Answers to the most common questions about DeskPress. For feature-specific questions, check the Tips and Common Questions section in each feature article.
General
What is DeskPress?
DeskPress is a WordPress plugin that connects your site to Help Scout. It provides a customer-facing support portal, AI chatbot, ticket management, documentation search, and more -- all inside your WordPress site.
Do I need a Help Scout account?
Yes. DeskPress works with Help Scout's API to pull in conversations, documentation, and customer data. You'll need a Help Scout account with API access.
Does DeskPress work with WordPress Multisite?
DeskPress can be activated on individual sites within a Multisite network. Each site needs its own license key and Help Scout connection.
Licensing and Activation
Where do I find my license key?
Your license key is in your purchase confirmation email and on your account page at the DeskPress website.
Can I use one license on multiple sites?
Each license is valid for the number of sites included in your plan. Check your account page for details on your plan's site limit.
What happens if my license expires?
The plugin continues to work, but you'll stop receiving automatic updates and access to support. We recommend keeping your license active to stay on the latest version.
Compatibility
What are the minimum requirements?
WordPress 5.0 or higher and PHP 7.1 or higher. Most modern hosting environments meet these requirements.
Does DeskPress work with page builders?
DeskPress includes a dedicated Elementor integration with custom widgets. For other page builders, you can use the DeskPress shortcodes on any page.
Does DeskPress work with caching plugins?
Yes. DeskPress loads dynamic content (conversations, chatbot, forms) via AJAX, so it works with page caching plugins like WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, and WP Rocket. If you notice stale content, exclude your portal page from the cache.
Is DeskPress compatible with WPML or Polylang?
DeskPress does not have built-in multi-language support, but it works alongside translation plugins. You can create separate portal pages for each language and configure the text strings accordingly.
Performance
Does DeskPress slow down my site?
No. DeskPress only loads its assets on pages where its features are used. The AI knowledge base is stored in a local database table, so there are no external API calls on page load for regular visitors.
How much database space does the knowledge base use?
This depends on how much content you index. A typical knowledge base with a few thousand conversations and a hundred docs articles uses around 50-100 MB. The embeddings are stored in a compact binary format to minimize space.
Does the AI chatbot make API calls on every message?
Yes. Each chatbot message triggers an API call to your AI provider (OpenAI or Gemini) to generate a response. The cost per message is small -- typically a fraction of a cent -- but it adds up with high traffic. Use the rate limit setting to control usage.
Security
Is my data sent to external servers?
Your knowledge base embeddings are stored locally in your WordPress database. When AI features are used (chatbot, drafts, sentiment), the relevant text is sent to your chosen AI provider (OpenAI or Google Gemini) for processing. No data is sent to DeskPress servers except for license validation.
Are API keys stored securely?
API keys are stored in the WordPress options table, the same way WordPress stores other sensitive settings. For additional security, we recommend restricting your AI provider API keys to only the permissions DeskPress needs.
Does the support form protect against spam?
The support form requires users to be logged in by default. If you allow guest submissions, consider adding a CAPTCHA plugin or honeypot field to prevent spam.