Pre-Interaction Data Collection

Pre-Interaction Data Collection

The Talkative Chat widget features fully configurable data collection forms. These can be used to collect information from the customer prior to an interaction started, or used as part of an email interaction.


In a draft config, navigate to the Data Collection tab:



This page will show you a list of forms you have created. You can create multiple forms for specific purposes, for example one card might have a chat button which loads a data collection form with a name and email, and another button for email which contains name, email, contact number and message. You can create as many forms as is necessary for your configuration. 


A form is made up of fields. Fields can be shared between multiple forms.


Select the form you wish to edit by clicking the pencil icon to the right of the form name. This will load the Form Editor:



You should edit the form label to be something appropriate to help you easily identify the form when you are updating your configurations. Then set the form heading. The form heading appears in the header of the widget when the form is visible.


Next, you will need to configure your sections. A section can just be a textbox with information for the customer, or some type of input field. You will see linked and unlinked sections. As mentioned previously, forms can share fields and sections so, you will see unlinked sections here which may have been used in other forms. If you want to add a section which already exists, click the + button to the right of the section to add it:


The order these appear in the config editor, is the order they will appear when they are presented on the form to the user. If you want to reorder the form, you can click the Drag and Drop toggle and click and drag the sections to reorder them.


If you require a new section, click the "Create Section..." button and the list of available sections will be displayed:



Select the appropriate section and click "Create". This will add the new section to your current sections.


Editing a Section

Each section has configuration options which can be customized. Clicking on the section will load the relevant editor on the right-hand side of the screen:



From this page, you can see the other forms that this particular section is being used in. Please note, editing the section here will edit it for all forms. If you need multiple fields of the same type, you should create multiple sections.


Update the section configuration as required and set any validation rules for the field. The validation rules are managed on the front end. They include making the item compulsory, and specifying the minimum and maximum length of the input. You may also use regular expressions to ensure the data entered conforms to a specific format.


Repeat this process until you have all the elements you require in your form.


Once complete, save the changes and then go to the card where you wish to use this form.



Select the action on the form, and then select the correct data collection form for the action. Once complete, save and publish your draft.


Customers using your widget will now be prompted to complete the form before they start their interaction. Any data passed here will be stored alongside the interaction as interaction data. This data is visible in the agent console and can be exported as part of our various export to CRM options.