It is possible to use a limited selection of HTML tags in conversations and in canned messages. You can use these to add formatting, such as bold or italic, or to add links. This article explains which tags you may use and how to use these.
Important: Any html tags not listed in this article cannot be used. They will be removed from the message for security purposes, and the message or part of its content may not be sent. If you use an unauthorized html tag, be aware that the visitor may not see the message you sent.
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Permitted HTML Tags
You may use the following HTML tags:
- <b> to make text bold (learn more.)
- <i> to make text italic (learn more.)
- <a> to create a link (learn more.)
Here is an example of the usage of each of these:
<b>This tag makes text bold</b>
<i>This tag makes text italic</i>
<a href="https://www.example.com/>This anchor tag creates a link</a>
Setting up Canned Messages to use HTML Tags
You can use these html tags when creating a Canned Message in the Engagement Portal. To learn how to create or change a canned message, see our article on managing predefined content.
For example, consider the following message that uses all of the allowed HTML tags:
This is a canned message with HTML content. <b>Bold!</b>,<i>italic</i>, and <a href="https://www.example.com">an example of a link</a>
When creating it as a canned message, it would look like this:
If you want to include a link in a canned message, you must always add an anchor (<a>) tag. While it is possible for an agent to create a link just by pasting a full URL, this is not possible in a canned message.
Using HTML Tags in a Conversation
The easiest way to use HTML tags in a conversation is to insert a canned message. You can do this by typing /c during an engagement and then choosing a message. (Learn more in our article on how to use canned messages.)
After you insert the canned message, you can see the HTML tags that it contains.
Important: Do not modify canned messages with HTML. Doing so may cause the HTML to break and be included as plain-text when sent to the visitor, or not be sent at all.
When the visitor receives the message, the text will be formatted, based on the HTML tags used.
It is also possible to use HTML tags when you manually write a message. However, be cautious since it is easy to cause them to break. Make sure the tag is always fully formed and always include the end tag. It is not possible to preview how a message will look before you send it. Unless you are proficient with HTML, it may be best to avoid using HTML tags in messages when you are not using a canned message that has them.
Alternative method for making a link
You can also send a hyperlink in a message, without using a URL. This does not work in canned messages, but it does work when manually typing a message.
To do so, paste the full URL into the message. It must include https:// as part of the URL; if it does not have this protocol, it will be sent as plain text instead. For example,