TL;DR

An optional name-and-email form Eloqra can show before the chat opens, so the operator knows who they are talking to and can follow up by email later.

Key Points

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Eloqra's pre-chat form is the optional collectVisitorInfo setting; when on, the [[live-chat-widget]] requires the visitor's details before they can send their first [[chat-message]], the same gating pattern other tools use. [3]

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Its main job is [[lead-capture]]: the captured name and email are attached to the [[website-visitor]] record so the operator has a real [[contact]] to reach out to even after the chat ends. [2]

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Keep it minimal. Vendor guidance is that the more required fields you add, the fewer people start a chat, so Eloqra sticks to name plus email rather than long surveys. [2]

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When the visitor submits, Eloqra forwards the first message to the owner on [[telegram-integration|Telegram]] alongside the captured details, page URL, device, and [[ip-geolocation]] context.

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If you ask for personal data, pair the form with clear privacy wording; under [[gdpr-compliance]] consent must be freely given, specific, and informed. [4]

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The form is one of several entry-point settings alongside the [[welcome-message]] and [[offline-message]], and it is fully optional, so high-intent visitors can start chatting instantly when it is off.

How it works in Eloqra

When a site owner enables collectVisitorInfo in their Eloqra project, the chat panel renders a small form with name and email fields before the message composer becomes active. The visitor fills it in once, submits, and is taken straight into the Conversation. Because the panel lives inside a Shadow DOM, the form's styling stays isolated from the host page. The details become part of the Website Visitor record, so when the first message is pushed to the owner over Telegram, the operator already sees who they are talking to. That mirrors what other vendors describe: asking for name or email up front means you can skip those questions later in the chat. ^[2]

Why it matters: capturing leads vs. friction

A pre-chat form turns an anonymous Website Visitor into an identified Contact you can follow up with, which makes it a core Lead Capture mechanism for SaaS founders and indie hackers running Eloqra. ^[2] The trade-off is friction: every required field is one more reason a visitor abandons the chat, raising the Chat Abandonment Rate. ^[1] Vendor best practice is to collect the smallest set of fields that makes the next reply better, usually just an email and a topic, and to skip the form for high-intent visitors. ^[1] Eloqra keeps this lightweight by limiting the form to name and email and leaving it off by default, so you only add the step when follow-up genuinely matters.

Privacy and consent

Because the form collects personal data, it intersects with privacy law. Under GDPR Compliance, consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous, and pre-ticked boxes do not count. ^[4] Common live-chat guidance is to disclose what you collect and why, link to a privacy policy, and avoid asking for sensitive data you do not need. ^[4] In practice, Eloqra operators should add a short line near the form explaining that the name and email are used to answer and follow up on the conversation, and link their privacy policy. This is general information, not legal advice, so confirm your own obligations with a qualified advisor. ^[4]

Sources & References

Pre-Chat Form Best Practices (Oscar Chat) ↗

Chat forms and customer data collection surveys (LiveChat Help Center) ↗

Enabling the pre-chat form on the Chat widget (Zendesk help) ↗

Prepare your chat for GDPR! (LiveChat Help Center) ↗

Last updated: June 25, 2026

Related Terms

Lead Capture

Lead capture is the process of collecting a prospect's contact details (typically name, email, or phone) at the moment they show interest, so a business can follow up and move them through the sales funnel. On a website it happens through forms, pop-ups, chatbots, and live-chat conversations.

Website Visitor

A website visitor is any person browsing a site where a live-chat widget is installed, tracked as an anonymous session until they send a message or identify themselves. In Eloqra, the visitor is the end-user on the other side of the chat bubble, distinct from the operator who answers from Telegram.

Contact

A contact is the stored record of an individual person a business has interacted with - typically holding identity details like name and email plus the history of conversations and activity tied to them. In live chat and support tools, a contact is created or enriched the moment a visitor starts talking, turning an anonymous browser into a known, addressable person.

Welcome Message

A welcome message is the pre-written greeting a live-chat widget shows when a visitor opens it, used to set a friendly tone and prompt the first reply. In Eloqra it is a configurable line of text rendered inside the chat panel before any operator is involved.

Live Chat Widget

A live chat widget is the embeddable, in-browser chat interface a website loads from a small script so visitors can message a business in real time without leaving the page. In Eloqra it is a floating launcher and chat panel that boots from a single <script> tag and renders inside a Shadow DOM.

GDPR Compliance

GDPR compliance means handling the personal data of people in the EU and EEA in line with the General Data Protection Regulation: processing it lawfully, transparently, and securely, and honoring the rights data subjects have over their own data. For a live-chat tool this covers everything from the visitor's name and email to their IP address, location, and chat transcripts.

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