FAQs: Advanced web form and analytics using PageSense integration | Zoho Desk

FAQs: Advanced web form and analytics using PageSense integration

Web Form Fundamentals

What are Zoho Desk web forms used for?
Zoho Desk web forms collect customer support requests and feedback directly from a website, Help Center, or other web page, then create tickets in Zoho Desk from the submitted information.

For example, an ecommerce company can place a support form on its Contact Us page with fields for a customer’s issue, category, name, email address, and phone number. The support team receives the submitted request as a ticket and can respond through its normal ticket workflow.
What types of web forms are available in Zoho Desk?
Zoho Desk provides two web-form options:
  1. Feedback Widget - A ready-to-configure support widget that can be displayed as a popup, embedded directly in a page, or shown in an iframe.
  2. Advanced Web Form - A more customizable form that can include custom ticket fields to gather more detailed information.

Feedback Widget

What is a Feedback Widget?
A Feedback Widget is a web-form support channel that customers can use without leaving the organization’s website or Help Center. It can collect support requests and feedback, surface relevant self-service content, and when available offer live chat.
What can customers do through a Feedback Widget?
Depending on the configuration, customers can:
  1. Complete predefined fields to submit a support request.
  2. View suggested Help Center articles and Community discussions.
  3. Start a live-chat session with an agent.
  4. Capture and attach screenshots.
  5. Upload files to provide context for their request.
For example, a customer encountering an error in an online store can take a screenshot, attach it to the widget, and submit the issue as a ticket without navigating away from the order page.
Can a Feedback Widget be added to both a website and a Help Center?
Yes. A widget can be embedded on the organization’s website or its Help Center.
What display options are available for a Feedback Widget?
A Feedback Widget can be added in three formats:
  1. Popup
  2. Web embed
  3. iFrame
Use the popup option when customers should receive contextual Help Center and Community content through the widget.
Can more than one Feedback Widget be mapped to the same department?
No, Only one Feedback Widget can be added per department.

If different departments need their own widget and ticket-routing destination, create a separate widget for each department.
Which Feedback Widget fields can be edited?
Default field labels can be renamed to match the organization’s terminology. However, the Name and Email fields cannot be edited because they are mandatory for ticket creation.
Can CAPTCHA be enabled on a Feedback Widget?
Yes. Use the Word Verification setting to turn CAPTCHA on or off.

Enable it when the organization needs an additional verification step for submissions; disable it when reducing friction for legitimate customers is the higher priority.
Can customers attach files to a Feedback Widget submission?
Yes. Attachments can be enabled or disabled in the widget settings.

Customers can attach up to five files total, including ordinary attachments and screenshots. Each attached file must be no larger than 20 MB.
Can customers submit screenshots through a Feedback Widget?
Yes. Enable the Screen Shot option to allow customers to capture and attach screen grabs to their requests.

Attachments and screenshots share the same limit of five files per submission.
Can live chat be included in a Feedback Widget?
Yes, provided that:
  1. The live-chat channel is enabled.
  2. At least one agent is available to respond to chat messages.
If either condition is not met, the Live Chat option is not displayed in the widget.
How are tickets from a Feedback Widget routed?
Each widget is associated with a selected department. Tickets created from submissions are added to that department.

For example, a widget mapped to the Billing department sends customer payment questions to the billing ticket queue rather than the general support queue.
Can the widget language be configured?
Yes. Select the desired language while configuring the widget. The widget appears in the language selected for it.
What is the success message in a Feedback Widget?
The success message is the confirmation shown after a customer completes and submits the form successfully. Use it to confirm receipt and set appropriate expectations.

For example: “Your request has been received. Our support team will review it and respond through the email address provided.”


What does the Feedback Widget title control?
The title appears on the floating widget when the widget is embedded as a popup.
Can the appearance and placement of a Feedback Widget be customized?
Yes. The widget configuration supports:
  1. Background color
  2. Font color
  3. Hex color values or palette-based selection
  4. Placement on the left, right, top, or bottom of the page
  5. An offset that controls the distance between the widget and the edge of the screen
How is a Feedback Widget created and embedded?
  1. Navigate to Setup > Channels > Web Forms.
  2. Select Create Feedback Widget.
    1. If a widget already exists, select New Feedback Widget.
  3. In Widget Details, configure the form:
    1. Rename editable default fields as needed.
    2. Enable or disable Word Verification, attachments, screenshots, and live chat.
  4. Specify the widget details:
    1. Select the department where submissions should create tickets.
    2. Select the language.
    3. Enter the success message.
    4. Enter the widget title.
    5. Choose background and font colors.
    6. Set the screen position and offset.
  5. Select Save.
  6. Copy the generated HTML code.
  7. Paste the code into the target website or Help Center page.
  8. Choose the required display approach:
    1. Popup
    2. Web embed
    3. iFrame
  9. Select Done.

Knowledge base and community content in the widget

Can Help Center articles be hidden from the Feedback Widget?
Yes. The Knowledge Base section can be hidden by disabling Display your knowledge base in your Help Center. This setting is managed under: Knowledge Base > Manage KB > Access Settings.
Can Help Center content be restricted for unregistered visitors?
Yes. Enable Customers must register to access Help Center to prevent unregistered customers from accessing Help Center content through the widget.

This setting is managed under:

Setup > Help Center > Access Settings.
Can Community discussions be hidden from the Feedback Widget?
Yes. Disable Display community in the Help Center to hide the Community section from the widget.

This setting is managed under:

Setup > Help Center > Access Settings.

Advanced web forms

How is an Advanced Web Form different from a Feedback Widget?
An Advanced Web Form provides greater flexibility for form design and can include custom ticket fields. It is suited to organizations that need to capture detailed, structured information before creating a support ticket.

For example, a technical-support form can include custom fields for product version, operating system, issue category, affected feature, and error details. A Feedback Widget is better suited to a simpler support-entry experience with optional knowledge-base, Community, live-chat, screenshot, and attachment capabilities.
When should an Advanced Web Form be used instead of a Feedback Widget?
Use an Advanced Web Form when ticket intake requires more detailed or specialized information than the predefined Feedback Widget layout supports.

Typical use cases include:
  1. Product defect reports requiring version and environment details.
  2. Warranty requests requiring product and purchase information.
  3. Service requests that require categorized data for a specific department.
  4. Support workflows that rely on custom ticket fields.
Should an email response template be prepared before creating an Advanced Web Form?
Yes. Before setting up an Advanced Web Form, create an email template for automated replies sent to customers after they submit a ticket.

This ensures customers receive a consistent acknowledgement after completing the form.
Read more:
  1. Creating Feedback Widget and Advanced Web Form
  2. Tracking Form Analytics using PageSense Integration