Setting up Plain with Ferndesk
This guide shows you how to configure Ferndesk to open the Plain chat widget when visitors click the contact button in your widget.
Before you begin: You must have the Plain chat widget installed on your site. If you haven't done this yet, follow the steps below before configuring Ferndesk.
Step 1: Install and hide the Plain launcher
First, install Plain on your site using its current setup. To hide the chat bubble by default, set hideLauncher: true in Plain.init. Ferndesk closes Plain automatically when the integration loads, so hiding it beforehand is not required.
Ferndesk will show Plain when visitors click your contact button.
Need help installing Plain? See Plain's getting started guide.
Step 2: Open widget settings
In your Ferndesk dashboard, go to the Widget page and click the Customize button on your widget.
Step 3: Navigate to Contact settings
In the sidebar, click Contact to open the contact configuration options.
Step 4: Select the Chat tab
Click the Chat tab to see available chat platforms.
Step 5: Choose Plain
Click the Plain card to select it as your integration platform.
Click Save changes to persist the selection before testing.
Step 6: Test the integration
Visit your site where the Ferndesk widget and Plain are installed, then click the contact button in the widget. The Plain chat should open, letting visitors start a conversation with your team.
If Plain doesn't open, verify that the Plain chat widget is installed on the same page as your Ferndesk widget and that the launcher is hidden by default.