Pre-chat forms¶
A pre-chat form collects information about a visitor before a conversation begins. It's available only on website live chat, and it's a simple way to qualify visitors or gather context up front so agents start each conversation already knowing who they're talking to.
Adding a pre-chat form¶
- Go to Settings → Inboxes and open the settings for a website inbox.
- Open the Pre Chat Form tab.
A pre-chat form can use two kinds of fields:
- Standard fields — the core contact details: email, phone number, and full name.
- Custom fields — anything you've defined as a custom attribute.
Both kinds are listed in the form settings, each described by these columns:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Key | The field's unique identifier. |
| Type | The field type: Text, List, Number, Date, Link, or Boolean. |
| Required | Whether the visitor must fill it in. |
| Label | The text shown next to the field on the widget. |
| Placeholder | The hint text inside the field. |
As an admin you can enable or disable each field, reorder fields, edit labels and placeholders, and turn validation on or off. To offer more fields than the standard set, add more custom attributes.
What the visitor sees¶
Once enabled, the form appears when a visitor starts a live-chat conversation, asking them to supply the fields you've turned on before the chat opens.
Keep it short
Every required field is a small barrier to starting a conversation. Ask only for what you genuinely need at the outset — you can always collect more during the chat. Pairing pre-chat forms with automations lets you route or label conversations based on what the visitor entered.