Overview
This article explains how to add form and information capture fields to your HealthdeskAI web chat bot, when to use them, and how they help qualify website visitors before they start a conversation.
Form and info capture lets you collect details like name, email, phone number, or location fields directly in the chat widget. This gives your AI and your team more context and helps weed out low-intent website visitors from engaging with your chat.
When to use form and info capture
Form and info capture is best used when you want to:
- Collect key contact details before a conversation begins
- Understand visitor intent before your AI responds
- Reduce low-intent or casual visitors from starting chats
- Prepare your team for better follow-ups with qualified leads
Requiring certain fields helps ensure that people who start conversations are genuinely interested in getting help or information. It also allows you to capture contact details so your team can follow up later, even if the visitor leaves your site before the conversation is finished.
How to add form and info capture fields
To add or update the fields shown in your web chat widget:
- Click Settings in the left-hand menu.
- Select the Web Chat tab.
- Click the Edit icon on your widget.
- Choose the form fields you want to collect.
- Mark any fields that should be required. You can require fields such as name, phone number, email address, and preferred location. If you have more than one location selected, visitors will see a dropdown and must select at least one location before continuing.
- Customize your widget content, including the headline, description, welcome message, and greeting message, to match your brand and guide visitors into the conversation.
- Choose a primary color and secondary color to match the widget to your brand.
- Upload an image to display in your chat widget, such as your logo or brand mark.
- Scroll down and click Save.
After saving, refresh your website. The updated form fields should appear in the chat widget right away.
Additional web chat widget settings
In addition to form and info capture, you can customize how your web chat widget looks and behaves using the settings available in the Web Chat editor.
Expand on page load
- When enabled, the widget will automatically expand every time a page loads.
- When disabled, the widget stays collapsed and only opens when a user clicks it from the bottom right corner of the webpage.
Enable Switch to Text
- When enabled, users can enter their phone number and choose to receive a text if they are on the go.
- When disabled, the Switch to Text option is hidden and will not be visible to users.
Short widget mode
- When enabled, the widget opens to about half its height on mobile devices so users can still see the top portion of the page.
- When disabled, the widget expands to take up the full height and width of the screen on mobile.
Headline
- The bold text displayed at the top of the widget.
- This is typically used for your business name.
Description
- The text shown directly under the headline.
- This is commonly used for a short tagline or additional contact information.
Welcome message
- The first message your bot sends when a user starts a chat.
- This sets the tone for the conversation and helps guide the visitor.
Greeting message
- The message shown when the widget is collapsed that invites users to start a chat.
- This setting is optional.
Page URL
- Allows you to target a single page on your site with a custom greeting message.
- For example, your greeting on a Pricing page can be different from the greeting shown on the rest of your site.
- This setting is optional.
Greeting message to show on specific page URL
- The custom greeting message that appears on the page URL you specify above.
- This setting is optional.
How to install the web chat widget
If you haven't installed the HealthdeskAI web chat widget yet, you'll need to add the snippet to your website.
You can read the full installation guide here: How to Install Your AI Agent Web Chat Widget on Your Website
Add the snippet to your website
- Open your website builder or CMS.
- Paste the snippet into your site header or global header code section. This ensures the chat widget loads on every page of your site.
You can also add the snippet to the header of a specific page to control where the chat appears. For example, a franchise with multiple locations could embed the widget on just one location page to try it out before rolling it out across the entire site.
What visitors will see
When form and info capture is enabled, website visitors will be prompted to enter the selected information when they interact with your bot.
- Any required fields must be completed before they can continue the conversation.
- Once completed, the conversation proceeds normally with your AI or team.
FAQs
Q: What is form and info capture in HealthdeskAI? A: Form and info capture lets you collect visitor information directly in the web chat widget before or during a conversation.
Q: When should I require form fields? A: You should require form fields when you want to qualify visitors and reduce low-intent chats before they reach your AI or team.
Q: Will form fields appear immediately after I save them? A: Yes. Once you click Save and refresh your website, the updated fields should appear right away.
Q: Can I control where the chat widget appears on my site? A: Yes. You can add the snippet to your global header to show the chat on every page, or add it to a specific page header to limit where it appears.
Q: What happens if a visitor doesn't complete a required field? A: They won't be able to continue the conversation until all required fields are filled out.