---
title: "Chat Automatic Onboarding"
slug: "chat-automatic-onboarding"
description: "Improve your customer chat process with automatic onboarding and authentication. Make customers feel known and provide personalized service. Visit Gladly Help Docs to learn more."
updated: 2026-04-02T05:42:00Z
published: 2026-04-02T05:42:00Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.gladly.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Chat Automatic Onboarding

When Customers initiate Chat on your website and are logged into their online account/portal/members page, Chat can identify Customers’ email addresses without needing to go through the onboarding process again of asking for their email address to find their Customer Profile, providing personalized service and making Customers feel known.

With JWT authentication, chats begin by greeting Customers by their first name, skipping onboarding if they are authenticated and logged into their account.

![A chat interface discussing a return request for an order with customer support.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/image-1775108414025.png)

There are two methods to onboard Customers in Gladly automatically:

- [Standard identification without Javascript Web Token (JWT)](/product-docs/docs/glad-app-automatic-onboarding#standard-identification-without-javascript-web-token-jwt)
- [Secure authentication with Javascript Web Token (JWT)](/product-docs/docs/glad-app-automatic-onboarding#secure-authentication-with-javascript-web-token-jwt)

## Standard identification without Javascript Web Token (JWT)

> [!NOTE]
> Chat API resources
> 
> Documentation on configuring Chat and using Chats API is found in our [developer guide](https://developer.gladly.com/glad-app/).

Utilizing [setUser()](https://developer.gladly.com/chat/Gladly.html#~setUser()), you can skip onboarding for your Customers when you know how to identify them because they are logged into their secure account/portal/members page where Chat is also available.

To implement standard identification, make a single API call using [setUser()](https://developer.gladly.com/chat/Gladly.html#~setUser()) after initializing Chat and pass the Customer name and email address or phone number to Gladly. Note that if the Chat Onboarding setting is activated and a Customer is not authenticated on their account/portal/members page, Chat will ask for their name and email address before a chat session can begin.

When a chat session ends, and you’d like to programmatically un-associate Customers from Chat after they log out of your secure portal/member webpage, use the [clearUser()](https://developer.gladly.com/chat/Gladly.html#~clearUser()) API.

## Secure authentication with Javascript Web Token (JWT)

An extension of using [setUser()](https://developer.gladly.com/chat/Gladly.html#~setUser()) to authenticate Customers is possible by allowing the passing of a *User Identity Javascript Web Token (JWT)* that can be used to identify Customers in a trusted way using their email address. JWT provides secure communication between Gladly and your Customers.

### Configure authentication with JWT

See [Configure Chat With User Identity JWT](https://developer.gladly.com/rest/#operation/createUserIdentityJWT) to learn how to set up authentication via this method.

### Additional notes when implementing JWT for Chat authentication

**Level of effort**

We recommend having developer resources implement and maintain this type of authentication, especially if you don’t develop and own account authentication on your website, meaning you may need third-party developer support.

**Reporting**

No reports indicate the number of authenticated Conversations. Authentication status only appears in the Conversation Timeline.

**Authentication experience with Gladly AI**

Rules may be created within the Thread Builder to adjust behavior based on the Customer's authentication status, allowing for a more personalized experience in Gladly AI.

**Mobile implementation (iOS/Android)**

Mobile SDKs are currently not supported, but you can still use the [standard authentication](/product-docs/docs/glad-app-automatic-onboarding#standard-identification-without-javascript-web-token-jwt).

## Customer and Agent experience if authenticated using JWT

> [!NOTE]
> **Train your Agents to understand the authentication UX**
> 
> Train your Agents to understand the various UX they may encounter based on how Customers verify their identity during the Chat onboarding process.

The key difference between utilizing secure authentication with JWT and [standard identification without JWT](/product-docs/docs/glad-app-automatic-onboarding#standard-identification-without-javascript-web-token-jwt) is the appearance of the *Trusted Message* icon in the Conversation Timeline, indicating that Chat identified that the Customer is logged into their secure account/portal/members page.

![Julie uses Chat to request a return for a recent order.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/trust-indicator-glad-app-1024x505.webp)

The green trusted message icon indicates that the Customer logged in to the account they’re chatting from. An Agent can have a *trusted* Conversation with a Customer, eliminating the need to ask Customers to confirm their identity manually.

*Trusted* messages on closed Conversations display a gray trusted message icon and non-trusted messages appear without the icon.

