⚡️ Chat2Desk Updates: August 2023

🔹 Auto-add client's nickname to their card via Instagram* API

News for those who use Instagram API: now, a nickname will be automatically added to the client's card when they contact you.

🔹 Possibility of payment by bank card

In the Billing section it is now possible to pay for services with a bank card. This allows you to stay connected at any moment and avoid disconnection. There are two options available: recommended payment (a fixed choice of payment period: 1 month, quarter, six months, year) and arbitrary payment (between 100 and 10,000 euros or dollars).

🔹 WABA 360dialog balance display fixes

We have changed the display of WhatsApp Business API deposit balance information to make it easier to figure out exactly “where” and “what”. Deposit balance has turned into Your balance on WhatsApp Business API conversations.

🔹 Notifications about WhatsApp issues on Chat2Desk hosting

To make it easier to understand which hosting is having issues, we've added a notification that WhatsApp is not working on Chat2Desk hosting.

🔹 Partner section

We have added a new section for partners. It displays the status of a partner account, links for client registration, and a link to the API collection for partners.

🌐 Read more about August updates on our website.

* Meta Platforms Inc. is recognized as an extremist organization and its activities are banned in the Russian Federation. WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram are its products. The offtake of Facebook and Instagram is prohibited on the territory of the Russian Federation.

⚡️ Chat2Desk Updates: October 2023


🔹 Adding an external channel to the widget

If an external channel is connected to the channel, you will be able to add it to the widget on the site.

🔹 Filter by IP for API

Now you can customize the processing of API requests by the list of permitted IP addresses, specified in the company's settings.

🔹 Filling first and last name from Telegram into the client card

When you create a dialog with a new customer who texted in a Telegram number, the customer's card will now record their first and last name instead of username.

🔹 Self-connecting WhatsApp in test mode

We've added the ability to connect WhatsApp using a trial panel.

🔹 Redesigned Message delivery rate report

We have redesigned and updated the Message delivery rate report.

🔹 Hiding system messages from operators and supervisors

The new setting allows you to disable the display of system messages for operators or supervisors.

🔹 Displaying the number of days for the current balance

The administrator now has access to a forecast of how many days the balance will last and when it will need to be topped up.

🔹 Updating operator statuses in real-time

Operator statuses are now updated live. This means that operators no longer have to refresh the page every time they transfer a chat to another operator.

🔹 Parameter utm_campaign in analytics

The new release includes the ability to retrieve the utm_campaign parameter on a GET web_analytics_data request via API.

🔹 Transferring customer data in online chat and SDKs

If a client authorizes on a website or mobile application where Chat2Desk widget or SDK is used, the site can receive and pass the session identifier clientKey when they access online chat for the first time.

🔹 Redesign of the Mass operations page

We continue to improve the layout of the chat center. In the new release, we have redesigned the page of the Mass operations section.

🌐Read more about August updates on our website.

👨‍💻 Here is our new topic #featureoftheday. We will tell you about some incredibly useful Chat2Desk options, including more details about new features.

Today we will cover a simple but effective bot that works on keywords, which is called an answer bot.

🤖 What it is
It is a bot that recognizes keywords in a customer's message and performs the necessary actions according to the subject of the request.

💬 Why you need the bot
To automate and optimize the work of operators.

🛠 How to use
The answer bot analyzes incoming messages and identifies keywords you defined in advance. After that, it responds with a prepared text, photo, picture, or PDF file. The advantage of the answer bot is that clients can communicate with it in human language, rather than in the form of commands.

For example, when asked “Where can I find a price list?” the bot will respond to the keyword “price list” and send the client a PDF or a picture with a list of prices. And you can also configure the bot so that after that it will transfer the dialog to a group of operators from the sales department. Further on, your managers, not the bot, will communicate with the client.

What other requests can the bot handle:
✅ How much do your services cost?
✅ Where can I read reviews?
✅ How to place an order?
✅ How do I find your office?

In addition, the set may not have a response to the customer. In that case, the auto-responder bot will call a script, assign tags, and perform other actions.

You can specify tags for customers or conversions that will be added or removed when the set is activated. The tags can be related to the topic of the keyword set. This will let you know how many people are interested in the topic in the overall statistics. Also, adding a tag to a client can trigger scripts in the chatbot builder.

⚙️ Where to find and how to customize
Go to Automation > Answer bot. Read more about customization in our knowledge base.

