Response Loading Indicator
Customize how Web Chat appears while waiting for a response—with narrative copy or branded animations—to create an on-brand waiting experience
AI assistants typically take several seconds to generate a response. This waiting period is when users are most sensitive to their experience of the service. Response Loading Display lets you fully customize what users see during this time:
Narrative copy: Display status messages in stages (such as “Thinking” and “Analyzing results”) and plain-language tool card copy while tools run, so users clearly understand what the AI assistant is doing—ideal for finance, healthcare, and other scenarios where professionalism and transparency matter
Brand animation: Play uploaded brand assets (such as a mascot or animated Logo) throughout the entire wait while hiding all system narrative text—ideal for consumer scenarios such as aviation and retail where brand image matters
All copy supports multiple languages, and AI Translation can fill in other languages with one click.
1. Open the Settings Page
Understand the Page Layout
Configuration options appear on the left, and the live preview panel appears on the right. Click Play Full Flow to preview the complete waiting experience. The preview is accelerated; in actual use, the long-wait message appears only after the configured threshold in seconds.
2. Choose a Waiting Experience Style
At the top of the page, select one of the two Waiting Experience Style options:
Narrative Copy
Animation plus a message for each stage; tool cards also appear while tools run
Scenarios where professionalism and visibility into progress matter, such as finance, healthcare, government, and B2B technical support
Brand Animation
Brand assets play throughout the wait, all system narrative text is hidden, and only the long-wait message may appear
Consumer scenarios where brand image and emotional connection matter, such as aviation, retail, hotels, and event websites
How should you choose? Consider these two questions:
Do users need to know what the AI is doing while they wait? If yes—for account lookups, medical-record searches, or lengthy tool workflows—choose Narrative Copy. If no—for general inquiries or brand interactions—choose Brand Animation.
Do you have existing brand characters or animation assets? If you have a mascot or animated Logo, Brand Animation turns the wait into brand exposure. If not, Narrative Copy can be launched without any asset production.
3. Configure Narrative Copy Mode
After selecting “Narrative Copy,” you can configure the following optional settings. Leave a setting blank to use the system default.
1. Loading Animation
System Default
Displays the built-in dot animation (default)
Custom Upload
Upload your own animation asset. It is used only during the “Typing” stage and displayed at a height of 64px, with its width scaled proportionally
2. Display Copy Next to the Animation
When selected (default), stage copy appears next to the animation during the “Typing” stage. When cleared, only the animation plays during that stage, with no text. Other stages, such as Thinking and Analyzing Results, are not affected by this setting and continue to display their respective copy.
3. General Stage Copy (Multilingual)
For each language, customize the text displayed during the four waiting stages and the Long-Wait Message:
Typing
After a message is sent and before the AI begins processing
System default copy
Thinking
While the AI analyzes the question and plans its response
System default copy
Analyzing Results
After a tool finishes, while results are being organized
System default copy
Response Interrupted
When a response is interrupted for any reason
System default copy
Long-Wait Message
When the wait exceeds the “Long-Wait Threshold” in seconds
Not displayed (no system default)
You can enter copy separately for each language, or complete one language first and use AI Translation to fill in the others (see Shared Settings).
4. Tool Card Status Icons
Optional. Customize the icons for the “Running” and “Completed” states on tool cards. Once uploaded, the icons are applied uniformly to all tools and displayed inline at a height of 20px. If no icons are uploaded, the system default icons are used.
5. Tool Category Copy Table
This organization-level setting overrides the “Running/Completed” copy displayed on tool cards by tool category. For details, see Tool Execution Copy. This table appears only in Narrative Copy mode because Brand Animation mode does not display tool narrative text.
4. Configure Brand Animation Mode
After selecting “Brand Animation,” your brand asset plays throughout the entire wait, including gaps while tools run. All system narrative text is hidden, and only the “Long-Wait Message” can appear. You can configure the following settings:
1. General Animation Asset
Supported formats: png/apng/gif/webp. Assets with transparent backgrounds are recommended so they blend into the chat window.
