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About Customer-Facing Applications




What are customer-facing applications?

Customers in OneDesk are the people you are serving; they may be external clients or end-users. While your team or users use the main OneDesk interface, customers can use email or customer-facing applications. From the customer-facing apps, customers can do things like create tickets, view their tickets, and receive or find answers. The customer apps include: the messenger(live chat), portal, webforms, knowledgebase (help center). 


Why use customer applications?

Customers can interact entirely through the email to ticket integration. That is, the customer receives and can respond to replies directly from their own email inbox. However, you might want the customer to be able to see properties of a ticket whenever they want. Or you might want to provide other self-service options and additional support channels. 

Live chat is helpful for quick answers as well as a means of engaging prospective customers from your website. 

The portal allows customers to get updates on their own terms. It is also a good option if you work directly with your client on projects.

The Knowledgebase can reduce ticket volume and common questions. 

Webforms allow customers to submit tickets by filling in the defined properties. In comparison to email - webforms ensure the customer gives necessary information before submission. 


How can I see my customer apps?

View your apps from your profile > customer apps. Aside from the widget preview (which is embedded on a sample page), these are the actual links to your customer apps. If you are logged in as a user you will see data according to your own permission settings. 


How do customers access the customer apps?

There are a few ways you can provide the apps to your customers, depending on your preferences. 

  • You can embed the web widget to your website. The customer apps are contained in the widget. The customer can then click the widget bubble on your site to use any apps you have enabled. 
  • Provide links to the customer apps. For example you can include a link to any or all apps in your email signature, automated messages, or website navigation.
  • Embed the app onto another page. 
  • All of the above!

See: Putting the Apps on Your Website


What are mobile-friendly and classic apps?

There are two customer app ‘types’ in OneDesk - ‘Classic’ and Mobile-Friendly Apps (MFA). Some apps are only available as Mobile-friendly apps (i.e. the knowledgebase). But otherwise whether you use the MFA or classic apps is up to you. However, we generally recommend mobile friendly apps. For more information see: Mobile-Friendly vs Classic Apps


Can I choose which customer apps to use?

Yes you can enable or disable the apps you would like to use. 

See: Disable Customer Apps


Can I disable all customer apps? 

Yes, if you do not want to use the apps at this time you can disable the apps. You may need to also change any default auto-replies.

See: Configure Your Account to Not Use Any Apps


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