The Suggestions feature in BoldDesk Live Chat displays predefined buttons alongside the welcome message. When a visitor clicks a suggestion, its mapped value is passed to the workflow engine and used before a conversation is created. This allows guided routing, faster issue classification, and consistent customer engagement from the first interaction.

Suggestions are ideal for:

• Directing visitors to the correct workflow path
• Automating routing based on intent
• Reducing agent workload by capturing structured inputs early

Enable and Configure Suggestions in the Live Chat Widget

1. Navigate to Admin Center → Chat → Live Chat.

2. Select an existing widget to edit or click Add Widget to create a new one.
   

   
   
   

3. Open the Preference tab.

4. Under User Engagement, enable Suggestions.

5. Add one or more suggestions. Each suggestion includes:

   • Label: Text shown as a button in the widget

   • Value: Unique key used to trigger and route the workflow
     

     
     
     

Mapping Suggestion Values to Chat Workflows

Suggestion values can be used in Chat Automation workflows to route conversations or trigger specific logic.

Navigation Path

• Admin Center → Chat → Chat Automation → Workflows
  

  
  
  

You can use suggestion values in two ways:

1. Route at Conversation Creation (Entry Conditions)

Use this method when each suggestion should trigger a different workflow.

Steps

1. Create a new workflow or edit an existing one under Conversation Created.

• Add Workflow
  

  
  
  

• Edit Workflow
  

  
  
  

2. Add an entry condition:

   • Select Suggestion Value from the field dropdown.
   • Use Equals as the operator.
   • Enter the specific suggestion value (e.g., flight booking).
     
   
   
   

3. Add the required actions (e.g., auto‑reply, assignment, custom prompts).
   
   

   
   
   

4. Publish the workflow.

This creates separate workflows for each suggestion value.

2. Branch Within a Single Workflow

Use this method to manage multiple suggestion values inside one workflow.

Steps

1. Create or open a workflow under Conversation Created.

2. Inside the workflow designer, add Branch via Conditions.

3. Create conditions based on:

   • Suggestion Value = [value]

   • Add separate branches for each supported suggestion value (e.g., flight_booking, hotel_reservation).
     

     
     
     
     
     
     

4. Configure steps for each branch (e.g., prompt to select journey type, prompt to select the hotel name).
   

   
   
   

5. Publish the workflow.

This approach centralizes logic in one workflow and branches internally by suggestion value.

What Visitors See in Widget

1. Before chat starts, the welcome message is shown with suggestion buttons.
   

   
   
   

2. When the visitor clicks a suggestion, its value is passed to the workflow engine.

3. The mapped workflow (or branch) runs immediately, then the conversation is created and proceeds per your design.
   

   
   
   

Disabling Input During Conversation Creation

This feature introduces a widget-admin setting that controls the visibility of the text input area during conversation creation. To enable/disable this setting, navigate to the preferred live chat widget and customize it under Preference > User Engagement > Suggestions/FAQ and check or uncheck the box as preferred. Checking the box disables input during the conversation while unchecking enables input during conversation creation.

• When enabled, the input field is hidden initially.
• Visitors can only start a conversation using predefined entry points:
  • Suggestions
  • FAQ options

Once a visitor selects one of these options and the conversation begins, the input area automatically appears when the system reaches a stanza that requires user input, allowing the conversation to continue normally.

When disableInput = false (Input Enabled)

• The chat works as usual.
• The input box is visible from the start.
• Visitors can begin typing immediately without any extra steps.

When disableInput = true (Input Disabled Initially)

• The input box is hidden at the beginning.
• Visitors must first select a start option to begin the conversation.
• Once the conversation starts, the input box appears (based on the chat flow).
• After that, users can continue chatting normally.

Troubleshooting

Suggestions do not appear in the widget

• Confirm Enable Pre‑Chat Form is disabled.
• Confirm Suggestions is enabled under Preference → User Engagement for the selected widget.
• Confirm at least one suggestion (Label + Value) is configured.

Workflow is not routing based on Suggestion Value

• Confirm the workflow trigger is Conversation Created.
• Confirm the workflow condition uses Suggestion Value with Equals and the exact configured suggestion value.
• Confirm the workflow is published.

AI logic that depends on the last user message is not triggering as expected

Suggestions are not treated as user messages. Use a workflow step that collects a user message if the last-message dependency is required.

Visitors cannot type in the widget initially

Check the widget setting Disable input during conversation creation under Suggestions/FAQ. If enabled, visitors must start with Suggestions or FAQ before typing becomes available.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I reorder Suggestions in the widget?
   No. Drag-and-drop reordering is not available. Suggestions display in the order they are configured. To change the order, edit the list and recreate items in the preferred sequence.

2. Can Suggestions be used with the Pre‑Chat Form?
   No. Suggestions are available only when Enable Pre‑Chat Form is disabled.

3. Are Suggestion Values visible to visitors?
   No. Visitors see only the Label. The Value is internal and used by the workflow engine.

4. Can a workflow auto-assign a conversation based on a suggestion?
   Yes. Add the Trigger Auto Assignment action in the workflow path/branch that matches the suggestion value.

5. When does the workflow evaluate Suggestion Value?
   The workflow engine receives Suggestion Value before the conversation is created, and the workflow runs immediately based on your workflow configuration.

6. Do suggestion clicks count as visitor messages?
   No. Suggestion clicks do not count as user messages.

7. Can I manage multiple suggestion values in one workflow?
   Yes. Use Branch via Conditions and create branches for Suggestion Value = [value].

8. Does “Disable input during conversation creation” affect existing conversations?
   No. The setting applies only to new conversations and does not affect reopened conversations.

Related Articles

1. Configuring Chat Workflows to Automate Actions in BoldDesk
2. BoldDesk Chat Workflow: Complete Guide