Create Guide Templates

Templates determine how Guide displays selected entry points on your website. Template types include:

  • Single channel: Use this to offer a single entry point in the Guide widget.

  • Multi-channel: Use this to offer multiple entry points in the Guide widget.

  • Customer portal: Use this to offer a CXone Expert knowledge base as a customer portal and additional entry points in the Guide widget.

Be sure you create the channel buttons and entry points before starting this task.

If you are using a multi-channel template, you will need channel buttons and a menu button. Visitors click the menu button to display the channel buttons.

Create a Single Channel Template

Use a single channel template when you want Guide to direct visitors to just one channel.

Myra, the Jungle Support manager, wants to offer the chat channel on the home page of the website. She creates a single channel template that offers the chat button that appears at the bottom-left of the home page of the Jungle website:

A round button with an image of chat bubbles that customers click to start a chat with an agent.

If a visitor clicks the chat button, the chat channel appears in the Guide widget:

The Guide chat window where you enter identifying information before starting a chat.

Watch a short video on setting up a single channel template.

  1. Click the app selector and select ACD.
  2. Go to Digital > Points of Contact Digital.
  3. Under General channel features, click Guide.
  4. Scroll down to the Templates area and click Add Template.
  5. Enter a Template name.
  6. Set Template type to Single Channel - One Button.
  7. Set Template position to Bottom left or Bottom right to determine where the Guide template appears on your website.
  8. If needed, enter a Theme color to use for the template. Leave this field blank to use the Theme primary color set in the branding. To override the branding, enter the color in hex code.
  9. Click Save,

  10. Finish defining the template.

    Field Details
    Font color The font color to use for the template.
    Entry point

    The Entry point to use for the template. For example, you might set it to a chat entry point to offer the chat channel.

    • If you set Entry point to a chat or email channel, and if the entry point is configured with a precontact survey, additional optional fields appear. Click Choose File to select a Precontact survey icon and enter a Precontact survey label to define an icon and label that appears at the top of the Guide widget:

      Guide widget that shows a precontact survey that includes an icon and label.

    • If you set Entry point to an CXone Expert channel, specify the Popup Title. For example, you might title the pop-up Helpful Articles.

    Button

    The Button to use for the channel. Leave this blank to use the button defined for the entry point.
    Label

    The Label to use with the button. The label appears to the right of the button. The label is limited to 18 characters. Including a label is optional. Note that the label is also used by screen readers. If omitted, the screen reader will read the text of the button.
  11. Click Save.
  12. Check the appearance and behavior of the template.

Create a Multi-Channel Template

Use a multi-channel template if you are using Guide to display multiple channelsClosed A way for contacts to interact with agents or bots. A channel can be voice, email, chat, social media, and so on. at a time. You can include up to four channels.

Myra, the Jungle Support manager, wants to offer the chat and email channels on the home page of the website. She creates a multi-channel template. The menu button that she set for the template appears at the bottom-left of the home page of the Jungle website:

A round button with an image of concierge desk bell that customers click to display the Guide channel menu.

A website visitor can then click the menu button to display the menu of channels:

An example Guide menu that offers the chat and email channels. The chat channel shows two chat bubbles. The email channel shows an envelope.

For example, if the visitor wants to start a chat, the chat window appears:

The Guide chat window where you enter identifying information before starting a chat.

Watch a short video on setting up a multi-channel template.

  1. Click the app selector and select ACD.
  2. Go to Digital > Points of Contact Digital.
  3. Under General channel features, click Guide.
  4. Scroll down to the Templates area and click Add Template.
  5. Enter a Template name.
  6. Set Template type to Standard Menu - Multiple Buttons.
  7. Set Template position to Bottom left or Bottom right to determine where the template buttons appear on your website. You can change this later.
  8. If needed, enter a Theme color to use for the template. Leave this field blank to use the Theme primary color set in the branding. To override the branding, enter the color in hex code.
  9. Click Save.

  10. Finish defining the template.

    Field Details
    Font color The font color to use for the template.
    Template direction The direction your channel buttons expand when the menu is open. Options are Horizontal or Vertical.

    Menu button

    A button that displays the menu of channel buttons available to the visitor. Click Select item to select the button the visitor clicks to display the menu of channels.
    Template Slot 1 through Template Slot 4

    Use these fields to define up to four buttons, one for each channel to offer.

    For each channel, set:

    • The Entry point to use for the channel.

