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Configure Help Scout Beacon

By the end of this guide, the Help Scout Beacon chat widget will be live on your WordPress site with automatic user identification and optional conversation history.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • DeskPress activated on your WordPress site
  • A Help Scout account with at least one Beacon created

Steps

1. Get your Beacon embed code from Help Scout

  1. Log in to your Help Scout account.
  2. Go to Manage > Beacons.
  3. Select your Beacon (or create a new one).
  4. Copy the full embed code -- the HTML/JavaScript snippet.

2. Paste the embed code into DeskPress

  1. In WordPress, go to DeskPress > Dashboard > Getting Started.
  2. Scroll to the Beacon section.
  3. Paste the full embed code into the Beacon Embed Code field.
  4. Click Save.

The Beacon widget will now appear on all pages of your site. Logged-in WordPress users are automatically identified by name and email, so your agents see who they're talking to without the user needing to type their details.

3. (Optional) Enable conversation history with Secure Mode

Secure Mode lets logged-in users see their past conversations inside the Beacon widget. This requires a security key from Help Scout.

  1. In Help Scout, go to Manage > Beacons and select your Beacon.
  2. Go to the Security tab.
  3. Enable "Require security signatures".
  4. Copy the Secret Key that appears.
  5. Back in WordPress, paste this key into the Support History Security Key field in DeskPress.
  6. Click Save.

DeskPress handles the security verification automatically for each logged-in user.

Verification

Open your site in a new browser tab. You should see the Beacon widget (usually a small chat icon in the corner of the page). Click it to open the widget. If you're logged in to WordPress, your name and email should appear automatically.

If you enabled Secure Mode, you should also see a list of your past conversations inside the Beacon.

Tips

  • Beacon and the AI Chatbot work together. They are separate features -- Beacon provides Help Scout's native chat experience, while the AI Chatbot offers AI-powered self-service. You can use both at the same time.
  • Portal integration. If you use the Portal Template Builder, the "Actions" block includes a "Live Chat" button that opens the Beacon.
  • Logged-out visitors can still use the Beacon to start conversations. They'll be asked to provide their name and email within the widget.
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