The Preference tab centralizes everything that shapes your Live Chat experience end‑to‑end: User Engagement, Security, Conversation Settings, Chat Input Options, and Notifications. Use it to define the start view (welcome messages, pre‑chat forms, suggestions, sticky button), control where the widget can load and what it discloses, decide how conversations open/close or reopen, allow emojis and file uploads with permitted types, and configure sound alerts or email transcripts.

To configure the preference of a Live Chat widget, do the following:

1. Go to Admin → Chat → Live Chat.

2. Edit an existing widget (or click Add Widget to create one).

3. Open Preference.

   

1. User Engagement

Configure what visitors see when the widget opens and how they start chatting.

a. Welcome Message

• Add a concise greeting as the first message users see.

• You can add multiple welcome messages (up to five) to sequence details such as hours or guidance.

  

• Use Live Preview to check spacing and line breaks, then click Update to save.

  

b. Enable Pre‑Chat Form

Collect essential user information before starting a conversation to provide more personalized and efficient support.

What you can configure:

• Enable Pre‑Chat Form (toggle): Turn the form ON/OFF.

• Add Form Fields (dropdown): Click Select to add fields.

• Form Message (required): Intro text displayed above the form fields.

• Form Fields list: Reorder fields using the drag handle on the left; open the more options menu (⋯) on each field to manage it.

• Confirmation Message: Text shown after the user submits the form.

  

c. Suggestions (quick prompts)

Show clickable chips beneath the welcome message to help users begin with one tap.

• Quick‑action (default): Clicking a chip sends its configured Value, which you can use in workflows (e.g., route by Suggestion Value).

  

• FAQ mode: Clicking a chip posts its Label as the user’s first message. Chips hide after the first user message and reappear if the composer is cleared.

  

d. Sticky Button

Keep a single high‑value action visible near the composer throughout the chat (for always‑available tasks you automate in workflows).

2. Security

Control where the widget can load and what privacy notice users see.

a. Set Trusted Domains

Define the authorised domains where your widget is allowed to run, ensuring secure and controlled access. Explore more on How to Add Trusted Domains to Your Live Chat Widget.

What you can do (as shown):

• Toggle: Turn Set Trusted Domains ON/OFF.

• Add domain: Click + Add domain and enter a domain.

• Accepted patterns:

  • https://example.com
  • https://*.example.com
  • example.com
  • *.example.com
  

b. Configure Privacy Policy

Inform users how their data is handled during chat and provide access to your privacy policy for transparency and compliance. By default, users will see this message above the messaging text box.

What you can do:

• Toggle: Turn Configure Privacy Policy ON/OFF.

• Editor: Add policy text using bold (B), italic (I), underline (U), and link formatting.

  

3. Conversation Settings

Define how users start additional chats, reopen ended ones, and end active conversations.

a. Enable Multiple Conversation

• Toggle to allow users to start and manage multiple chats at the same time without closing previous conversations.
• The screenshot shows the toggle ON. On the right-hand panel, a New Conversation button is visible under Conversations, indicating users can initiate another thread. Explore more on Multiple Conversation Support.

b. Enable Conversation Reopen

• Toggle to let users reopen ended conversations.
• When enabled, a Reopen Interval control appears.

Reopen Interval

Set how long a closed conversation remains eligible for reopening. Separate numeric inputs are provided as follows:

• Days — “Enter a value between 0 and 7”
• Hours — “Enter a value between 0 and 23”
• Minutes — “Enter a value between 0 and 59”

c. Enable End Chat

• Toggle to let users end their active chat on demand.

4. Chat Input Options

Control what users can insert and upload while chatting.

a. Enable Emoji Picker

Toggle: Turn ON/OFF to allow users to access the emoji picker and insert emojis while chatting.

b. Enable File Attachments

Toggle: Turn ON/OFF to enable file uploads in chat.

Allowed File Types

This field specifies the permitted file types for upload. If left empty, all types are allowed except a few that are blocked by default for security reasons. Include a dot before each extension and separate file types with a comma. Example: .png, .pdf.

5. Notifications

Notification settings let you control sound alerts and email transcripts. Explore more on How to Configure Notification Settings for BoldDesk Live Chat

Enable Sound Alerts

Toggle: Turn ON/OFF to play a sound for new incoming messages.

Enable Email Transcripts

Toggle: Turn ON/OFF to allow users to email themselves the transcript of their chat session.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) Where do I configure Live Chat behavior for start view, security, and inputs in BoldDesk?
All settings are in Admin → Chat → Live Chat → [Edit widget] → Preference. The Preference tab covers User Engagement, Security, Conversation Settings, Chat Input Options, and Notifications.

2) What can I customize under User Engagement category within the Preference Tab in Live Chat Settings?

• Welcome Message (first message; up to five messages)
• Pre‑Chat Form (toggle, Add Form Fields up to 8, Form Message, Confirmation Message)
• Suggestions (Quick‑action or FAQ mode)
• Sticky Button (one persistent action)

3) Where is the privacy notice shown in the Live Chat and how do I format it?
Enable Configure Privacy Policy to display a notice above the messaging textbox. The editor supports bold, italic, underline, and links (use a link to your full policy).

4) What happens if Multiple Conversation is OFF in the Live Chat?
Users can’t start a second chat in parallel. Start New Conversation hides after the first chat is created and reappears only after that chat is closed or deleted.

5) How do conversation reopen settings work in Live Chat?
Turn on Enable Conversation Reopen, then set Reopen Interval with separate inputs for Days (0–7), Hours (0–23), and Minutes (0–59). Within this window, users can reopen ended chats.