    • The Button to use for the channel. Leave this blank to use the button defined for the entry point.

    • The Label to use for screen readers.

    • If you set Entry point to a chat or email channel, and if the entry point is configured with a precontact survey, additional optional fields appear. Click Choose File to select a Precontact survey icon and enter a Precontact survey label to define an icon and label that appears at the top of the Guide widget:

      Guide widget that shows a precontact survey that includes an icon and label.

    • If you set Entry point to a CXone Expert channel, specify the Popup Title. For example, you might title the pop-up Helpful Articles.

  11. Click Save.
  12. Check the appearance and behavior of the template.

Create a Customer Portal Template

Use a customer portal template to offer a CXone Expert portal and up to four channelClosed A way for contacts to interact with agents or bots. A channel can be voice, email, chat, social media, and so on. entry points at the same time. This requires an integration with CXone Expert.

Myra decides to offer customer portal that provides articles about the top 10 questions visitors ask Support. She also wants to offer some other channels, such as chat and email. She creates a customer portal template. The menu button that she set for the template appears at the bottom-left of the home page of the Jungle website:

A round button with an image of concierge desk bell that customers click to display the Guide customer portal.

A website visitor can then click the menu button to display the portal and the channels she configured:

An example Customer Portal template that shows buttons for the chat and email channels followed by two CXone Expert articles.

Watch a short video on setting up a customer portal template.

  1. Click the app selector and select ACD.
  2. Go to Digital > Points of Contact Digital.
  3. Under General channel features, click Guide,
  4. Scroll down to the Templates area and click Add Template.
  5. Enter a Template name.
  6. Set Template type to Customer Portal.
  7. Set Template position to Bottom left or Bottom right to determine where the portal appears on your website.
  8. If needed, enter a Theme color to use for the template. Leave this field blank to use the Theme primary color set in the branding. To override the branding, enter the color in hex code.
  9. Click Save.

  10. Finish defining the template.

    Field Details
    Font color The font color to use for the template.
    Template Outline

    The order in which the template content appears:

    • Knowledge base first to display the CXone Expert portal at the top of the template and buttons for other channels below.

    • Channels first to display the channel buttons at the top of the template and the CXone Expert portal below.

    Depending on your selection, the following template definition fields may swap in order to match your outline preference.
    Main icon

    An icon, such as a logo, that appears in the top left corner of the customer portal template. Icon images must be smaller than 50 KB. This image is required.
    Heading

    The text that appears at the top of the template. For example, you might set this to Welcome.

    This text is required and appears in the font color specified for the brand.
    Subheading Additional text that appears under the Heading. For example, you might set this to How can we help you?.

    This text is required and appears in the font color specified for the brand.

    Menu button icon

    A button that displays the menu of channel buttons available to the visitor. Click Select item to select the button the visitor clicks to display the menu of channels.
    Knowledge base heading The heading to use for the knowledge base. For example, you might set this to Helpful articles.
    Knowledge base The knowledge base entry point to use for this template. The entry point must contain the articles that you want to offer to your website visitors when this template appears.
    Template Slot 1 through Template Slot 4

    Use these fields to define up to four buttons, one for each channel to offer.

    For each channel, set:

    • The Entry point to use for the channel.

    • The Button to use for the channel. Leave this blank to use the button defined for the entry point.

    • The Label to use for the button. This field is required. The label is limited to 18 characters. The label is also used by screen readers.

    • If you set Entry point to a chat or email channel, and if the entry point is configured with a precontact survey, additional optional fields appear. Click Choose File to select a Precontact survey icon and enter a Precontact survey label to define an icon and label that appears at the top of the Guide widget:

      Guide widget that shows a precontact survey that includes an icon and label.

  11. Click Save.
  12. Check the appearance and behavior of the template.

Check the Template Appearance and Behavior

  1. Click the app selector and select ACD.
  2. Go to Digital > Points of Contact Digital.
  3. Under General channel features, click Guide.

  4. Locate your template, then click Initialization & Test to confirm its appearance and behavior.

    The Initialization & Test page displays a test version of the Guide template at the bottom of the page. The test template is either on the left or right side of page, depending on the Template Position you set.

  5. If needed, click the button to display the channel or channels you set for the template. Make sure that any heading text you entered fits correctly and is not cut off.

  6. When you are satisfied with the template, define an engagement rule that uses the Guide Template action to display the template.