Display Settings

Control what information is displayed to visitors during AI chatbot conversations. These transparency features help build trust and improve the user experience.

How to get there: Go to Setup → AI agent in the top menu → click your chatbot → Advanced → Display Settings in the sidebar.

Available Display Settings

Decide where links in chatbot answers open: in a new browser tab or in the same tab as your website.

Options:

  • New Window: every link the chatbot puts in an answer opens in a new tab. Your website and the chat stay open behind it.
  • Same Window: links open in the same tab, replacing your website page. The chat closes with it.

Default: Same Window for chatbots created after November 2024. Older chatbots were set to New Window.

Why choose New Window:

  • Visitors keep their conversation when they click a link to read more
  • Best for links to other websites, PDFs, booking pages, or documents
  • Recommended for most websites

Why choose Same Window:

  • You want the chatbot to guide visitors from page to page on your own site
  • Combine this with Remember visitors so the conversation continues on the next page

Good to know:

  • On hosts that put your site inside another frame (Google Sites, Notion, Softr), links always open in a new tab. Those hosts block same-tab navigation.
  • A link in your opening message or disclaimer can set its own target. That overrides this setting for that one link.
  • This setting only covers links inside chatbot answers. Links on widget channels have their own "Open in new window" checkbox in the widget editor.

Show AI Thinking Process

Display the AI's reasoning and thought process while generating responses.

Default: Enabled

What visitors see:

  • A "thinking" indicator showing the AI is processing their question
  • The AI's internal reasoning steps (when available)
  • How the AI is searching through your knowledge base

Why enable this:

  • Builds trust by showing transparency
  • Helps visitors understand why responses take time
  • Demonstrates the AI is carefully considering their question
  • Creates a more engaging, human-like interaction

Why disable this:

  • Faster perceived response time
  • Cleaner, simpler interface
  • When you want a more direct Q&A experience

Show Sources

Display which documents, webpages, or files the AI used to answer the question.

Default: Enabled

What visitors see:

  • Links to the source documents referenced
  • Titles of pages or files used in the answer
  • Clickable links to read more details

Why enable this:

  • Increases credibility of answers
  • Allows visitors to verify information
  • Encourages deeper engagement with your content
  • Helps visitors find related information
  • Reduces follow-up questions ("Where can I read more?")

Why disable this:

  • Cleaner conversation interface
  • When source documents aren't visitor-friendly
  • When you want to keep visitors in the chat

Show Feedback Buttons

Allow visitors to rate the quality of AI responses.

Default: Enabled

What visitors see:

  • Thumbs up / thumbs down buttons after each AI response
  • Optional feedback form to explain their rating

Why enable this:

  • Collect quality metrics on AI performance
  • Identify which responses need improvement
  • Understand common visitor concerns
  • Improve your knowledge base based on feedback
  • Shows you care about providing accurate information

Why disable this:

  • Simpler interface
  • When you don't want to collect feedback data
  • For casual interactions where feedback isn't needed

How to Configure

  1. Go to Setup → AI agent in the top menu
  2. Click on your chatbot to open its settings
  3. Open Advanced → Display Settings in the sidebar
  4. Pick a Link Target (New Window or Same Window)
  5. Toggle each setting on or off:
    • Show Thinking Process
    • Show Sources
    • Show Feedback Buttons
  6. Save your changes

Changes take effect immediately for new conversations.

Maximum Transparency (Default)

All three enabled - Best for:

  • Support chatbots
  • Educational content
  • Building trust with new visitors
  • B2B and professional services

Streamlined Experience

Disable thinking, keep sources and feedback - Best for:

  • E-commerce sites
  • Quick answers and FAQs
  • Mobile-focused experiences

Minimal Interface

Disable all three - Best for:

  • Very simple use cases
  • Internal tools
  • When speed is critical

Feedback Focus

Disable thinking and sources, keep feedback - Best for:

  • Testing new content
  • Improving AI accuracy
  • When actively optimizing your chatbot

Best Practices

  1. Start with defaults: All three enabled provides the best user experience for most use cases

  2. Monitor feedback: If you disable feedback, you lose valuable insights into AI performance

  3. Test both ways: Try disabling features and check your analytics to see if engagement changes

  4. Consider your audience:

    • Technical audiences often appreciate seeing thinking and sources
    • General consumers may prefer a simpler experience

  5. Source quality matters: Only show sources if your documents are well-formatted and visitor-friendly

  6. Mobile considerations: The thinking process takes up screen space on mobile devices

Impact on Performance

These settings only affect what's displayed to visitors. The AI still:

  • Thinks through responses (even if hidden)
  • Uses your knowledge base sources (even if not shown)
  • Processes the conversation the same way

Disabling these features does not make the AI faster or change answer quality.

Analytics

When feedback is enabled, you can:

  • View ratings in your inbox
  • See which responses get positive/negative feedback
  • Identify knowledge gaps in your training data
  • Track overall AI satisfaction over time

Feedback data helps you continuously improve your chatbot's accuracy and helpfulness.