How to safely delete a Chat Group in VICIdial

Deleting a Chat Group in VICIdial takes two deliberate clicks, by design. You click the delete link at the bottom of the group, the page reloads with a confirmation link, and you click that second link to actually remove the group. The two-step pattern exists so you cannot wipe a group with one stray click. This post covers the steps and what to check before you commit.

The two-step delete

On the Chat Group modification screen, scroll to the bottom and click the delete link. The page reloads and shows a confirmation link near the top. You must click that second link to remove the group from the system. One click on its own does nothing destructive; the group is only gone after the second confirmation.

• Open the Chat Group you want to remove.
• Scroll to the bottom and click the DELETE link.
• Wait for the page to reload and show the confirmation link at the top.
• Click the second DELETE link to finish.

Check what depends on the group first

Before you confirm, look at what points at the group. The modification screen lists the campaigns that allow agents to log in to this Chat Group. If a Campaign still references it, removing the group pulls that route out from under your agents. Confirm no active campaign needs the group and that no Agent is logged into it before you take the second step. A chat that is mid-session when the group disappears has nowhere to go, so it is worth doing this during a quiet window rather than at peak.

It also helps to know how the group is wired before you pull it. The Chat Group carries its color scheme, its Web Form addresses, its queue position, and any Status Group Override you set. All of that is configuration you built by hand, and none of it survives the delete. If there is any chance you will want the same setup again, copy the group to a holding name first, then delete the original.

There is no undo. Once the second link is clicked the group is gone, and a deleted Group ID is treated like any other; you would have to build a new group to get a working route back. Because the Status (lead status) handling and Web Form wiring live on the group, that work is lost with it, and any Disposition history tied to leads that flowed through the group stays on the leads but loses its routing home.

The delete flow

flowchart TD
  A["Open Chat Group"] --> B["Click DELETE at bottom"]
  B --> C["Page reloads"]
  C --> D["Confirmation link appears at top"]
  D --> E{"Sure no campaign needs it?"}
  E -->|No| F["Stop, leave it in place"]
  E -->|Yes| G["Click second DELETE link"]
  G --> H["Group removed"]

If you only want to take a group out of service for a while rather than destroy it, set its Active field to N instead. That stops new chats from routing to it while keeping every setting intact, so you can flip it back on later without rebuilding. Deletion is for groups you are certain you will never use again.

That is the safe delete: click, confirm, done, after you have checked nothing depends on the group. The same two-step delete applies to email groups, covered in how to delete a VICIdial Email Group, and the full picture is in the VICIdial inbound email and chat guide. If you would rather we manage these groups for you, see our managed VICIdial plans.