Documentation
Support Funnel documentation.
Everything you need to install, build and run Support Funnel.
Installation
- Download the Support Funnel zip with the Free Download button.
- In WordPress, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin, choose the zip and click Install Now.
- Click Activate. A starter flow called Default Flow is created, and the chat widget appears on every page of your site.
- Open Support Funnel > Flow Builder to make the flow your own.
You can also upload the support-funnel folder to /wp-content/plugins/ and activate it from the Plugins page.
The Flow Builder
Open Support Funnel > Flow Builder. Your flow is a set of steps joined together: each button on a step leads to another step.
- Drag steps into place, and drag the canvas to move around it
- Select several steps at once, and right-click for actions such as duplicating
- Mark the steps a conversation can start from
- Insert a reusable block into a step
- Add emoji, icons and emphasis to your text
If you try to leave with unsaved changes, Support Funnel asks first, and a draft is kept in your browser so you can recover your work after a crash. Export downloads the flow as a JSON file and Import loads one. Importing replaces the current flow, so export first to keep a backup.
Step types
Every step has a type. Question, Message and Link work in every edition. Form, Agent and Recommendation need Pro or a trial.
- Question: a message with buttons to choose from
- Message: an answer or a piece of information
- Link: a web address shown as a card the visitor can tap
- Form: collects a name, email and any fields you add, and saves a lead
- Agent: hands the visitor to your team, with different behaviour when you are online or offline
- Recommendation: a suggestion, such as a product, to show once the visitor has been helped
Buttons on a Question step can be marked Priority, which shows them above a divider in a colour of their own. Priority buttons need Pro or a trial.
Reusable blocks
Open Support Funnel > Reusable Blocks to write content you use in several places, such as how to find an order number. Insert a block into any step from the step's editor. Change the block once and every step that uses it shows the change.
The chat widget
The widget appears on every page of your site once the plugin is active. To show the chat inside a page as well, add the shortcode [support_funnel] where you want it.
- A floating launcher at the bottom right or bottom left
- Floating or docked, at a size you choose
- Optionally let visitors dock the chat or drag it wider
- Back and Restart buttons
- The conversation carries on across tabs and page reloads
A visitor's place in the conversation is kept in their own browser, so they can pick up where they left off.
Live chat
Live chat needs Pro or a trial. When a visitor reaches an Agent step while you are online, they can chat with your team in real time. Agents answer from the Live Chat menu in WordPress, which shows how many conversations are unread.
- Claim a conversation, assign it to someone else or release it
- See when a visitor is typing and whether they are still on the page
- Each conversation records which agent handled it
- Optional sound alerts, which each agent can mute
- Optionally show visitors how many agents are online
Give agents the Support Agent role under Users: they can use the Live Chat inbox without being site administrators. Under Settings, choose whether you go online by hand or automatically when an agent is active, and what visitors see when you are offline: a form to leave a message, or a link to your contact page.
Leads
Forms that visitors send are saved under Support Funnel > Leads, with the name, email, message and where it came from, and can be downloaded as a CSV file. Each one is also emailed to your site's admin address; change the address and subject, or turn the emails off, under Settings.
Analytics
Support Funnel > Analytics shows how your flow is used.
- Sessions, button clicks, conversions and conversion rate
- Most used paths: the buttons visitors press most
- Most visited steps
- Drop-off points: where visitors stop
The free edition shows the headline numbers and the top three of each list. Pro and trials show the lists in full.
Settings
Open Support Funnel > Settings.
Appearance
The chat title, logo and launcher icon, colours for the header, bubbles and buttons, button style, launcher position, size, floating or docked, animations and typing delay.
Online, offline & live chat
Online or offline, set by hand or automatically, the offline message or redirect, the live chat greeting, asking for a name and email before a chat, and the name agents appear under.
Notifications & links
The email address and subject for lead notifications, and whether link steps open in the same tab.
Free, trial & Pro
Support Funnel is free to use with Question, Message and Link steps, reusable blocks, the chat widget and an analytics preview. Pro adds Form, Agent and Recommendation steps, live chat, priority buttons, the SVG icon library and full analytics.
To try Pro, open Support Funnel > Settings and click Start 7-day trial. When a trial or licence ends nothing is deleted: your flow keeps working, existing steps stay editable and only the Pro features switch off. Pro licence keys are checked on your own server with no call home, and stay active for 7 days if your site's domain changes. Updates appear in Dashboard > Updates and on the Plugins page, and install like any other plugin.
Frequently asked questions
Is Support Funnel an AI chatbot?
No. Visitors click buttons, and every reply is one you wrote in the Flow Builder. There is no language model and no guessing at what a visitor typed.
Do visitors type anything?
Only into forms you add, such as a name and email, and into live chat when they are talking to your team. Moving through the flow is done with buttons.
Where are leads and chats stored?
In tables in your own WordPress database. Leads can be downloaded as a CSV file from the Leads page.
Can I use the same answer in several places?
Yes. Write it once as a reusable block and insert it into any number of steps.
Do my agents need to be administrators?
No. Give them the Support Agent role and they can answer live chats without access to the rest of your site's settings.
What happens when my trial ends?
Your flow keeps working with Question, Message and Link steps. Pro features such as live chat and forms switch off, and nothing you built is deleted.
Can I show the chat inside a page?
Yes. Add the shortcode [support_funnel] where you want it. The floating widget still appears on your other pages.
Does Support Funnel send data anywhere?
No. Conversations, leads and analytics stay on your site. The only outgoing request is the update check to techdirectstudio.com, which carries no visitor or lead data. Lead emails are sent by your own site.