No-risk switch
Rehearse the whole move for free
The localhost evaluation lets you install the server, rebuild your setup, and test a chat end to end before you touch your live site or cancel anything. The switch itself is a single snippet change.
Moving off a hosted chat subscription
The mechanics are simpler than most teams expect: the visitor-facing change is one script tag. The work is in recreating your configuration and proving the new setup before you cancel anything.
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1. Export your history first
Before anything else, export your transcripts from your current vendor while you still have an account. Most provide CSV. DChat does not import another vendor's history, so this export is your archive of everything before the cutover.
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2. Install and evaluate locally
Unzip the download and run the local runner: it creates the demo database, applies the schema and seed accounts, and starts the server. Work through the included verification checklist so you know the install is genuinely sound before it faces customers.
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3. Recreate your setup
Add your agents and departments, port your canned responses, set operating hours, and configure the widget's colour, position and greeting to match your brand. Add any custom pre-chat fields your team relies on.
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4. Run side by side
Put the DChat embed on a few low-traffic pages while your existing tool keeps serving the rest. Let your agents work real conversations in it for a few days - that surfaces workflow gaps far better than a checklist does.
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5. Cut over, then cancel
Swap the remaining pages to the DChat embed. Confirm conversations arrive, offline messages are captured, and transcripts are being stored. Keep the old tool for a day or two as a fallback, then cancel the subscription.
Questions we get asked
Can I run both systems at once during a migration?
Yes, and it is the safest approach. Install DChat, get your team signed in and comfortable, and put DChat on a few low-traffic pages first while your existing tool keeps serving the rest. Swap the remaining pages once you are satisfied.
What do I need to recreate?
Agents, departments, canned responses, operating hours and your widget appearance. These are all set up in the dashboard and are usually an afternoon's work rather than a project.
What happens to my old transcripts?
Export them from your current vendor before you cancel - most offer CSV. DChat does not import another vendor's history, so keep that export as your archive. From the cutover onwards your transcripts live in your own SQL Server database, which is the point of the move.
Will there be a gap in coverage?
There does not need to be. The change on your site is one script tag swapped for another, so the cutover is a deploy, not an outage. Do it during a quiet period and keep the old tool available for a day or two.
What should I check before cancelling the old subscription?
That conversations reach agents on every page you embedded, that offline messages arrive when nobody is online, that transcripts are being stored, and that you have your historical export. Then cancel.