Docs Engagement

Engagement

Configure proactive chat triggers, lead capture forms, CSAT surveys, and concierge bot to boost visitor engagement.

Overview

Helpon's Engagement tools help you convert passive visitors into active leads and measure their satisfaction throughout the conversation lifecycle. All engagement features are located under Helpon → Settings → Engagement in your WordPress admin dashboard.

The engagement module includes six core capabilities:

  • Proactive Triggers — Automatically open the chat widget based on visitor behavior
  • Lead Capture Forms — Collect visitor information before or during a chat session
  • CSAT Surveys — Measure customer satisfaction after chat interactions
  • Concierge Bot — Present a guided greeting flow with quick-action buttons
  • Pop-Up Campaigns — Display targeted promotional or informational messages
  • Page Targeting & Segmentation — Control which tools appear on which pages for which visitors
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Plan Availability

Proactive triggers and lead capture forms are available on all plans. CSAT surveys, concierge bot, pop-up campaigns, and advanced segmentation require the Pro plan or higher.

Proactive Triggers

Proactive triggers automatically open the chat widget or display a teaser message when a visitor meets specific behavioral conditions. Navigate to Helpon → Settings → Engagement → Proactive Triggers to configure them.

Trigger Type Description Default Value
Time on Page Opens chat after a visitor spends a set number of seconds on a page 30 seconds
Scroll Depth Triggers when the visitor scrolls past a percentage of the page 50%
Exit Intent Detects when the cursor moves toward the browser close/back button Disabled
Page Visit Count Fires after a visitor views a certain number of pages in a session 3 pages
URL-Based Triggers only on pages matching specific URL patterns or slugs All pages

You can combine multiple triggers using AND or OR logic. For example, trigger the chat when a visitor has been on the pricing page for 15 seconds AND has scrolled past 40%.

Trigger Name
Pricing Page Engagement
Trigger Type
Time on Page ▾
Delay (seconds)
15
Combine With
AND ▾
Scroll Depth (%)
40
Teaser Message
Have questions about our plans? Let's chat!
URL Pattern
/pricing*
Status
Active
Best Practice

Avoid triggering the chat widget too aggressively. A 15–30 second delay on high-intent pages (pricing, contact, services) performs better than triggering on every page after 5 seconds, which can frustrate visitors.

Lead Capture Forms

Lead capture forms collect visitor information before or during a chat session. This data is automatically saved to the Helpon CRM as a new contact. Configure forms under Helpon → Settings → Engagement → Lead Capture.

Setting Up a Pre-Chat Form

1

Enable Pre-Chat Form

Navigate to Engagement → Lead Capture and toggle Pre-Chat Form to enabled. This displays the form before the visitor can send their first message.

2

Configure Default Fields

The form includes three default fields: Name, Email, and Phone. For each field, set whether it is Visible, Required, or Hidden. At minimum, one field should be required to create a valid contact record.

3

Add Custom Fields

Click + Add Field to create custom fields. Supported types include text, dropdown, checkbox, date, and textarea. Custom fields map to CRM contact properties automatically.

4

Configure Form Design

Customize the form title, description text, submit button label, and colors. The form inherits your widget's primary color by default but can be overridden per form.

5

Enable GDPR Consent

Toggle the GDPR Consent Checkbox to add a required consent field. Customize the consent text and link it to your privacy policy page. Submissions are blocked until the visitor checks the box.

Before we start, tell us a bit about yourself
We'll use this info to personalize your experience.
Full Name *
Jane Smith
Email Address *
jane@example.com
Phone Number
(optional)
Reason for Visit
Schedule an appointment ▾
I agree to the Privacy Policy and consent to data processing.
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Returning Visitors

If a visitor has already submitted the pre-chat form in a previous session and their browser cookie is still active, Helpon will skip the form and greet them by name. You can change this behavior under Lead Capture → Repeat Visitor Handling.

CSAT Surveys

CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) surveys measure how satisfied visitors are after a chat interaction. Configure surveys under Helpon → Settings → Engagement → CSAT Surveys.

The survey is displayed inside the chat widget after a conversation ends. Visitors rate their experience on a 1–5 star scale and can optionally leave a follow-up comment.