When you upload a static png image, the system automatically adds a subtle floating effect so the image does not appear motionless.
2. Upload Assets by State
Select this option to assign a different asset to each waiting state. For example, use a head-tilting mascot for “Thinking” and a mascot reading a book for “Analyzing Results.” States without an assigned asset automatically use the general asset.
3. Long-Wait Message
This message appears when the wait exceeds the threshold in seconds and is the only text that appears in Brand Animation mode. Write it in your brand character's voice—for example, “Our bear is searching through the files. Just a moment!” If left blank, no text is displayed.
5. Settings Shared by Both Modes
Long-Wait Threshold
Displays the long-wait message only when a single response takes longer than this number of seconds. The range is 5–120 seconds, and the default is 20 seconds. If the long-wait message is blank, no text appears even after the threshold is exceeded
AI Translation
Uses copy in any one language as the source and uses AI to fill in copy for other languages that have been added. You must save the settings before using this feature. Save again after translation to apply the copy to the channel
6. Live Preview
The preview panel on the right side of the settings page reflects your current settings in real time. Click Play Full Flow to play the complete waiting experience in sequence: “Typing → Thinking → Tool Execution → Analyzing Results → Long-Wait Message.” This lets you confirm the actual effect before saving.
7. Tool Execution Copy
In Narrative Copy mode, plain-language copy appears in the conversation while a tool runs instead of the tool's technical name. For example, users see “Searching knowledge base” rather than the tool's original name. Copy is determined by “Tool Category.” There are 11 categories, each with system default copy:
Knowledge Base Search
Searching knowledge base
Searched knowledge base
Web Search
Searching the web
Searched the web
Webpage Reading
Reading webpage
Read webpage
Code Execution
Running code
Ran code
File Processing
Processing file
Processed file
Image and Video Generation
Generating image/video
Generated image/video
Database Query
Querying database
Queried database
Third-Party Integration
Connecting to third-party service
Connected to third-party service
Browser Operation
Operating browser
Completed browser operation
Assistant Collaboration
Collaborating with other assistants
Completed assistant collaboration
Other
Running tool
Used tool
Newly created tools are assigned to “Other” by default. The system automatically categorizes built-in tools based on their names.
Customization Method 1: Organization Level (by Category)
In the Tool Category Copy Table on the “Response Loading Display” page, override the “Running/Completed” copy by category. Once saved, the copy applies to all Web Chat channels across the entire organization. Categories left blank use the system defaults.
Customization Method 2: Individual Tool (Highest Priority)
If a tool needs dedicated copy, click Tools → Tool List in the left menu, then edit the tool:
Select a category from the Tool Category dropdown menu. This determines which category defaults apply when no custom copy is set.
Switch to the Display Copy tab, add a language, then customize the tool's “Running/Completed” copy. After adding other languages, you can use AI Translation to fill them in. Review the content, then save the tool settings.
An individual tool's “Tool Category” follows that tool's editing permissions. “Display Copy” and display settings such as display mode can currently be edited only by organization owners; they are read-only for other members. Organization-level category copy on the “Response Loading Display” page follows channel editing permissions.
Copy Application Priority
When a tool runs, the system searches for copy to display in the following order and stops at the first match:
Custom copy in the tool's “Display Copy” settings for the user's language
Custom copy in the tool's “Display Copy” settings for the default language
The organization's override for that category in the “Tool Category Copy Table”
The system default copy for that category (shown in the table above)
8. Use Case Examples
The following examples show how to combine the two styles and copy settings for different industries:
Finance/Banking: Professional Narration Builds Trust While Users Wait
Financial customers care most about whether “the AI is actually retrieving my data.” Choose Narrative Copy and rewrite the stage copy to reflect the business context:
Thinking
Confirming your question and the available options…
Analyzing Results
Organizing your search results…
Tool Category Copy Table: Database Query
Running: “Securely retrieving account data” / Completed: “Account data retrieved”
Long-Wait Message
Verifying the data is taking a little longer. Thank you for your patience.
