This article explains how to collect contact information—like name, email, or phone number—from visitors before they can start chatting in your Live Chat widget. Capturing this information upfront improves contact data quality, reduces anonymous chats, and enables automation and follow-ups.
What is the Contact Form in Chat Widget?
The Contact Form is a pre-chat prompt that appears inside the Live Chat widget. When the “Contact Form” option is enabled, visitors must submit the form to provide their contact details before the message box unlocks. This ensures you always know who you’re talking to and can follow up after the conversation ends.
Key Benefits of Contact Form in Chat Widget
Guaranteed lead capture: Every conversation is associated with a contact record—no more anonymous chats.
Streamlined follow-up: Contact details collected up front let your team (or automations) follow up without delay.
- Smart re-entry for return visitors: Returning visitors with an active chat skip the form and resume instantly; if the prior chat was deleted or ended, the form re-appears.
Reliable session continuity: Auto-reconnect preserves message history even after a refresh
Cleaner CRM data: Standardized intake reduces incomplete threads and improves reporting integrity.
How to Enable or Disable the Contact Form
Setting up the Contact Form is quick and gives you full control over what information is collected before chat begins.
Navigate to Sites > Chat Widget in your sub-account.
Select the Chat Widget you want to configure.
Go to the Chat Window tab and open the Live Chat Assigned drop-down.
Toggle ON the Enable Contact Form option.
Click Save to publish the changes.
Note: To disable the form, simply toggle OFF the Enable Contact Form
When contact form is disabled, chat widget will not ask for these details upfront, and directly start the chat
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which fields can I require in the contact form?
Name is mandatory; Phone or Email is required to create a contact (at least one). You can add supported custom fields within the five-field total.
Q: What exactly counts as an “active chat” for smart re-entry?
An active chat is a session that hasn’t been manually ended and hasn’t expired due to inactivity. If it’s still active, visitors resume without filling the form again.
Q: What happens if a visitor refreshes the page during a chat?
The widget auto-reconnects and preserves the conversation; no messages are lost.
Q: Does the contact form requirement apply to all widgets or just one?
It applies to the specific widget you configure. Be sure you’ve selected the correct widget before enabling the toggle.
Q: How does this interact with Business Office Hours?
During off hours, the widget sends the contact details form. After submission, the chat is automatically closed.
Q: Can I trigger workflows based on Contact Form submissions?
Yes. You can use triggers like “Customer Replied to start automated follow-ups or task assignments.
Q: Do I need to add a privacy policy link when collecting personal data?
It’s recommended. You can link your Privacy Policy from the chat window text/description for compliance transparency.
Q: I have multiple chat widgets on my site. Will each follow its own form rules?
Yes. Each widget has its own configuration, so you can enforce the form on some widgets/pages and not others.
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