Conversation IDs

Each conversation starts with a unique ID, but this ID may change throughout the conversation's lifecycle. When a participant's type changes, a new conversation is created and the previous conversation is merged into the new one.

Before sending a message, ensure you are using the most current conversation ID by calling the Get or Create Conversation method with the participant's visitor, contact, or member ID. You can retrieve the participant's ID when the Message Sent To Business event is triggered.

Participant types and IDs

Participants are assigned IDs based on whether they've provided contact information or registered as a site member. Typically, a participant flow is anonymous visitor > contact > member, although it's possible to skip a step or to become a contact and site member at the same time.

Anonymous visitor (anonymousVisitorId)

When the participant first interacts with a site, they are an anonymous visitor.

When the visitor sends a message to the business, the Message Sent To Business event is triggered and the ID is available at event.data.interactedBy.anonymousVisitorId.

Contact (contactId)

An anonymous visitor converts to a contact when they provide some contact information, such as a name, phone number, or email address. This most often happens when they submit a contact form, purchase something, or become a site member. When a visitor converts to a contact, they’re added to a site’s contact list.

When the contact sends a message to the business, the Message Sent To Business event is triggered and the ID is available at event.data.interactedBy.contactId. You can also use Query Contacts in the Contacts API to retrieve the contact.

Member (memberId)

An anonymous visitor or contact becomes a member when they are registered as a site member. Members are always linked to a contact, so they have both a member ID and a contact ID.

When the member sends a message to the business, the Message Sent To Business event is triggered and the ID is available at event.data.interactedBy.memberId. You can also use Query Members or List Members in the Members API to retrieve the member.