Create and Configure Enhanced and Basic Chat (Web)

Enhanced and Basic Chat run on your AI, so it can guide shoppers from browsing to buying and help them after the sale, all in one Conversation. For each Chat, you choose how it looks and launches: Enhanced or Basic.

Enhanced (recommended) uses a Chat bar that invites shoppers into a larger Chat window, and your AI proactively engages shoppers across your site.
Basic uses a button that opens a pop-up Chat window styled like the original Chat, and your AI engages only shoppers who reach out.

This article covers creating a Chat, upgrading an existing Chat to Enhanced or Basic, choosing between them, and configuring each option. For the original Chat experience, see Create and Configure Chat (Web).

Before you start

A Gladly Agent must be connected to the Chat on the Connect Entry Points page.
Your experience is set for each Chat, not for your whole account. To see which experience a Chat uses, go to Settings, select Chat under Channels, and check the Experience column. Chats marked V1 use the original experience.

Create a Chat

Go to Settings and select Chat under Channels.
Select Create Chat.
In the Chat ID field, enter a name to identify the Chat. Your domain name is added to the front of the name, for example domainname.com-.
Select Create. The Configure page opens for the new Chat.

The name becomes the Chat ID and appears in the embed code. You can't change it after the Chat is created. Choose a name that helps you identify how or where the Chat is used, such as main-website-usa, with a hyphen or underscore between words. Special characters aren't supported.

After you create the Chat, choose its experience and configure it using the sections below. When you save your configuration, a Set up Entry Points message appears. Select Go to Entry Points to confirm the Chat is linked to the correct Inbox.

Compare Enhanced and Basic

Both options run on your AI, so both can recommend products and guide shoppers through your site. Both identify the shopper when a conversation is handed off to an Agent. The differences are in how shoppers see and open Chat.

	Enhanced (Recommended)	Basic
AI engagement	Proactively engages shoppers across your site	Engages only shoppers who reach out
Launcher	Chat bar. You can show a button instead on specific pages	Button (icon or text)
Chat window	Larger window that shoppers can change to a panel or full view	Pop-up window in the bottom left or right corner of the page
Header	Header image, heading, and subheading	Heading
Look	Designed for product images and rich content	Closer to the original Chat design
Display exceptions	Hide Chat, or show a button instead of the Chat bar	Hide Chat

See what changes when you upgrade

Upgrading changes how Chat looks to shoppers and how it works behind the scenes.

Look: Enhanced shows a Chat bar and a larger Chat window. Basic keeps a button and pop-up window, closer to the original Chat.
Conversation: Your AI guides shoppers through a conversation. Search and Quick Actions are no longer available.
Configuration: The Configure page uses the Display, Style, and Content tabs instead of Configuration, Style, and Text.

Upgrade to Enhanced or Basic

Upgrading is permanent. Once you save, the Chat can't return to the original experience.

Search and Quick Actions aren't available in Enhanced or Basic. After you upgrade, shoppers no longer search Answers or select Quick Actions. They get help through a conversation with your AI instead.

Because the experience is set for each Chat, you can upgrade one Chat, see how it works on your site, and upgrade others later.

Go to Settings and select Chat under Channels.
Find the Chat you want to upgrade. A V1 label in the Experience column means it uses the original experience.
Open the actions menu for that Chat and select Configure.
Select Enable New Chat Experience.
Select Save.
In the confirmation message, select Enable and save.

After you upgrade, the Chat uses Enhanced by default. When you reopen Configure, the Chat experience section appears at the top of the page, and the settings below it change to match the option you choose. To use Basic instead, see Choose Enhanced or Basic.

Choose Enhanced or Basic

You can switch a Chat between Enhanced and Basic at any time.

Go to Settings and select Chat under Channels.
Open the actions menu for the Chat you want to change and select Configure.
In the Chat experience section, select Enhanced or Basic. A preview next to each option shows how Chat looks to shoppers.
Select Save.

After you switch, review the Display, Style, and Content tabs. The available settings differ between the two options, as described in the next two sections.

Configure Enhanced

Enhanced shows a Chat bar on your site that invites shoppers into a larger Chat window. Your AI proactively engages shoppers across your site.

Configure Display for Enhanced

The Display tab controls which pages show Chat, where it sits on the page, and how shoppers open it.

Show Chat on all pages

In the Display rules section, under Show Chat on, select All pages. Chat appears on every page of your site except the exceptions you add.
To add an exception, select Add exception.
Choose how to match the page: Contains or Matches exact.
Enter the URL text to match, such as /checkout.
Choose what happens on that page:
- Hide: Chat doesn't appear on the page.
- Show as button: A button appears instead of the Chat bar.
Repeat for each page, then select Save.