❕Please note: up to 10 sets of the answer bot keywords are free, more are paid.

#featureoftheday

❄️ Chat2Desk updates: December 2023

🔹 Ticket system
In this release, we have added a ticket system that can be used to handle recurring customer requests.

It allows you to combine similar requests into a single ticket — a customer's support request, such as a shipping issue or a website error message. Tickets will help track issues that affect multiple customers or take longer to resolve.

🔹 "Write First" for the external channel
News for those who use the Write First option: it is now supported for external channel besides WhatsApp, Telegram, and Viber.

🔹 Email notifications to admin about changes to security settings
To keep you up to date with changes to account settings or technical information about the chat center, notification emails will be sent to the administrator's email.

🔹 Self-disabling 2FA by operators
Now supervisors and operators can disable two-factor authentication in their account themselves. This is so that they can use the chat center if something goes wrong.

🔹 Customizing Outlook/Office365 mail service
With the Outlook/Office365 enhancement, we've added the ability to set the right settings when you connect your email service so you stay in touch with your customers.

🔹 Number of unread chats on a browser tab
There is a new chat notification view: the number of unread chats from My Chats is now displayed on the tab.

🔹 Original file names in messages for numeric WhatsApp
Previously, numeric WhatsApp did not pass the source file names for incoming and outgoing messages. We have changed the mechanism for handling attachments, and now files are saved with their original names.

🔹 Triggering webhook when operator status changes in Chat2Desk
Two new events can be added to the webhook: when an operator's status in Chat2Desk changes and when an operator logs in or out of the service. This data can be used for reporting and automation in external systems without using free API requests.

🔹 Changing the sending status of a message in the webhook event "outbox_status"
The outbox_status event now includes the sending and reading statuses of messages. This is necessary to display message sending statuses in third-party systems connected to Chat2Desk via API.

🌐 Read more about December updates in the article.

✅ Ticket System

In December, 2023, we introduced new functionality called Ticket System.

🛠 Tickets are a convenient tool for handling user requests and improving service quality. They allow grouping similar inquiries, simplifying the process of handling them.

With the ticketing system, customer support can quickly find and resolve emerging issues. Tickets also help track requests that affect a large number of users or require a significant amount of time to resolve.

✅ Create new tickets in the chat when starting and finishing an inquiry using the + Ticket button or in the dedicated section. You can also add a request to an existing ticket. All created tickets are displayed as a list in the Tickets section on the left in the main menu.

In the Security and access rights section, you can manage access to viewing and editing tickets for operators and supervisors.

Learn more about working with tickets in the knowledge base.

💬 Have you had a chance to test the ticketing system? Share your user experience in the comments. Also, let us know how we can enhance this new feature.

⚡️ Feature of the Day: Scripts

❓What is it
Scripts are Python scripts that customize the way chat center works.

🖥 What scripts are needed for
They are useful for using advanced scenarios and functions.

👩‍💻 How to use
The scripts enhance the functioning of the service and enable you to realize almost any operational scenarios. For example, you can:
• automatically send a WhatsApp business card to a client;
• limit the number of working chats for each operator;
• convert voice messages and calls into text comments;
• prohibit customers from sending bank card numbers and filter profanity;
• forcibly assign chats to operators if a customer takes a long time to select the desired menu item;
• transfer overdue chats to a supervisor.

Your developers can create the script, or you can ask us for help.

🔩 How to customize
Scripts are customized in the API and Scripts > Scripts section. You can also read more about the description of scripts in the Help section.

The Python scripts option costs $25 per month. We can also create customized scripts to meet your challenges. This page shares examples of cases we have developed and implemented.

Tell us in the comments what scripts you use to accomplish your tasks 💬

#featureoftheday

⚡️ Feature of the Day: Macros

❓ What they are and why they are needed
Macros are quick commands that streamline the way your operators work. They enable you to perform one or more actions with chat or other systems at the same time with a single click of a button.

⚡️ How to use them
For example, you can carry out the following actions
• assign a specified tag to a client or a request,
• leave a comment or fill in other fields in the client card with the specified values,
• assign a chat to yourself, return it to the previous operator or transfer it to another agent,
• call a Python script to transfer data to the CRM system and other external services,
• send a POST request to an external system,
• respond to a client with a pre-prepared template,
• close a chat, mark a dialog as read, and even more.

