If you experience high visitor traffic volume on your website, then you can optimise the Chat product for better performance by using the connectOnPageLoad Web Widget (Classic) API setting on every page where Chat is enabled.

This article describes a number of common Chat configuration use cases, and how connectOnPageLoad implementations will affect them. Find the scenarios that apply to your Chat setup to see the optimal way you can apply the connectOnPageLoad API setting.

For information about adding connectOnPageLoad to your Chat setup, see Optimizing Chat and Web Widget (Classic) performance.

Configurations:

  • I do not want to engage with all visitors on our website, and want to reply only to website visitors who start a chat
  • I use the Visitor List to keep track of visitors on selected web pages, and start chats as needed
  • I use triggers that fire when a customer is on a web page for a set amount of time
  • I use triggers that fire when a visitor has started a chat but has not received an agent response in a set amount of time
  • I use triggers that fire when a visitor arrives on a web page
  • I use Conversion Tracking
  • I use a Legacy (Zopim) Chat widget
  • I rely on analytics email reports to assess performance
  • I use the Web Widget (Classic) API
  • I offer customer service only through the Chat mobile app

I do not want to engage with all visitors on our website, and want to reply only to website visitors who start a chat

You can set connectOnPageLoad = false on all web pages where chat is enabled in the Web Widget (Classic).

I use the Visitor List to keep track of visitors on selected web pages, and start chats as needed

Decide which scenario each page on your web site falls under, and add connectOnPageLoad as follows:

  • On pages where your team wants to monitor all visitors, and decide whether to initiate chats with them: connectOnPageLoad = true
  • On pages where your team wants to monitor only visitors who initiate chats, or who click on the Web Widget (Classic): connectOnPageLoad = false

When configured as described above, on the Visitor List in the Chat dashboard, the following visitors are displayed:

  • All visitors who are browsing or chatting on web pages where connectOnPageLoad = true.
  • Only chatting visitors or visitors who click on Web Widget (Classic) on pages where connectOnPageLoad = false.

You can also turn-on High load Dashboard in case you would like to see only chatting visitors on all the pages.

I use triggers that fire when a customer is on a web page for a set amount of time

The connectOnPageLoad setting will impact these triggers, based on the value assigned to the setting on each web page.

These triggers will work in the following scenarios:

  • On web pages where you have added the setting as connectOnPageLoad = true.
  • On web pages where you have NOT added the connectOnPageLoad setting.

These triggers will not work in the following scenarios:

On web pages where you have added the setting as connectOnPageLoad = false.

I use triggers that fire when a visitor has started a chat but has not received an agent response in a set amount of time

These triggers will not be impacted by the connectOnPageLoad setting, whether it is assigned a true or false value.

I use triggers that fire when a visitor arrives on a web page

These triggers will work in the following scenarios:

  • On web pages where you have added the setting as connectOnPageLoad = true.
  • On web pages where you have added the setting as connectOnPageLoad = false, AND the visitor clicks on the Web Widget (Classic).
  • On web pages where you have NOT added the connectOnPageLoad setting.

These triggers will not work in the following scenarios:

  • On web pages where you have added the setting as connectOnPageLoad = false, AND the visitor does not click on the Web Widget (Classic).

I use conversion tracking

Conversion tracking will work in all of the following scenarios:

  • On web pages where you have added the setting as connectOnPageLoad = true.
  • On web pages where you have added the setting as connectOnPageLoad = false, AND the visitor clicks on the Web Widget (Classic).
  • On web pages where you have NOT added the connectOnPageLoad setting.

Conversion tracking will not work in the following scenarios:

  • On web pages where you have added the setting as connectOnPageLoad = false, AND the visitor does not clicks on the Web Widget (Classic).

I use a Legacy (Zopim) Chat widget

The connectOnPageLoad setting does not work with the Legacy Chat widget.

If you want to use connectOnPageLoad, please upgrade to the integrated Chat. See Feature differences: Legacy Chat and Chat in the Web Widget (Classic) for a side-by-side comparison of these Chat versions.

I rely on analytics email reports to assess performance

The connectOnPageLoad setting will impact your analytics email reports.

The connectOnPageLoad setting could reduce the number of Page Views, Total Visits, and Unique Visitors monitored on your website and only show visitor count where connectOnPageLoad = true AND connectOnPageLoad = false, but visitor has initiated the chat or clicked on the widget.

In addition, the website analytics displayed on your Chat Dashboard will show visitors on web pages where:

  • connectOnPageLoad = true
  • connectOnPageLoad = false, AND the visitor has initiated the chat or clicked on the widget.

I use the Web Widget (Classic) JavaScript APIs

Depending on your implementation, certain Web Widget (Classic) JavaScript APIs may be impacted when you defer the Chat connection using connectOnPageLoad, and may require some adaptation of your code to avoid any impacts to your customer experience and workflow.

For example, when subscribing to the on chat:connected event AND you have set connectOnPageLoad to false, you need to take into account the fact that the Chat connection will not occur on page load. When using any of the following APIs you will need to consider that they rely on the Web Widget (Classic) connection to Chat.

If you are using certain Web Widget (Classic) js api commands you need to be cognizant of when the connection will be established. For example, when subscribing to the on chat:connected event you need to take into account the fact that the connection will not happen on page load when connectOnPageLoad = false. When using any of the following APIs you will need to consider that they rely on the Web Widget (Classic) connecting to Chat.

  • chat:send
  • get chat:isChatting
  • get chat:department
  • get chat:departments
  • Chat:end
  • updatePath
  • on chat:connected
  • on chat:start
  • on chat:end
  • on chat:status
  • on chat:departmentStatus
  • on chat:unreadMessages
  • Departments
  • hideWhenOffline
  • Tags

I offer customer service only through the Chat mobile app

ConnectOnPageLoad is not available for the Chat mobile app.

This API is only available for the Web Widget (Classic) and not on embeddables built using Zendesk’s Mobile SDKs.

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