Some jurisdictions may require that you provide notice to end users of how their information is shared with third parties, including Zendesk. Although a published privacy policy is helpful, many customers have implemented additional notices and/or consents. Zendesk offers several options to enable you to achieve your compliance goals.

You can configure web-based conversational widgets – Web Widget, Web Widget (Classic), and Sunshine Conversations Web Messenger – to inform your customers of a privacy notice.

This article discusses the following methods for informing customers of information at the beginning of a chat:

  • Adding a cookie banner
  • Relying on Zendesk branding
  • Including a notice in an initial greeting
  • Creating a bot with options for refusing consent (Web Widget only)

Adding a cookie banner

One option is for a customer to add a banner to their website, as is done in Europe for cookie banners, that hides or controls access to the widget. For example, some customers have a popup stating the following:
  • “This website uses cookies…”

    as well as

  • “...we share information about your use of our site with analytics partners according to our Privacy Policy.”

The pop-up can be configured to hide the widget until acknowledged.

If you want the cookie banner to support a “no” option, where the widget will not appear if the customer does not agree to the consent language, you can achieve this via cookie consent technology.

  • For Web Widget, see Web Widget API: Set cookies for more information.
  • For Web Widget (Classic), see Web Widget (Classic) API: Set cookies for more information.
  • For Sunshine Conversations Web Messenger, see Sunshine Conversations Web Messenger API: Set cookies for more information.

Relying on Zendesk branding

By default, the Zendesk widgets include the Zendesk branding. While many customers choose to remove this logo to “white label” the widget if allowed on their account, leaving it in place signals to the end user that the widget experience is powered by a third party.

  • For Web Widget, see Configuring the widget frame for more information.
  • For Web Widget (Classic), see Configuring components in Web Widget (Classic) for more information.
  • For Sunshine Conversations Web Messenger, see Web Messenger: Business profile for more information.

Including a notice in an initial greeting

In Web Widget, you can:

  • Update the default message (the first message sent by Web Widget) to describe your privacy policy. This way, if the user does not proceed with a chat, no transcript will be recorded.
In Web Widget (Classic), you can:
  • Configure the pre-chat form to send a message to all visitors informing them of your privacy policy.
  • Customize the concierge or chat badge to send a message to all visitors informing them of your privacy policy.
In Sunshine Conversations Web Messenger, you can code your widget to:
  • Send an initial greeting in response that describes your privacy policy.
  • Include a prechat capture, and configure the greeting to send a message to all visitors informing them of your privacy policy.
  • Connect with a cookie bot

Creating a bot with options for refusing consent (Web Widget only)

You can use bot builder to create a conversation bot that informs all visitors of the privacy policy terms. If the user does not consent to this, you should configure bot builder to not transfer their conversation to an agent (after which a transcript is stored).

Admins can put in a message prior to the transfer step to let end users know they will be transferred to an agent and let them know of your privacy policy terms.

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