⚙️ How to set them up
Macros are configured in the Automation > Macros section. For more details on how to organize them, see the knowledge base.

You can run them in two ways:
• click on the corresponding command in the chat window of the chat window;
• create a quick key combination — Alt+the corresponding number.

Do you use macros in your work? Share your experience in the comments or ask questions in the comments 💬

#featureoftheday

⚡️ Chat2Desk updates: February 2024

🔹 Improved POST/messages request to send messages with List type in WhatsApp Business API 360dialog.
🔹 You can now quote messages sent up to 60 days ago to make it easier to find and reference them.
🔹 Adjusted Telegram API and WhatsApp Business API 360dialog integration to keep the original file name when sending or receiving a message with an attachment.
🔹 We improved POST messages/inbox method to improve integrations by allowing additional details to be added when creating a chat.
🔹 The administrator now has the ability to customize the use of the Write First feature to specific operators.

🌐 Read more about February updates in the article.

⬆️ Import your contacts into Chat2Desk

If you need to do a mass messaging or mailing to your client base, or you're switching to Chat2Desk from another service, you can import new contacts using this Google spreadsheet.

⬇️Previously, importing customers involved using an Excel document. The Excel document still works, but now there is a more convenient Google spreadsheet where you can manage your contacts. Check it out here.

⁃ Create clients in all messengers where you can write to clients first (WhatsApp, Viber, numeric Telegram, and email).
⁃ Assign tags, as well as edit comments and names, to new and current clients in Chat2Desk.

After importing contacts, empty chats with these clients will be displayed in Chat2Desk. Now you can communicate with them or make mass messaging using the "Mailings and mass operations" option.

🔩 Detailed instructions on how to import customers are included in the spreadsheet.

💬 If you have any questions about this spreadsheet, feel free to contact us: @chat2deskbot.

⚡️ Chat2Desk updates: April 2024

🔹 Improved reports in aggregated statistics
We reworked the statistics module to make it easier to work with reports. Now the grouping of reports is more logical, graphs and charts are clear and informative.

🔹 WhatsApp Business API updates
— Connection of multiple numbers to one account. It is now possible to connect multiple WhatsApp Business API 360dialog numbers to Chat2Desk on Cloud hosting.
— Display attachments when quoting messages. We have improved the quoting of messages with attachments for WABA 360dialog.
— Notification of deposit expiration. Company admin can set up an alert threshold for deposit to control the balance of WhatsApp Business API.

🔹 Ticket system improvements
We keep improving the functionality of the ticket system. Now links in ticket descriptions are clickable and open without copying and pasting them into a browser tab.

🔹 Quitting active sessions when changing the password
Changing the password now automatically logs out other active sessions on the devices.

🌐 Learn more about the new features in our article.

⚡️ Feature of the day: filter sets

❓ What it is and why you need it
Ready-made filter sets to quickly find the right chats.

⚙️ How to use
Create one-click triggered filters.
For example:
• overdue chats by one operator or by group,
• chats in a specific messenger,
• chats with users from a specific country,
• chats with certain tags,
• chats with VIP clients.

Once saved, the set can be called by pressing the corresponding line in the My Chats set.

By default, each operator's cabinet has three sets of filters that can be edited and deleted:
• expired,
• open,
• unread.

🧰 How to customize
In the chat window, click on the filters icon, set the filters you want and save the set.

➡️ For more information about customizing filter sets, check the knowledge base.

⚡️ Chat2Desk updates: May, 2024

🔹 New reports in advanced statistics
We added new reports and updated existing ones in the advanced statistics.

🔹 WhatsApp Business API Gupshup
You can now also connect WABA via our new provider, Gupshup.

🔹 Voice messaging via an external channel
It is now possible for operators to record voice messages to reply to customers via an external channel.

🔹 Increased limit of connected webhooks
You can now connect up to 50 webhooks instead of five to connect more external services and improve customer interaction.

🔹 Increased macro limit
We increased the macro limit from 50 to 500 for more actions and scripts in Chat2Desk.

🔹 Transmit custom UTM tags
The widget now transmits custom tags. This allows you to track the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns more accurately.

🔹 Specifying channels in payment documents
Our payment documents will indicate which channel an option is connected to.

☁️ Read more about May updates in the blog.