![Chat message from Julie regarding an item she wants to return.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/closed-authenticated-conversation-1024x237.webp)

### **Customer and Agent UX samples using JWT**

Note the subtle differences in how chat messages are presented to Customers and Agents based on authentication order, ranging from the *most ideal* to the *least desired*.

#### Most ideal

****(Most Ideal) Customer is already logged into their account when they start Chat****

The most ideal scenario for secure authentication using JWT is a Customer is already logged into their secure account/portal/members page before starting a chat. This allows the Agent to have a *trusted* and personalized chat Conversation with a Customer without asking the Customer to authenticate their identity.

[Embedded content](https://view.genial.ly/65c4682ec6435e0014aca6f2)

#### Ideal

****(Ideal) Customer is not logged into their account, opens Chat, and proceed to log into their account before the Chat begins****

Customers can still have a *trusted* and personalized chat Conversation before being routed to an Agent by logging into their secure account/portal/members page before the chat begins. The **First Message** in Chat must include a link to your secure login page.

[Embedded content](https://view.genial.ly/65c47837c6435e0014b21c38)

#### Standard

****(Standard) Customer ignores the link to log into their account and continues with standard Chat onboarding****

Customers can start a chat by providing their email address without logging into their secure account/portal/members page. They will still be routed to an Agent with their existing (if there is one) Customer Profile (if there is one) with past Conversations. Agents can ask the Customer to log into their account anytime for a *trusted* Conversation.

[Embedded content](https://view.genial.ly/65c5c1a3961d9900143c03a2)

#### Undesired

****(Undesired) Customer ignores the link to log into their account, continues with standard Chat onboarding, and then logs into their account using the same email****

Customers can start a chat by providing their email address without logging into their secure account/portal/members page. They will still be routed to an Agent with their existing (if there is one) Customer Profile (if there is one) with past Conversations. Agents can ask the Customer to log into their account anytime for a *trusted* Conversation. Still, the better approach is to authenticate before the chat is routed.

[Embedded content](https://view.genial.ly/65c5c1abe17e420014755e11)

#### Most undesired

****(Most Undesired) Customer ignores the link to log into their account, continue with standard Chat onboarding, and then log into their account using the same email****

Customers can initiate a chat by providing their email address, even if they haven't logged into their secure account/portal/members page. Gladly will still route them to an Agent with their existing Customer Profile (if they have one) and past Conversations. However, Agents may ask Customers to log in for a *trusted* conversation at any time. Suppose a Customer provides a different email address than the one they provided to start the chat. In that case, the system will consider them a different person and route them to a different Agent accordingly.

[Embedded content](https://view.genial.ly/65c9c1c49986680014280f0b)

## Chat configuration tips when implementing JWT

Your Customers must be logged into their secure account/portal/members page to authenticate using JWT. For Customers chatting in who are not already logged into their account/portal/members page, [set up Chat](https://help.gladly.com/docs/create-and-configure-chat#h-onboarding-activated) to include a link to your login page in the **First Message**, allowing the Customer to authenticate their identity before the chat is routed to an Agent.

- **Note –** *Onboarding* does not need to be activated in Chat for JWT.

![Welcome message prompting login or email for Retalé account authentication.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/first-message-chat-auth-1024x340.webp)

It’s [ideal](/product-docs/docs/glad-app-automatic-onboarding#customer-and-agent-ux-samples-using-jwt) to encourage Customers to authenticate *before* they’re routed to an Agent, hence the ask to log into their account in the **First Message** in Chat.

You can encourage Customers who do not have an account to create one before starting a chat. Otherwise, they can provide their email address, which could create a new Customer Profile if it’s the first time they’re reaching out using the email address or find any past Conversations if they’ve reached out in the past.

![Welcome message prompting login or account creation for Retalé users.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/7047b671-c4f2-4df0-bb0a-b9b511fd2452/Images/Documentation/first-messge-chat-auth-with-login-prompt-1024x380.webp)

### Encourage Agents to have authenticated Conversations with Customers

While Customers can start a Conversation using their email address and Agents can see past Conversations, encourage Agents to ask Customers to log into their account (if they have one) to have a secure Conversation, especially if questions are account-related or in situations where additional verifications should be required. Agents should do this as early in the Conversation as possible, but remember the [UX nuances](/product-docs/docs/glad-app-automatic-onboarding#customer-and-agent-ux-samples-using-jwt) based on when a Customer authenticates in the chat process.

You must establish your own guides and protocols for best guiding Agents in supporting *authenticated* (i.e., known accounts) and *non-authenticated* Customers.