Can I see what the AI is doing in real time?

Yes. The merchant dashboard is built for live oversight—you can watch AI activity as it happens, not only after a conversation is closed.

What you see in the conversation view

For any open thread, the dashboard shows the full timeline, including:

• Customer messages and AI responses the shopper actually receives.
• Tool usage—when the AI looks up orders or runs other supported actions, those steps appear in context so you understand why a reply mentions specific order data.
• Internal notes—staff-only context that does not go to the customer, useful for coaching or handoffs.

That combination answers the common manager question: “Did the AI guess, or did it check something real?”

Real-time updates in the dashboard

The dashboard stays current through a live WebSocket connection. When the AI sends a message, runs a tool, or the customer replies on the storefront, eligible staff viewing that conversation see updates without manually refreshing the page.

Practical uses include:

• Coaching new agents by watching how the AI handles a tricky product question.
• Stepping in immediately if you notice incorrect tone or policy.
• Verifying that monitoring-mode follow-ups are firing when expected.

How this connects to inbox sections

• Threads in Monitoring are especially important to spot-check in real time—the AI may be working the ticket while no human is assigned.
• If you see a problem developing, send a customer-visible reply or turn AI off for that conversation to take over (see the handoff FAQ for the exact steps).

Live visibility is what makes Simple Chat’s automation auditable: you are not locked out of the process while the AI works.