⚡️ Chat2Desk Updates: June 2024

🔹 Consent for Processing Personal Data in Online Chat
We've added a new setting called Consent for Processing Personal Data for the chat widget, which prompts visitors to agree to data processing before they can send messages. Without checking this box, users will not be able to initiate conversations in the online chat.

🔹 WhatsApp Cloud API
Chat2Desk now features a quick integration with WhatsApp Business via Cloud API. This allows you to use WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) directly without the need for intermediaries.

🔹 Notifications for WhatsApp Business API Deposit Balance
To ensure you stay connected with your clients and are aware of your account status, we will send company administrators notifications when their WABA deposit is running low.

🔹 Disabling Self-Service Menu When an Operator is Assigned
The self-service menu can now be disabled once a chat has been assigned to an operator, preventing the bot from interfering in conversations between the operator and the client.

🔹 Setting Write First for Channels and Operators
You can now select which operators are allowed to initiate conversations with clients in specific channels or specify which channels are available to operators.

🔹 Webhooks for Selected Channels
We have added a "channels" parameter to the POST request for webhooks, allowing you to choose which channel events will be tracked when setting up a webhook.

🔹 Company Administrator Access to 2FA Status for Operators via API
Company administrators can now check the status of two-factor authentication for operators using the GET Operators API request.

🔹 Preserving File Names When Using the API
You can now specify a file name that will be preserved when sending files via Chat2Desk. If no name is provided, it will default to the name from the attachment URL.

🔹 Chat Search in Chat2Desk SDK
We've added a chat search feature to the Chat2Desk SDK. This will enable quick information retrieval and reduce response times, allowing clients to find necessary information on their own in the chat.

💬 Learn more about the June update on our blog.

⚡️ Chat2Desk July updates: internal messenger, chats redesign, and other improvements

🔹Internal Chats
This release brings the long-awaited Internal Chats for communicating within a company. Operators will no longer have to switch from the chat center to other apps to discuss work issues: all chats with customers and colleagues are now in one window.

🔹Redesign of chat list, sorting, and filtering
We continue to update the Chat2Desk interface. We've made it more modern: improved the colors, arranged the buttons in places, and redesigned the filtering window.

🔹 Restriction of operator's sending messages
There is a new useful feature in operator settings — Read Only. It prevents the operator from sending messages to chats and makes him invisible to his colleagues. This innovation will help you train new employees to work in the chat center, as well as increase the level of control and security.

🔹 Transmit Read status for numeric WhatsApp
We've added support for WhatsApp to pass the “Read” status (two checkmarks in the corner of the message) when the customer's message is read by the operator in the chat room, rather than when the message is passed to Chat2Desk. This will make it easier to interact with customers as they will see the actual status of the message.

🔹 Customize Self-Service Menu by Work Schedule
Chat2Desk can now be configured to automatically send Self-Service Menus not only during work hours, but also after hours of the chat center.

☁️ Read the July Update Digest on the blog.

⚡️ Chat2Desk Updates: September 2024

We’re kicking off September with fresh updates — here’s a quick rundown of new features and improvements to the chat center.

🔹 Attachments and "Share with Colleague" in Internal Chats
We've enhanced our corporate messenger by adding file sharing between colleagues and the ability to share chats and tickets.

🔹 Tickets API
New ticket-related requests are now available in the API collection, making it easier to automate and integrate tickets with external systems.

🔹 Tag Assignment Window When Closing a Ticket
To simplify tagging conversations or tickets upon closing, we’ve introduced an easier way to assign tags, eliminating the need to search the chat from the beginning.

🔹 Copying Self-Service Menu to Other Channels
Now, in Self-Service Menu settings, you can copy the menu to specific channels—no need to select all channels at once anymore.

🔹 Automatic Client Avatar Updates
We've added daily automatic avatar updates for clients when there are incoming messages in chats.

🔹 Automatic Session End for Inactive Operators
You can now configure automatic logout for operators who are inactive for a set period. This feature works both in the web version and the mobile app.

🔹 Show or Hide All Chats
To help your operators see all company chats, including those not assigned to them, you can enable the "All Chats" section.

🔎Other Small but Important Improvements
We’ve brought back the search window from the filter for quicker access, fixed the template selection window, and made chat transfers smoother.

☁️ Read the full details of the September update on our blog.

⚡️ Chat2Desk Updates: October 2024

We continue to enhance internal chats and add other useful features that make working in the chat center more convenient and efficient. We've also implemented some security tools. Here's a brief overview of what's new in this release.