Setting Description Default
Rating Scale Star-based rating from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) 1–5 stars
Follow-Up Question Optional text field asking visitors to explain their rating Enabled
Trigger Timing When to show: after chat close, after agent resolves, or after inactivity timeout After chat close
Frequency How often to survey the same visitor: every chat, once per day, once per week, once ever Once per week
Minimum Messages Only show the survey if the conversation had at least N messages 3 messages
How was your experience?
Your feedback helps us improve.
Tell us more about your experience (optional)...
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Viewing CSAT Results

All survey responses are available in Helpon → Analytics → CSAT. You can filter by date range, agent, rating score, and channel. Low ratings (1–2 stars) automatically flag the conversation for agent review.

Concierge Bot

The concierge bot greets visitors with a structured welcome flow that guides them toward the right resource. Instead of an empty chat input, visitors see a welcome message followed by quick-action buttons. Configure it under Helpon → Settings → Engagement → Concierge Bot.

The default greeting flow works as follows:

  1. The visitor opens the chat widget
  2. A welcome message appears (customizable text)
  3. Quick-action buttons are displayed beneath the message
  4. The visitor clicks a button, which triggers the associated action
Welcome to Helpon Support
Hi there! How can we help you today? Choose an option below or type your question directly.
🤖 Chat with AI Assistant
💬 Talk to a Live Agent
📅 Book an Appointment
📚 Browse FAQs

Customizing Quick Actions

Each quick-action button can be configured with the following properties:

Property Description
Label The text displayed on the button (e.g., "Chat with AI Assistant")
Icon An emoji or icon displayed before the label
Action Type What happens when clicked: start AI chat, connect to agent, open URL, trigger flow, or open booking form
Color Background and border color for the button
Visibility Show always, only during business hours, or only outside business hours

You can add up to 6 quick-action buttons. Drag and drop to reorder them. Buttons that link to disabled features (e.g., appointments when the module is off) are automatically hidden from visitors.

Business Hours Tip

Set the "Talk to a Live Agent" button to show only during business hours. Outside those hours, replace it with a "Leave a Message" button that triggers the lead capture form instead.

Pop-up campaigns let you display targeted messages to visitors outside the chat widget. Use them for announcements, promotions, onboarding tips, or collecting feedback. Manage campaigns under Helpon → Settings → Engagement → Pop-Up Campaigns.

Creating a Campaign

1

Choose a Format

Select from three display formats: Banner (full-width bar at top or bottom), Bubble (small floating notification near the chat widget), or Card (centered modal with image, title, body, and CTA button).

2

Design the Content

Write the campaign headline, body text, and call-to-action button text. For card format, you can upload a header image. All formats support custom colors and font sizes.

3

Set Scheduling

Define a start and end date for the campaign, or leave it open-ended. You can also restrict display to specific days of the week or hours of the day using the scheduling calendar.

4

Configure Frequency Capping

Control how often a visitor sees the campaign: once per session, once per day, once per week, or once ever. This prevents overexposure and reduces visitor fatigue.

5

Set Up A/B Testing (Optional)

Create a variant B with different headline, body, or CTA text. Helpon will split traffic evenly between variants and report click-through rates for each in Analytics → Campaigns. The winning variant can be auto-selected after a set number of impressions.

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Ad Blocker Interference

Some ad blockers may suppress pop-up campaigns, especially the card format. Test your campaigns with popular ad blockers (uBlock Origin, AdBlock Plus) to ensure visibility. The bubble format is least likely to be blocked.

Page Targeting

Page targeting lets you display different engagement tools on different pages of your site. Instead of a one-size-fits-all configuration, you can show a lead capture form on your pricing page, a CSAT survey on your support page, and the concierge bot on your homepage. Configure rules under Helpon → Settings → Engagement → Page Targeting.