Aviation/Transportation: Turn Waiting into a Brand Moment with a Mascot
Aviation brands often have well-developed mascots and visual assets. Choose Brand Animation and upload a transparent-background gif/apng of the mascot as the general asset. Then select “Upload Assets by State” so “Thinking” shows the mascot checking a flight schedule and “Analyzing Results” shows the mascot giving a thumbs-up. Use the character's voice for the long-wait message: “Your in-flight meal is heating up, and your information will be ready soon!”
Healthcare: Ease Waiting Anxiety with a Long-Wait Message
Responses about registration and clinic schedules often take longer because they require queries to hospital systems. Choose Narrative Copy and make the long-wait message warm and specific: “Retrieving clinic information takes a little time. We haven't forgotten you—please wait a moment.” Change “Analyzing Results” to “Checking clinic hours for you…” to reduce the likelihood that users leave before receiving a response.
Technology/Electronics Manufacturing: Describe Tools in Terms Users Understand
Technical support assistants often connect to multiple custom tools for looking up part numbers, work orders, and inventory. Instead of showing the generic “Running tool,” customize each tool on its “Display Copy” tab. For a part-number lookup tool, use “Retrieving product specifications” / “Product specifications retrieved.” For a work-order lookup tool, use “Checking repair status” / “Repair status retrieved.” This ensures that every step matches the user's question.
Services/Retail/Hotels: Preserve the Brand with Animation and Conversions with Long-Wait Copy
Users making room or restaurant reservations have little patience for delays. Choose Brand Animation and play an animated hotel Logo or mascot to maintain the brand atmosphere. Lower the long-wait threshold—for example, to 10 seconds—and add the message “Checking availability for you. Our best offer will be ready shortly!” to set clear expectations before users leave.
9. FAQ
Q: Why did the tool cards disappear after I switched to Brand Animation mode?
Brand Animation mode hides all system narrative text, including tool execution narratives, and displays brand assets instead. This is expected behavior. To show the tool execution process, use Narrative Copy mode.
Q: Where can I hide tool cards completely?
Tool card visibility is controlled by Tool Display Mode (Full/Compact/Hidden) on the “Feature Settings” tab of the same settings page. This setting is independent of Response Loading Display. The “Display Copy” tab for each tool also includes a display mode. You can make the tool follow the channel setting or set that tool to Full, Compact, or Hidden. When troubleshooting, check the tool's settings as well.
Q: Why does the long-wait message never appear after I enter it?
The long-wait message appears only when a single response takes longer than the “Long-Wait Threshold” in seconds (20 seconds by default). If responses are fast and never exceed the threshold, the message does not appear. For testing, lower the threshold to 5 seconds and observe the result. Conversely, to prevent a long-wait message from appearing, leave it blank.
Q: Why does the AI Translation button not respond?
AI Translation requires you to save the current settings first. Enter and save the copy in the source language, then run AI Translation to fill in the other languages you have added. Review the translated content, then click “Save” again to apply it. If only one language is present, add the target language first.
Q: Do these settings affect other channels?
Settings such as waiting experience style, stage copy, animation assets, and the long-wait threshold apply to a single Web Chat channel, so each channel can have a different style. However, the “Tool Category Copy Table” and each tool's “Display Copy” are organization-level settings shared across the entire organization once saved.
Q: What happens if I do not configure anything?
No additional configuration is required. Narrative Copy mode is used by default, each stage uses system default copy, and tool cards use the system default copy for their categories. Behavior remains the same as before this feature was introduced. This feature is available on all plans and to all organizations.
Q: Why can't I edit a tool's “Display Copy”?
An individual tool's “Display Copy” can currently be edited only by organization owners. If the page appears locked, ask an organization owner for assistance. Alternatively, a member with channel editing permission can configure shared copy by category in the “Tool Category Copy Table.”
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