# Fresh Chat

> Automate live chat conversations through Freshdesk's Fresh Chat widget — your agent responds to customers in real time.

Fresh Chat is a channel within the [Freshdesk](broken://pages/RgQ0qGPc1lhMrCvVOCpI) integration — not a standalone integration. You must connect Freshdesk first before setting up Fresh Chat.

<div align="left"><figure><img src="/files/mHyNgGwxv1PxnsPrfP2p" alt="" width="375"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

## What you can do

* Automatically respond to customers in Fresh Chat live conversations
* Hand off to a human agent when the issue needs a personal touch
* Group conversations so follow-up messages from the same customer continue in one thread

## How it's different from Freshdesk tickets

The standard [Freshdesk](broken://pages/RgQ0qGPc1lhMrCvVOCpI) integration handles email-based tickets. Fresh Chat handles **live chat conversations** through the Freshdesk chat widget embedded on your website.

|                    | Freshdesk (tickets)             | Fresh Chat (live chat)   |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| **Channel**        | Email tickets                   | Chat widget              |
| **Response style** | Asynchronous                    | Real-time conversation   |
| **Actions**        | Reply, tag, assign, close, etc. | Reply, transfer to human |
| **Best for**       | Email support automation        | Live chat automation     |

## Connecting Fresh Chat

### Prerequisites

* An active [Freshdesk](broken://pages/RgQ0qGPc1lhMrCvVOCpI) integration (OAuth) on your eesel dashboard
* Fresh Chat enabled in your Freshworks account

### Setup

1. On the eesel dashboard, go to your agent's **Integrations** section and click **Freshdesk**.

<figure><img src="/files/u0O0kmfpdO3HFgNIJ1du" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

2. Click on **Fresh Chat** under the Triggers section to open the setup form.

<figure><img src="/files/mob63KPyHULOs2UKqwCg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

3. In your Freshworks admin panel, go to **Settings > API Settings > API Details for Chat** and copy the API key. Paste it into the **API Token** field.

<figure><img src="/files/PBaXtOhEZXzoMH2S5XeH" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

4. Copy the webhook URL shown in the form. In your Freshchat admin, go to **Settings > Webhooks**, paste the URL, and save.

<figure><img src="/files/poM2Ij0V5k5HZtGRcqHr" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

5. After saving the webhook in Freshchat, an **Authentication** section will appear with an RSA public key. Copy the full key (including the `-----BEGIN RSA PUBLIC KEY-----` and `-----END RSA PUBLIC KEY-----` lines) and paste it into the form.

<figure><img src="/files/kCsT0y7tLqZoS5npNXRJ" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

6. Click **Connect Fresh Chat**. eesel AI will validate your API token and save the connection.

<figure><img src="/files/vcD5nqm2Np0G7o3Bar8t" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

7. Test the connection by opening the live chat preview in your Freshchat admin. Go to **Settings > Messenger > Web** and click **Preview** to start a test conversation with your agent.

<figure><img src="/files/r1GejnLq7gXtlY3l3PeN" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Actions

| Action                | Description                                                |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Chat Reply**        | Send a reply to the customer in the live chat conversation |
| **Hand Off to Human** | Transfer the conversation to a human agent                 |

## Customizing the chat widget

Fresh Chat's widget appearance and behavior are configured in your **Freshchat admin panel**, not in eesel AI. To customize:

1. In your Freshworks admin, go to **Settings > Web Widget > Appearance**.

<figure><img src="/files/sfNaQ3rsfEbGAUV5alcH" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Tips

**Set clear expectations.** Update the widget's welcome message in Freshchat admin so customers know they're chatting with an AI assistant. Something like "Hi! I'm Acme's AI assistant. How can I help you today?"

**Configure handoff rules.** Always define when the agent should hand off to a human — for example, when the customer explicitly asks for a person, or when the issue requires account-level changes. Add this to your agent's [instructions](/getting-started/instructions-triggers-and-actions.md).

**Set up business hours.** Configure business hours in Freshchat admin so the widget only appears when your team (or AI agent) is available, or shows an offline message outside those hours.

**Test the full flow.** Test both the AI response and the human handoff in a real Fresh Chat conversation to make sure the transition is smooth.

## Troubleshooting

**Fresh Chat not appearing as a channel?**

* Ensure you have an active Freshdesk integration connected via OAuth
* The Fresh Chat channel only appears after the Freshdesk integration is connected

**Setup form showing again after connecting?**

* Both the API token and the webhook public key must be saved. If either is missing, the setup form will show again. Re-run the three-step setup.

**Agent not responding to chats?**

* Verify the Fresh Chat trigger is enabled on your agent
* Check that the webhook URL is correctly configured in your Freshchat admin panel
* Confirm the API token is valid — go to Freshworks admin > API Settings > API Details for Chat

**Handoff not working?**

* Ensure you have human agents available in your Freshchat account to accept conversations
* The agent routes the conversation to the assigned group, or the default group if none is set


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