Chat widget

What you will learn How the window you embed in a website works, and what changes because it is a public entrance.

A chat window on your own site

A place where visitors can ask questions directly from your homepage.

Structurally it matches email agents; only the entrance differs.

	Email	Widget
Entrance	a mail address	a script embedded in a web page
Response	a reply email	on screen immediately
Visitors	whoever knows the address	anyone who visits the site

That last row changes the design. A widget is a far more open entrance than email.

Embedding it

Creating a widget issues a widget key. Put the script containing that key into a web page and you are done.

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1. Create the widget → key issued2. Set allowed domains (required)3. Insert the script into your site

The domain restriction is the point

The widget key is exposed in the page source. It cannot be hidden. Anyone can read and copy it.

So allowed domains are the only line of defence.

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✗ No domain restriction  → copy the key onto any site and it works there  → someone else's site runs support at your cost✓ Your domain only  → pasting it elsewhere does nothing

Set the domain when you create the widget. Put it off and the key spreads in the meantime.

Requests per minute

You can set a per-minute request limit.

On a busy site, without it, one person leaving the window open and sending repeatedly is enough to raise your cost. Always set it on a public entrance.

Collecting email

Turn email collection on and visitors give their address before chatting.

	On	Off
Friction	higher (more drop-off)	low
Follow-up contact	possible	not possible
Personal data	you now collect and store it	none

Do not treat the third row lightly. Taking an email means holding personal data from that moment, which brings a privacy policy, a retention period, and a deletion procedure. Turn it on only when follow-up is genuinely needed.

What to do differently because it is public

1. Minimum tools

If internal document search is open to the widget, internal material becomes the raw material for visitors' questions. Connect only material that is acceptable to publish.

2. Write the boundaries into the instructions

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[Role]You answer enquiries about our products.[What not to do]- Do not promise discounts or contract terms- If unsure, say you will confirm with the responsible person- Do not mention internal schedules or unreleased products

Blocking promises matters most. What goes out of a public window reads as something the company said.

3. Give it its own group

Widget conversations pile up. Collecting them in a dedicated thread group keeps the team's sidebar from being buried.

What to watch

The screen records total sessions and last used.

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□ did session count suddenly rise (it may be embedded on someone else's site)□ is last-used too long ago (the script may have been removed)□ is cost higher than expected

The first is your signal to check the domain restriction.

Check yourself

1. The widget key cannot be hidden — so how do you protect it?

Answer

The allowed-domain restriction. The key is exposed in the page source and cannot be concealed, but with domains set, pasting it on another site does nothing.

2. Why turn on email collection carefully?

Answer

Because you take on responsibility for holding personal data, which brings a privacy policy, a retention period, and a deletion procedure. Turn it on only when follow-up is genuinely needed.

3. What must the widget instructions block above all?

Answer

Promises — discounts and contract terms. What goes out of a public window reads as something the company said.

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