Want to catch leads after hours, but don’t have the budget or patience for complicated automation? You’re not alone. If you use Zendesk Chat, there’s a straightforward way to collect info from visitors even when your agents are off the clock—offline forms. This guide walks you through setting them up, skips the fluff, and calls out the stuff that actually matters. If you run support, sales, or just don’t want to miss a hot lead after 5pm, this is for you.
Why bother with offline forms?
Let’s be real: Most people aren’t going to come back if your chat just says “We’re not here.” Offline forms let you at least capture an email, a question, or a phone number while you’re away. It’s not magic, but it’s way better than silence.
Who’s this for?
Anyone using Zendesk Chat who wants to scoop up leads or support requests after hours, especially if your team isn’t huge or you don’t want to mess with complicated bots.
Step 1: Understand What Zendesk Chat Offline Forms Can (and Can’t) Do
Before you dig in, let’s set expectations. Zendesk Chat’s offline form is simple. It pops up when no agents are online and lets visitors leave a message. You get an email or a ticket in Zendesk (if you use Zendesk Support). That’s it.
What works: - Captures basic info (name, email, message) - Sends submissions to an email or Zendesk ticket - Can be customized a bit (but not a ton)
What doesn’t: - No fancy logic or multi-step forms - Limited field types (mostly text) - Can’t do complex routing or lead scoring
Pro Tip:
If you want detailed forms or custom logic, you’ll need a separate form tool (like Typeform or Google Forms) and some DIY integration. For most people, Zendesk’s built-in option is enough to not lose leads overnight.
Step 2: Make Sure You’re Using Zendesk Chat the Right Way
There are a few flavors of Zendesk Chat. Offline forms are available for the standalone Zendesk Chat widget and for Zendesk Messaging. The steps below focus on the classic widget, but I’ll flag differences for Messaging users.
Check your setup: - If you see “Zendesk Chat” in your Zendesk dashboard, you’re good. - If you use Zendesk Messaging, some options are in a different place, but you’ll still have an offline form or “away” message.
Don’t see these options?
You might be on a legacy plan or using a very old widget. If so, upgrade—Zendesk isn’t putting much love into the old stuff.
Step 3: Access the Chat Widget Settings
- Log in to Zendesk as an admin.
- In the sidebar, click on Channels > Chat.
- Go to Settings > Widget.
If you’re using Zendesk Messaging, go to Admin Center > Channels > Messaging > Web Widget.
Step 4: Configure Your Offline Form
4.1 Turn On the Offline Form
Under the Widget settings, look for the Forms or Offline Form section.
- Enable the offline form: There should be a toggle or checkbox. Turn it on.
- Default fields: Zendesk usually asks for Name, Email, and Message. You can’t add much more than this.
Honest take:
You can’t capture phone numbers or dropdowns natively. If you absolutely need custom fields, you’ll have to hack it (not recommended—it’s a pain and breaks on updates).
4.2 Customize the Message and Labels
Make the form feel human. You can edit:
- The greeting (“Sorry, we’re not online. Leave us a message.”)
- Field labels
- Button text
Keep it short and clear. Long apologies or marketing fluff just make people close the window.
4.3 Set Where Form Submissions Go
Decide what happens when someone fills out your offline form:
- Zendesk Support ticket: If you have Zendesk Support, submissions become tickets. That’s best—you can respond, track, and assign.
- Email notification: If you’re not using Support, set an email address to get submissions.
Double-check:
Test it! Fill out your own form after hours and make sure it lands where you expect. Sometimes emails get caught in spam, or tickets get routed wrong.
Step 5: Set Your Chat Hours and Agent Availability
The offline form only appears when your agents are offline. So, make sure your chat hours reflect your real schedule.
- Go to Settings > Operating Hours (or Business Hours in some plans).
- Set the times your team is available.
- Outside those hours, Zendesk automatically switches the widget to offline, and your form appears.
If you don’t set hours:
The offline form only pops up if every agent logs out. If someone forgets to log out, visitors might see the regular chat—even if no one’s really there.
Pro Tip:
Use “Operating Hours” to automate this. It’s more reliable than trusting everyone to log out at 5pm.
Step 6: Test the Offline Form (Don’t Skip This)
You’d be surprised how often people skip this and then miss leads for days. Here’s how to check:
- Log out all agents, or set chat to “Offline.”
- Open your website in an incognito window.
- Trigger the offline form and submit a test message.
- Confirm you get the ticket or email, and that the info is complete.
Things to check: - Is the email or ticket easy to read? - Do you get all the info you need to follow up? - Does the form load properly on mobile?
If it’s not working, go back and double-check your widget and operating hours settings.
Step 7: Respond Fast and Set Expectations
Offline forms buy you a lead, but you still need to follow up. Set clear expectations in your form (e.g., “We’ll reply next business day”) and try to reply as fast as you reasonably can.
What to ignore: - Don’t promise 24/7 support if you can’t deliver. - Skip asking for info you won’t use—extra fields just scare people off.
Step 8: Review and Optimize (Optional, but Worth It)
After a few weeks, check how many submissions you’re getting. Are you missing info you need? Are people leaving the form blank? You can tweak the form message, but remember, Zendesk’s customization is limited.
If you need more:
Consider adding a dedicated contact form on your site for after hours, or look into apps that integrate with Zendesk (but don’t expect miracles—most are just wrappers around the same basic form).
Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)
- Forgetting to set operating hours: Leads to missed forms or, worse, chats that go nowhere.
- Not testing the form: You won’t notice typos, broken fields, or routing issues until it’s too late.
- Trying to hack in custom fields: Zendesk Chat isn’t built for this. If you need more, use a real form builder.
- Overcomplicating things: Simple forms get filled out. Long forms get abandoned.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate as Needed
Setting up offline forms in Zendesk Chat isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to overlook the basics. Don’t stress about fancy features—just make sure you’re actually capturing leads, getting the info where you need it, and following up. Test it, keep your form friendly, and tweak as you go. Most importantly, don’t let “perfect” get in the way of just being reachable.