Teams Live chat.
October 5, 2026
End of support
The website widget is hidden, messages stop relaying into Teams, and new conversations can’t start.
Your data
History isn’t deleted
Existing Teams channels and Microsoft Lists data stay under your normal Microsoft 365 retention policies.
Microsoft recommends removing the old widget script from your website and letting your support staff know. We handle both as part of your migration.
Everything Teams Live Chat Did — Plus an AI Assistant
We kept the part that worked — your team answering website visitors from Teams — and put an AI assistant in front of it.
- Works after October 5, 2026
- Teams Live chat: Retired; widgets hidden
- JnRLTech Pro: Fully supported
- Live chat with your team in Teams
- Teams Live chat: Ends October 5
- JnRLTech Pro: Dedicated Live Handoff tab
- Team members who can respond
- Teams Live chat: Up to 25 users
- JnRLTech Pro: No limit, no per-seat fees
- Microsoft 365 plans
- Teams Live chat: Business Basic, Standard, Premium
- JnRLTech Pro: Any Microsoft 365 org using Teams
| Feature | Teams Live chat | JnRLTech Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Works after October 5, 2026 | Retired; widgets hidden | Fully supported |
| Live chat with your team in Teams | Ends October 5 | Dedicated Live Handoff tab |
| Team members who can respond | Up to 25 users | No limit, no per-seat fees |
| Microsoft 365 plans | Business Basic, Standard, Premium | Any Microsoft 365 org using Teams |
How live handoff works
AI First. Your Team in Teams When a Person Is Needed.
The AI answers hours, pricing, service areas, and policies instantly from your own content. When a visitor asks for a person, they enter their name and email, and the conversation lands in Teams for the first available team member to claim.
Your team gets
- A dedicated Live Handoff tab inside Teams — no new app or login
- Alerts on desktop, web, and phone that open the exact conversation
- The full AI conversation, so visitors never repeat themselves
- First to claim gets it — no double replies
- As many team members as you like, with no per-seat fees
Your visitor gets
- The same chat window — no switching apps or waiting on hold
- Your team member's name and a typing indicator
- A friendly update if they're waiting
- A clear promise of an email follow-up if nobody's free
Nobody free? Nothing gets lost.
- 0:00
The visitor asks for a person. Everyone with the Live Handoff tab gets a Teams alert.
- 0:45
Still waiting? The visitor gets a “thanks for waiting” message and the request is flagged in your queue.
- 2:00
Nobody free? Their name, email, phone, and the full conversation are emailed to you.
Email is required before a handoff starts, so every missed chat arrives with a way to follow up.
Your Migration, Done for You
No tech skills needed. Your part is one call and deciding who on your team gets the Live Handoff tab.
A 20-minute demo on your own content
We show you the assistant answering from your website and a real handoff into Microsoft Teams.
We build and train your AI assistant
We turn your website, documents, and FAQs into a knowledge base and review it with you before anything goes live.
Swap the old widget for the new one
We remove the retired Teams Live chat script and install the new chat with one line of code, matched to your brand.
Connect Live Handoff to your Teams
The integration runs on an app registration in your own Microsoft Entra tenant. You choose who gets the Live Handoff tab.
Test a real handoff before launch
We run a visitor-to-AI-to-Teams handoff end to end, plus the 2-minute email fallback, so you know it works on day one.
We keep it running
Content updates, tuning, and monitoring are on us, with a performance report emailed on the 1st of every month.
Why Not Dynamics 365 Contact Center or Copilot Studio?
Microsoft points Teams Live chat customers toward Dynamics 365 Contact Center and Copilot Studio. Both are capable, but they're built for contact centers: Dynamics 365 Contact Center is licensed per agent, and a Copilot Studio agent is billed by usage and has to be built, configured, and maintained by someone on your side.
JnRLTech is a flat monthly price with no per-seat fees, and we do the setup, training, testing, and upkeep for you. Your team keeps working in the Teams they already use.
Pro · Teams Live Handoff
$197/month
or $1,896/year ($158/month) — save $468
Free for 14 days. The one-time $300 setup fee is charged only if you keep it — and it's waived on annual plans signed by October 31, 2026.
- Live handoff to Microsoft Teams
- Unlimited team members, no per-seat fees
- 2-minute email fallback with transcript
- 10,000 visitor messages/month
- AI trained on up to 75 pages of your content
- Lead capture with CSV export
- Automatic monthly updates
- Monthly performance report
Teams Live Chat Replacement FAQ
What happens to Microsoft Teams Live chat on October 5, 2026?
October 5, 2026 is Microsoft's end-of-support date for the built-in Teams Live chat website widget. From then on, the embedded widget is hidden, incoming website messages no longer relay into Teams, and new conversations can't start through it. New customers have been unable to set it up since August 6, 2026.
Will I lose my old Teams Live chat history?
Microsoft doesn't automatically delete it. Existing Teams channels and the related Microsoft Lists data stay under your organization's normal Microsoft 365 retention policies. Microsoft recommends removing the old widget script from your website and letting your support staff know about the change.
Do I need a particular Microsoft 365 plan?
No. Microsoft's widget was limited to Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, and Premium. JnRLTech's Live Handoff works with any Microsoft 365 organization that uses Teams.
How many people on my team can answer chats?
There's no limit and no per-seat fee — Microsoft's widget capped the handoff team at 25 users. You choose who gets the Live Handoff app and add or remove people in your Teams admin center.
What if nobody on my team is available?
At 45 seconds the visitor gets a "thanks for waiting" message and the request is flagged in your queue. If nobody claims it within 2 minutes, your support inbox gets an email with the visitor's name, email, phone, and the full conversation, and the visitor is told your team will follow up by email.
Does the AI make things up or answer from the internet?
No. It answers only from your own content — documents, web pages, or your whole website — which we turn into a knowledge base and review with you before launch. Your data is kept fully separate from every other customer's.
Is the Teams integration secure?
Your team signs in with Microsoft single sign-on. The integration runs on an app registration inside your own Microsoft Entra tenant, so your IT team can review or revoke it at any time. Agents only see conversations from your own website, integration secrets are encrypted at rest with AES-256, and no Azure Bot Framework setup is required.
Will it work on my website?
Yes. It installs with one line of code and works with WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, Webflow, or a custom-built site. It's lightweight and self-contained, so it won't restyle your pages, and it only runs on the domains you approve.
How much does it cost?
Teams Live Handoff is included in the Pro plan: $197/month, or $1,896/year ($158/month). Try it free for 14 days — the one-time $300 setup fee is charged only if you keep it.
Is JnRLTech affiliated with Microsoft?
No. JnRLTech is an independent Oklahoma City company. Microsoft and Microsoft Teams are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation, and this service is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.
Get Website Chat Back in Teams
Every day without a chat widget, visitors who wanted to reach you can’t. We’ll show you a live demo on your own content, including a real handoff into Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft and Microsoft Teams are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. JnRLTech is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.Teams Live chat details come from Microsoft's published documentation.