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Can I create a direct link to a live chat popout window instead of using the widget?

Mark Nino Valencia
  • Edited

Question

I don't want to use the chat widget on my website but I do want to provide my customers with a live chat option. Is it possible to create a direct link to a separate chat window to send to my customers?

Answer

You can create a direct link to a live chat popout window if your account uses the Web Widget (Classic). Share one of the URLs below with your customers for a direct link to your live chat:

  • If your dashboard URL is subdomain.zendesk.com/chat, use: 
    https://static.zdassets.com/web_widget/latest/liveChat.html?v=10#key=subdomain.zendesk.com
    Replace the subdomain string from the URL with your Zendesk subdomain.
    Note: If you use the messaging Web Widget, this workflow will just open the widget on a new page and not a direct link.
  • If your dashboard URL is dashboard.zopim.com, use:
    https://v2.zopim.com/widget/popout.html?key=<ACCOUNT_KEY>
    Replace <ACCOUNT_KEY> in the URL with the key from your account.

Ensure the Chat toggle in the Web Widget (Classic) is enabled within the widget settings.

Enable chat in widget

If you want to set the language of the widget, add &locale=[language code] to the end of the URL. For example, to set the language to English add &locale=en to the URL.

https://static.zdassets.com/web_widget/latest/liveChat.html?v=10#key=subdomain.zendesk.com&locale=en
Note: Using a direct chat link can limit functionality with Chat triggers and also prevents conversion tracking from working correctly.

For help identifying which version of Chat you're using, see the article: Determining your Zendesk Chat account version.

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19 Comments

  • Jon Gallez

    Does this have any impact on 3rd party websites by using the Chat function outside of the browser?

    0
  • Sairam

    In such a situation, are there any known ways of adding custom tags, e.g. If an organization wanted to include the direct-to-chat link in an email, but also wanted to ensure that within the chat initiated that way, there was some information (e.g. as tags attached to the chat), that said chat came from an email (e.g. adding a query parameter to the chat link itself)?

    0
  • Kevin Tovar

    LIFE SAVER! thank you so much for making it easy to understand and breaking down the phases i had no clue about that and realized that was my issue 

    0
  • Maky

    Hi @...

    I find the way to open the chat window with web widget but departments?, any other configuration? can i find a kind of guide to do that?

    Thanks.

    Maria

    0
  • DJ Buenavista Jr.
    Zendesk Customer Care
    Hi Maria,
     
    Thank you for reaching out to Zendesk Support. In regards to your concern, you can create a direct link to your live chat pop-out window instead of using a widget.
     
    Kindly follow the instructions in our article, Create a direct link to a live chat popout window instead of using the widget? for more information.
     
    Thank you!
     
     
    Kind regards,
    -1
  • Tainashiri
    • Edited

    It's possible to create a link that direct the conversation to a specific Department?

    0
  • Jelena Picuric

    Hi, 

    can I create a link to web widget after having implemented messaging?

    0
  • KUMU Support

    Direct Live Chat Link was integrated on our app for quicker access. However, if they leave the live chat popout screen and go back to that same page. It's a new live chat window. How can customers go back to that same livechat popout window on their mobile?

     

    0
  • Dane
    Zendesk Engineering

    Tainashiri,

    As it turns out, there's no direct link that can be used to route chat directly to a department. 

    Jelena Picuric,

    The behavior for Messaging is different. Instead of the actual chat window, it will present you the widget instead.

     

    KUMU Support,

    Closing the chat window when you have used the link is similar to ending the Chat. That's the reason why new chats will be generated every time you open it using the link.

    0
  • SNT Aps

    Hi,

    I'm looking to do the following:

    Inside a Zendesk Guide article, I want to create a link that opens the widget in case someone clicks the link. What piece of code do I need to insert in order for the chat page of the widget to open?

     

    Thank you in advance.

    0
  • Tipene Hughes
    Zendesk Developer Advocacy
    Hi Sebastian,
     
    One way you could go about this is by adding a class to the piece of text in the article that will act as a link. Then, in the script.js file of your help center editor you’ll access the text element using the class name and add an event listener which will fire the zE open method on click.
     
    Here’s an example of how that could look. I’ve also added a snippet of CSS which you can add to your style.css file to have the text appear as a traditional link:
     
    const widgetLink = document.querySelector(".open-widget");

    if(widgetLink && widgetLink !== undefined) {
    widgetLink.addEventListener('click', () => {
      console.log("click");
      zE('webWidget', 'open')
    })
    }
     
    .open-widget {
    color: #0000EE;
    cursor: pointer;
    }

    .open-widget:hover {
    text-decoration: underline;
    }
    I hope this helps! Feel free to reach out with any questions.
     
    Tipene
    0
  • SNT Aps

    Hi Tipene Hughes

    Thank you for providing me with that answer and the example. I'll have a look and see if we'll be able to put this to good use.

    Cheers!

    0
  • Will Yolen

    We want to update our Chat Widget to Messaging, but the limitation that does not allow a direct link to the live chat window is a huge setback. Is there any possibility of including this feature in the future. 

    2
  • Miguel

    Agree with will, that it should just open the chat to the form and not require the customer to click another button to open it.

    1
  • Mack Briscoe

    How do I do this but show the web widget from a link with not only Live Chat. E.g. show the same UI as clicking on the web widget button (chat bot > contact us button > option to leave a message or live chat (if available). 

    Some of my text links using the above method have ended up in this result, but I can't replicate this 100% of the time.

    0
  • Hiedi Kysther
    Zendesk Customer Care

    Hey Mack Briscoe,

    The article above is specifically for Chat. If you'd like to see multiple contact options with just one click away, you'll need to follow this article: How do I show the Web Widget (Classic) on click?. Basically, you will need to add contactOptions API in the widget first before setting up the article I shared. ContactOptions will allow you to have multiple channels shown in the widget:

    But, I'd like to reiterate the following disclaimer: 

    This article is provided for instructional purposes only. Zendesk does not support or guarantee the code. Zendesk also can't provide support for third-party technologies such as JavaScript, jQuery, or CSS. Post any issues you have in the comments section or try searching for a solution online.
     
     
    Zendesk does not support or guarantee the code. Zendesk also can't provide support for third-party technologies such as JavaScript, jQuery, or CSS. Post any issues you have in the comments section or try searching for a solution online.
     
    I hope this helps! Thanks! 
    -1
  • CJ Johnson

    This article is no longer correct. After a ticket with Support, it was determined that it is not possible to achieve this with Agent Workspace. *sigh*. 

    0
  • DMKT

    Is it possible to include a customized "pre-preform" for this link to fire up when clicked? For a bit of context, we need to show customers who clicked on this link a preform within the widget to acknowledge using our services. We have this function on our websites if they contact us from there, but I'm not sure if there's a link that can do the same. (we still use phase1 chat links however we are using the latest chat accounts)

    0
  • Dane
    Zendesk Engineering
    Hi Jason,

    Unfrotunately, this is only for opening the classic widget on a window and it can't pre-fill/customize the pre-chat form.
    0

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