🔹New features for internal chats:
— Editing and deleting messages
— Pinning messages and conversations
— Quoting messages
— Operator statuses
— Typing notifications
— Message drafts

🔹Mandatory password change
To enhance user security, we're introducing a mandatory password change every six months to minimize the risk of account breaches.

🔹Mailings confirmation
We’ve added broadcast verification using two-factor authentication or a one-time code sent to the sender’s email in the chat center. This extra layer of protection helps prevent unauthorized or accidental broadcasts.

🔹Display of Telegram usernames
When a client first contacts through a Telegram bot, the system will automatically retrieve their username if it's provided.

🔹Notifications for Telegram Bot blocking
You will now receive notifications when a client blocks or unblocks a chat bot on Telegram, allowing for better tracking of client interactions and bot performance adjustments.

🔹Self-Service menu item display settings
In the Self-Service menu there's now the ability to show or hide menu items based on the company’s business hours. You can automatically hide menu items during off-hours, holidays, or other times when services are unavailable.

🔹Editing button texts in the Self-Service menu
For multilingual companies, it is now possible to customize the text for the "Home" and "Back" buttons. This helps tailor the menu to the language preferences of your customers.

🔹New API methods for working with templates
You can now upload and manage message templates using new API methods.

Which features do you find most useful? Let us know in the comments ⤵️

🌐 Read more about the new features in our October news digest here.

⚡️ Chat2Desk Updates: November 2024

This month brings new features to improve productivity and simplify work in the chat center.

🔹Global search
Search all chats by keywords to quickly locate information. Current results cover the last 12 months, with older data being added soon.

🔹Updated client card
The redesigned client card is now always visible in a sidebar, with collapsible views and persistent tags at the bottom.

🔹Group chats
Facilitate team collaboration with permissions, admin roles, and customizable group settings.

🔹Tickets Kanban view
Monitor ticket progress visually with drag-and-drop functionality for status changes.

🔹Quick access to internal chats
Find all team chats categorized under Messenger in the main menu for seamless navigation.

🔹Custom notifications in online chat
A new indicator highlights unread messages in website chat, improving visitor engagement.

🔹HSM template reports for WABA Gupshup
Track usage and costs for marketing, support, service, and authentication templates.

🔹Conversation migration to WABA Gupshup
Easily transition active chats from WhatsApp Number and 360dialog, retaining history and client data without duplicates.

🌐 Learn more about these features in our blog.

⚡ Chat2Desk Updates: February 2025

This month, we’re introducing new features to streamline chat management and enhance teamwork in your chat center.

🔹Smart сhat queues
No more missed chats! Automated chat queues ensure every conversation gets handled, even when all operators are busy. Incoming chats are held in a queue and assigned as soon as someone becomes available. Choose how chats are distributed—oldest first (FIFO) or newest first (LIFO).

🔹Internal chats now in mobile app
Team collaboration just got easier! Internal chats are now available in the Chat2Desk mobile app, so you can discuss work matters on the go. Edit, delete, pin, and quote messages, plus create group chats—all from your smartphone.

🔹General reports are moved
The General Reports section is no longer in the Reports menu, but you can still find all reports in Advanced Reports and the main reports list.

🌐 Learn more in our blog.

⚡ Chat2Desk Updates: April 2025

This month’s release (ver. 2.88) brings more control to your chat center — with smarter internal tools, new integrations, and faster search.

🔹Forward messages in internal chats
Seamlessly share messages with colleagues — right from your chat feed. Forward any message (with text, attachments, and sender info) in just a click. Add comments, keep context, and move faster as a team.

🔹Stronger tag validation
Avoid closing tickets without tags. If your workspace requires a tag to close, the system will now block tag deletion to keep workflows clean and consistent.

🔹New: VK Direct integration
Connect personal VK profiles and manage direct messages inside Chat2Desk. Texts, attachments, statuses, and client info — all in one place, with secure token-based setup.

🔹Live delivery & read statuses
The web chat and SDK now show message statuses just like in messengers: ✓ Sent, ✓✓ Delivered, ✓✓ (blue) Read — for both clients and operators.

🔹Faster client search
We’ve upgraded to ClickHouse. Search is now lightning-fast, even for large customer databases.

🌐 Learn more in our blog