Export and Email Live Chat Transcripts in BoldDesk

BoldDesk provides built‑in tools for both agents and customers to manage live chat conversation transcripts. Depending on the user role, transcripts can be exported, emailed, or accessed directly within the BoldDesk chat interfaces. This guide outlines the complete workflow for agents and customers, including required permissions, UI navigation, and feature limitations

1. Agent Portal – Exporting and Emailing Chat Transcripts

Agents have access to advanced transcript management tools in the Agent Portal, enabling them to export or email chat transcripts for record keeping, auditing, and communication follow‑up.

To export or email chat transcripts, agents must have Export conversation and Email conversation transcript permissions enabled for their roles.
Explore further instruction about Manage Agent Access with BoldDesk Permissions.

Exporting chat conversation (.txt)

Agents can export chat transcripts for offline storage and documentation.
Steps

Log in to the BoldDesk Agent Portal.
Navigate to the Chat module.
Open the desired chat conversation.
Click the More (⋮) option menu.
Select Export Conversation.

A .txt file downloads automatically.

Private notes are not included in exported transcripts.

Email a Chat Transcript

Agents can email transcripts either to themselves or to the requester.
Steps:

Open the chat conversation.
Click the More (⋮) option menu.
Choose:
- Email Transcript to Requester, or
- Email Transcript to Myself
BoldDesk sends the transcript to the respective registered email address.

Email Address Priority

When sending transcripts:

BoldDesk uses the widget’s brand ID to determine the outgoing email address.
If multiple brand emails exist:
- Primary email is prioritized—even if marked as custom or default.
- If no primary email exists, the custom email is used.

Private notes are excluded in both exported files and emailed transcripts.
Transcripts cannot be exported or sent to an external user.
In the email, images appear as previews, while file attachments are included as downloadable links.

Enable Permission to Export and Email Transcripts

Enable the following permissions to allow agents export and email conversation transcripts.

2. Customer Portal – Emailing a Live Chat Transcript

Customers using the BoldDesk Customer Portal can email themselves the transcript of the live chat session they are actively participating in.

Customers cannot:

Export transcripts

In the BoldDesk Customer Portal, the Email Transcript option appears inside the live chat widget’s More menu (⋮) option. This action lets customers email themselves the transcript of the conversation they are engaged in currently.

Admin Requirement: Enable Transcript Emailing

For customers to email their chat transcript, admins must turn on the ‘Enable Transcript Emailing’ feature.
This setting is located in:

Admin Center → Chat → Live Chat → Widget Customization → Feature Settings → Enable Transcript Emailing
Once enabled, customers can see and use the Email Transcript option in the widget during active sessions.

Toggling this option activates transcript emailing for all users interacting with the widget.

Email a Live Chat Transcript (Customer Portal)

Follow these steps to email the current chat transcript:

Start a live chat session in the Customer Portal.
Click the More (⋮) option menu at the top of the chat widget.
Select Email Transcript.
The transcript is sent to the customer’s registered email address.

This action is available only during the live chat session. Once the customer has closed the chat widget, they cannot access ‘Email Transcript’ of the ended session.

Troubleshooting

If the Email Transcript option does not appear:

The admin may not have enabled Enable Transcript Emailing.
You might not be in an active chat session.
The chat may have already ended, or the widget may have been closed.

FAQs

1. Can customers export chat transcripts as files?
No. Transcript export is available only in the Agent Portal. Customers can only email transcripts of an active session.

2. Can customers access previous chat conversations?
No. The Customer Portal chat widget does not provide historical conversation access.

3. Can customers email transcripts to a different email address?
No. Transcripts are only sent to the customer’s registered BoldDesk email.

4. Are private agent notes included in transcripts?
No. Private notes are automatically excluded from both exported and emailed transcripts.

5. Why does the Email Transcript option disappear?
The chat session ended or the widget was closed. Transcript emailing is available only during active sessions.

6. Do emailed transcripts include attachments?
Attachments are included as downloadable links, while images appear as inline previews when supported.