Pre-Chat Forms: Which Fields to Ask for Before a Live Chat Starts
Should you ask for a name, email or phone before a chat? How to choose pre-chat form fields, validate them and set the form up in Hodhod.
In this article
A pre-chat form is the short form a visitor fills in before a live chat starts: a name, an email address, a phone number, or anything else you decide to ask. It gives your team context from the very first message, and it costs you the few visitors who give up rather than fill it in.
The art is asking for exactly what you need and nothing more. This guide helps you decide, and shows how to set the form up in Hodhod.
The trade-off: context versus friction
Every extra field makes a chat a little harder to start. A form with one field barely changes how many visitors write to you; a form with five fields usually changes it a lot.
- Ask when the answer changes what you do. An order number lets the agent look up the order immediately. A phone number only helps if you'll actually call.
- Skip the form when the question is simple. A visitor with a quick pre-sales question shouldn't have to introduce themselves first.
- Ask later when you can. A chatbot flow can ask for an order number at the exact moment it's needed, with context.
Which fields to ask for
| Business | Fields that usually help | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Online store | Name, email, order number | Look up the order and follow up by email |
| Services and bookings | Name, phone | Call back or confirm an appointment |
| Software or SaaS | Name, account email | Find the account and its history |
| Fintech and exchanges | Name, customer number or transaction ID | Verify and investigate quickly; see support for fintech |
| Education | Name, phone, course | Route to enrollment or technical support |
Hodhod's pre-chat form offers three standard fields (full name, email address and phone number) plus any custom attribute you've created, such as an order number or a national ID.
Required or optional?
Make a field required only if you truly can't help without it. Optional fields still get filled in by many visitors, while a required field you don't need is a reason to close the tab. When in doubt, ask for the name only and let the agent ask for the rest in the conversation.
Validate the answers
A typo in an order number or a phone number turns into a back-and-forth later. In Hodhod you can validate a field with a pattern:
- Go to Settings → Custom Attributes and create a Text attribute, for example "Order number" or "Mobile number". Choose whether it applies to the contact or to the conversation.
- Turn on "Enable regex validation", enter a "Regex Pattern" (for example
^09[0-9]{9}$for an Iranian mobile number, or^[0-9]{10}$for a ten-digit ID) and a "Regex Cue": the hint visitors see when their entry doesn't match. - The attribute now appears in the inbox's pre-chat fields, where you can switch it on and make it required.
Visitors who type on a Persian or Arabic keyboard are covered: in fields that have a pattern, digits such as ۰۹۱۲… or ٠٩١٢… are converted to standard digits automatically, so the pattern matches and your records stay clean.
Setting up the form in Hodhod
- Open Settings → Inboxes, choose your website inbox and go to the "Pre Chat Form" tab.
- Turn on "Enable pre chat form" and write a short "Pre chat message": a friendly sentence that says why you're asking.
- In the field list, switch on the fields you want. Tick "Required" where needed, edit each label and placeholder, and drag the rows to reorder them.
- Save, then test it yourself in a private browser window.
Visitors who have already given the details you ask for aren't shown the form again, so it stays out of the way after the first conversation. The answers appear in the conversation sidebar, so your agent sees them before replying.
Write the form so people finish it
- Explain why. "So we can look up your order" gets more answers than a bare list of fields.
- Use clear labels and placeholders. Show an example of the format ("09123456789").
- Don't ask for anything sensitive. Passwords, card numbers and one-time codes never belong in a pre-chat form.
- Respect privacy. Ask only for data you will use, and say how you handle it in your privacy policy.
Common mistakes
- Too many required fields. Start with one and add another only when you can show it saves time.
- Asking for information you already have. Don't build a second form of your own on top of the pre-chat form.
- No validation. A phone field that accepts "abc" wastes everyone's time.
- Never reviewing it. Check whether the number of conversations drops after you add a field, and remove the field if it does.
To try a pre-chat form on your own site, request a free demo.
Frequently asked questions
Can I ask for different fields on different pages?
No. The pre-chat form belongs to the inbox, so every page that uses that inbox shows the same form. For a different form, create another website inbox.
What happens if a visitor leaves a required field empty?
The form shows an error under that field and doesn't let the visitor start the chat until it's filled in.
Does the pre-chat form work together with a chatbot?
Yes. The form comes first; after it, the visitor continues into your chatbot flow and, if needed, to an agent.