Match Type Description Example
Exact URL Matches a single, specific page URL /pricing
URL Contains Matches any URL that includes the specified string /blog/
URL Starts With Matches URLs beginning with the given path /services/
Wildcard Uses * as a wildcard character for flexible matching /product/*/reviews
Regex Full regular expression matching for advanced URL patterns ^/blog/202[4-6]/.*
Exclude Explicitly prevent engagement tools from loading on matched pages /checkout*

Here is an example of a page targeting configuration that uses regex to match blog posts published in 2024 through 2026:

Regex Pattern
^\/blog\/202[4-6]\/[a-z0-9\-]+\/?$

To exclude sensitive pages such as checkout or patient portals from all engagement tools:

Exclusion Rules (one per line)
/checkout*
/patient-portal*
/wp-admin*
/my-account/orders*
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Rule Priority

Exclusion rules always take priority over inclusion rules. If a page matches both an include and an exclude pattern, it will be excluded. Rules are evaluated top-to-bottom, and the first matching rule wins.

Visitor Segmentation

Visitor segmentation allows you to show different engagement tools to different groups of visitors based on their behavior, device, location, or custom attributes. Configure segments under Helpon → Settings → Engagement → Visitor Segmentation.

Segment Criteria Options Use Case
Visitor Type New visitor, Returning visitor Show lead capture to new visitors, skip for returning ones
Page Count Number of pages viewed in session (e.g., > 3) Target engaged visitors who have browsed multiple pages
Referrer Source Direct, organic search, social media, paid ad, specific URL Show special offer to visitors from paid campaigns
Device Type Desktop, tablet, mobile Use simpler concierge flow on mobile devices
Browser Language Detected from browser locale (e.g., en, es, fr) Display greeting messages in the visitor's language
Location Country, region, or city (GeoIP-based) Show location-specific content or branch information
Custom Attributes JavaScript API values set by your theme or plugins Target logged-in users, WooCommerce customers, or membership tiers

You can pass custom attributes to Helpon via the JavaScript API on your site. For example, to identify WooCommerce customers:

JavaScript
window.HelponAPI.identify({
    name: 'Jane Smith',
    email: 'jane@example.com',
    plan: 'premium',
    totalOrders: 12,
    memberSince: '2024-03-15'
});

Once custom attributes are set, you can reference them in segmentation rules. For example, create a segment where plan equals premium and totalOrders is greater than 5 to show a VIP concierge greeting.

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Combining Segments with Triggers

Segments work alongside proactive triggers and page targeting. You can create highly specific rules like: show the lead capture form to new visitors from organic search who have viewed more than 2 pages on any /services/* page.

Troubleshooting

Common issues with engagement features and how to resolve them:

Proactive triggers not firing

  • Verify the trigger is set to Active in Engagement → Proactive Triggers
  • Check that the URL pattern matches the page you are testing on
  • Clear your browser cookies — triggers respect frequency caps and may not fire again for returning visitors
  • Open the browser console (F12) and look for helpon-trigger debug messages
  • If using a caching plugin, ensure dynamic content is not being cached. Add helpon_no_cache to your cache exclusion rules

Lead capture form not saving data

  • Confirm that at least one field is marked as Required — forms with all optional fields may submit empty records
  • Check Helpon → Contacts to verify if the record was created but is missing expected data
  • Verify that the AJAX endpoint (/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php) is not blocked by a firewall or security plugin
  • If using GDPR consent, ensure the checkbox is properly rendering — a missing consent field will silently block submission
  • Review the browser console for JavaScript errors during form submission

CSAT survey not appearing

  • Ensure the survey is enabled in Engagement → CSAT Surveys
  • Check the Minimum Messages threshold — the survey only appears if the conversation reached the configured message count
  • Verify the frequency setting — if set to "once per week" and the visitor recently completed a survey, it will not show again until the cooldown period expires
  • Test in an incognito window to rule out cookie-based frequency capping
  • Make sure the conversation is actually ending (closed by agent or inactivity timeout) to trigger the survey

Pop-up campaigns blocked by ad blockers

  • The card format is most commonly blocked; switch to the bubble format for better compatibility
  • Avoid using CSS class names like .popup, .modal-ad, or .promo-banner in custom styling — these are targeted by filter lists
  • Helpon injects campaigns via the chat widget iframe, which reduces ad blocker interference. Ensure the widget iframe is not being blocked
  • Test with uBlock Origin, AdBlock Plus, and Brave Shield to verify campaign visibility across popular blockers
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Debug Mode

Enable debug mode by adding ?helpon_debug=1 to any page URL. This displays a floating panel showing active triggers, segment matches, targeting rules, and engagement tool status. Debug mode is only visible to logged-in administrators.