How to Enable an AI Agent in the Customer Portal

Deliver 24/7, context‑aware answers in your Customer Portal by enabling BoldDesk’s AI Agent. The agent responds using your Knowledge Base (KB), custom answers, files, and web pages, and can seamlessly hand over to human agents when needed.

AI Agents are brand‑specific and omnichannel‑ready—always map the correct AI Agent to the brand and the channel widget you surface.

Prepare your AI Agent & credits (Mandatory before enabling AI Agents in widgets)

1. Create and configure an AI Agent for the same brand as your Customer Portal before enabling it in Live Chat or Web Widget.
   To configure an AI Agent in BoldDesk, learn more on BoldDesk AI Agent: A Complete Guide to 24/7 Virtual Support.

2. To enable an AI Agent within Live Chat or Web Widget in the Customer Portal, confirm that AI Credits are active; without credits, AI features in Live Chat will not run. Learn more on How to Purchase AI Agent Credits in BoldDesk Active Subscription.

This can be achieved using:

1. Live chat widget
2. Web widget

1. Enable AI Agent in a Live Chat Widget (Agent Portal)

To appear in the Customer Portal, the Live Chat widget must be surfaced via Automatic embed (no code) or via Custom JS that includes the Live Chat widget ID.

a) Turn On the AI Agent in a Live Chat Widget

1. Go to Admin → Chat → Live Chat.

2. For an existing widget, click More options (⋮) → Edit. To add a new widget, click Add Widget.

   

3. In the widget’s General tab, toggle Enable AI Agent.

4. Choose Handover mode:

   • Assign to AI Agent (Direct): If you choose this handover mode, expect that the AI replies in the Customer Portal’s Live Chat will come from the AI agent you select in this widget.
   • Assign to AI Agent (Workflow): If you choose this handover mode, expect that the AI replies in the Customer Portal’s Live Chat will come from the AI agent selected in the workflow’s “End & Transfer to AI” block.

5. Select the AI Agent (same brand as the widget).
   

6. Click Update to save.

Learn more on Enable AI Agent in BoldDesk Live Chat for 24/7 Support.

If Using Workflow Handover Mode

Configure the workflow that selects the replying AI Agent in the Customer Portal. When Assign to AI Agent (Workflow) is chosen, the AI Agent selected in “End & Transfer to AI” is the one that replies to customers.

1. Go to Admin → Chat → Automation → Workflows.

   

2. Choose a trigger, then click Add Workflow.

   

3. Set Brand to the same brand as the Live Chat widget, and set Source to Live Chat.

4. Configure other fields as needed → click Next.

   

5. In the Designer, add your logic blocks.

6. End the flow with End & Transfer to AI and select the AI Agent (this controls which agent replies when handover is set to Workflow).

   

7. Save and publish the workflow.

If Using Direct Handover Mode

Surface the Live Chat Widget in the Customer Portal. The AI Agent selected in Assign to AI Agent (Direct) is the one that will reply to customers in the Customer Portal.

Option A — Automatic embed (no code)

1. Go to Admin → Customer Portal → General.

2. Under Live Chat Widget Settings, check Automatically embed chat widget in the customer portal.

3. Choose the Live Chat widget from the dropdown.

4. (Optional) Enable chat widget authentication to auto‑authenticate logged‑in users.

   

Option B — Custom JS (requires the Live Chat widget ID)

1. Go to Admin → Customer Portal → Customization.

2. Click the edit icon beside Custom JS, then paste:

   const script = document.createElement("script");
   script.src = `https://{{yourdomain}}/chatwidget-api/widget/v1/{{chatwidgetId}}`;
   document.head.appendChild(script);
   

   • Replace {{yourdomain}} (e.g., support.example.com) and {{chatwidgetId}}.
   • To find chatwidgetId: Admin → Chat → Live Chat → open the widget and copy the ID from the URL.

3. Click Update to save.

   

   Learn more on Embedding the BoldDesk Live Chat Widget in the Customer Portal.

2. Enable AI Agent in a Web Widget (Agent Portal)

a) Turn On the AI Agent in a Web Widget

1. Go to Admin → Web Widgets & AI Agent → Add Widget (or edit an existing one).

   

2. Select the AI Agent (must be same brand as the portal).

3. Click Update to save.

   

b) Embed the Web Widget in the Customer Portal (Custom JS)

1. Go to Admin → Customer Portal → Customization → Custom JS.

   

2. Paste the following script into Custom JS and replace placeholders (e.g., {{yourdomain}}, {{widgetId}}) with actual values from your Web Widget.

   (function () {
     var v = document.createElement('script');
     v.src = "https://{{yourdomain}}/widget/{{widgetId}}";
     v.type = "text/javascript";
     document.head.append(v);
   })();
   

3. Click Update to save.

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What do I need before enabling the AI Agent in Live Chat?
Create an AI Agent for the brand and make sure AI Credits are active—AI agent won’t run without the AI credits.

2) Where does the AI Agent get its answers?
From your knowledge base articles, custom answers, files, and web pages.

3) Are AI Agents brand‑specific? Can I reuse them across channels?
Yes, AI Agents are created per brand. You can deploy the same agent to multiple channels (including Live Chat) as long as it’s mapped to the correct brand and widget.

4) How do I enable the AI Agent in a Live Chat widget?
Go to Admin → Chat → Live Chat → open or Add Widget → General tab → toggle Enable AI Agent → select the AI Agent → Update.

5) How do I add the Live Chat widget to the Customer Portal?
Either Automatically embed it via Admin → Customer Portal → General (select the widget), or use Custom JS in Customer Portal → Customization to load the widget script.

6) Can I embed multiple Live Chat widgets in one customer portal?
No. Only one live chat widget can be embedded per customer portal (each brand has its own portal).

7) Can I show both Live Chat and Web Widget on the same portal page?
It’s possible, but generally not recommended on the same page to avoid UI overlap and user confusion. Decide which one best fits the experience.

Related Articles

• Embedding the BoldDesk Live Chat Widget in the Customer Portal.
• Getting Started with Live Chat in BoldDesk.
• Enable AI Agent in BoldDesk Live Chat for 24/7 Support