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Support Portal “Start Chat” Does Not Launch the Chatbot Widget

Overview

If the support portal page loads normally but clicking Start Chat does not display the chatbot widget, the most common cause is client-side blocking in the user’s environment. This is typically related to browser restrictions or corporate network filtering/security tooling (for example, a web proxy such as Zscaler) rather than a confirmed support portal outage.

Solution

Issue

On the support portal (https://support.tivian.com/), selecting Start Chat does not launch the chatbot (the widget does not appear).

How to recognize it

  • The portal page loads normally, but after clicking Start Chat, nothing appears (no chat panel/widget).
  • This commonly indicates the widget’s scripts or network calls are being blocked in the browser or by the corporate network.

Likely cause

A client-side network filtering/security solution (for example, a corporate proxy or filtering tool such as Zscaler) is blocking the chat widget from loading.

Step-by-step resolution

1) Use the portal’s built-in troubleshooting flow

  1. Navigate to your support portal: https://support.tivian.com/ 
  2. Locate Start Chat.
  3. Under the Start Chat button, click Click here for troubleshooting steps.
  4. Follow the guided checks (these are designed to identify common causes such as blocked scripts, blocked third-party domains, or browser restrictions).

2) Allowlist required domains (IT/security action)

If the troubleshooting indicates blocked content:

  1. Collect the list of required domains referenced by the troubleshooting steps.
  2. Share the domain list with your internal IT/network security team.
  3. Request allowlisting/whitelisting of those domains in the relevant controls, such as:
    • Web proxy / secure web gateway
    • DNS filtering
    • Firewall egress rules
    • Browser security policies (as applicable)
  4. After allowlisting is applied, retry loading the portal.

Verification

  1. Hard refresh the portal page (or open a new private/incognito window).
  2. Click Start Chat again.
  3. Confirm the chatbot widget appears and a chat session can be started successfully.

Notes / scope

  • This scenario does not confirm a portal outage by itself; it is commonly environment-specific blocking.
  • If the widget still does not appear after troubleshooting and allowlisting, capture the following for deeper investigation:
    • Browser type/version
    • Network type (corporate network vs. personal hotspot)
    • Timestamp and time zone
    • Any console/network errors from browser developer tools

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I know if I’m seeing the same issue?
If you click Start Chat on the support portal and the chatbot/widget does not appear (no panel opens), you are experiencing the same symptom: “clicked on ‘Start Chat’ and the chatbot did not appear.”
2. Is this a portal outage?
Not necessarily. When the portal loads but only the chat widget fails to appear, the most common cause is client-side blocking (browser restrictions or corporate network filtering/security controls).
3. What’s the first thing to try?
Click the Click here for troubleshooting steps link located under the Start Chat button and follow the guided checks.
4. What if the troubleshooting indicates blocking?
Work with your IT/security team to whitelist/allowlist the required domains shown in the troubleshooting steps so the chat widget can load successfully.
5. How do I verify the fix worked after allowlisting?
Reload the portal page (ideally in a private/incognito window) and click Start Chat. The chatbot widget should display immediately and allow starting a session.
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  1. Priyanka Bhotika

  2. Posted

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