If the Chat bar gets in the way on a page, such as a checkout page, show a button instead of hiding Chat. Hiding Chat means your AI can't help shoppers on that page.

Show Chat on specific pages

In the Display rules section, under Show Chat on, select Specific pages. Chat appears only on the pages you list.
In the Pages section, select Add page.
Choose how to match the page: Contains or Matches exact.
Enter the URL text to match, such as /checkout.
Choose what shoppers see on that page:
- Bar: The Chat bar appears.
- Button: A button appears instead of the Chat bar.
Repeat for each page, then select Save.

Customers with a conversation in progress can always reopen Chat, even on a page where you hide it or don't list it.

Place Chat on the page

In the Placement section:

Chat panel: When the Chat window is minimized to a panel, set which side of the page it appears on. Choose Left or Right.
Z-index (optional): The stack order of elements, which only gets applied when Chat is minimized. Adjust it only if Chat appears above or below other elements on your site in a way you don't want.

Configure Style for Enhanced

The Style tab changes fonts, borders, shadows, and colors to match your brand. Each setting has a preview beside it.

Section	Setting	What it does
Text	Font 1	Sets the font for the heading and subheading.
Text	Font 2	Sets the font for the messages, cards, and input text.
Border and shadow	Drop shadow	Turns the shadow on or off for the Chat bar, window, and button.
Border and shadow	Border width	Sets the width of the window border.
Border and shadow	Border color	Sets the color of the border.
Border and shadow	Border radius	Rounds the corners of the Chat bar and window, input fields, buttons, message bubbles, and image containers.
Color	Header background color	Sets the color behind the header.
Color	Consumer message background color	Sets the background of the shopper's messages. Text turns black or white automatically, whichever reads better on your background color.
Color	Accent color	Sets the background color of the Chat bar and buttons.
Color	Button icon and text color	Sets the color of the text or icon on buttons.
Color	Alert color	Sets the dot that shows on the Chat bar and button when a customer has an unread message.

Configure Content for Enhanced

The Content tab controls what shoppers read in Chat. Its description is "Define what customers see in the Chat bar, button, and window."

Write Chat bar messages

In the Chat bar section, Input placeholder holds the messages that cycle in the Chat bar. You can enter up to five. Shoppers see them one after another, like a carousel.

Customize the Chat window

Setting	What it does
Header image	Adds an image to the header. Upload a square SVG, PNG, or JPG under 100KB. Your image can be any shape inside it.
Heading	The primary text in the header.
Subheading	The secondary text in the header.
Input placeholder	The text in the message box.
Privacy policy disclaimer	Shows your disclaimer above the conversation in the Chat window. Off by default.
Powered by Gladly	Shows "Powered by Gladly" under the message box.
Attachments	Lets customers upload file attachments.

Choose a button style

The Button section controls how the button looks wherever the Chat bar isn't shown. Under Button style, choose Icon or Text.

Edit End Chat messages

The End Chat section holds the messages customers see when a Chat has ended:

Chat ended by Agent or Rule: When an Agent or a Rule ends the Chat.
Chat ended by expiration: When the customer doesn't respond within a threshold time.
Chat ended by no reply: When the customer doesn't reply.
Chat ended by a new Chat: When the same customer starts a new Chat on another device or browser.

Messages can include the customer's name with <CUSTOMERNAME>. Select the link icon in a message to insert a link.

Edit hover text

Hover text appears when a shopper points at an icon or button. You can edit the text for:

Chat button
Attachment icon
Send icon
Hide Chat bar
Change window to full view
Change window to panel view
Hide Chat window

Configure Basic

Basic shows a button that opens a pop-up Chat window, styled closer to the original Chat. Your AI engages only shoppers who reach out.

Configure Display for Basic

The Display tab controls which pages show Chat, where it sits on the page, and how the button looks.

Choose where Chat appears

In the Display rules section, under Show Chat on, select All pages or Specific pages.
- All pages: Chat appears on every page of your site except the exceptions you add.
- Specific pages: Chat appears only on the pages you list.
To add an exception, select Add exception.
Choose how to match the page: Contains or Matches exact.
Enter the URL text to match, such as /checkout.
Choose Hide so Chat doesn't appear on the page.
Repeat for each page, then select Save.

Customers with a conversation in progress can always reopen Chat, even on a page where you hide it.

Place Chat on the page

In the Placement section:

Chat window: The side of the page the Chat window appears on. Choose Left or Right.
Z-index (optional): The stack order of the Chat button and window on your page. Adjust it only if Chat appears above or below other elements on your site in a way you don't want.

Choose a button style

In the Button section, under Button style, choose Icon or Text.

Configure Style for Basic