Help Scout

Help Scout

Customer help and documentation platform used by SaaS companies and e-commerce sites. The Help Scout Beacon embeds a help widget that provides contextual documentation search and live chat support. Tracks conversation metadata for agent performance reporting.

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Overview

Help Scout is a customer support platform that provides help desk, knowledge base, and live chat functionality. The Help Scout Beacon widget embeds a contextual help and messaging interface directly on your website.

What This Script Does

  • Loads the Beacon widget (floating help icon) on configured pages
  • Provides in-page documentation search against your Help Scout knowledge base
  • Enables live chat messaging between visitors and support agents
  • Sets cookies to persist conversation state and identify returning visitors across chat sessions
  • Tracks page URL and referrer data to give agents context about where the visitor is on the site
  • Sends conversation metadata (timestamps, page visited, browser info) to Help Scout servers

Consent & Compliance

  • Consent category: Functional
  • GDPR/ePrivacy: The Beacon widget sets cookies to maintain chat session state. When used strictly for customer-initiated support, it may qualify as a service explicitly requested by the user. However, if the widget proactively collects browsing context or identifies returning visitors, consent is recommended.
  • CCPA: Conversation and visitor data is processed by Help Scout. Requires disclosure.

Should You Block This Without Consent?

Conditional. If the Beacon is used solely for user-initiated live chat support, it can be treated as functional and loaded without prior consent. If it tracks page views for agent context or identifies returning visitors via persistent cookies before the user initiates contact, obtain functional consent first.

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Consent Categories

Functional

Also Known As

Help ScoutHelpscoutBeacon widgetlive chat toolcustomer support softwarehelp desk SaaS

Industries

Computers Electronics and TechnologyProgramming and Developer SoftwareBusiness and Consumer ServicesBusiness Services

Tracked Domains (1)

helpscout.netFunctional

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Help Scout require cookie consent?

Yes, consent is typically needed. Help Scout's Beacon widget sets cookies to maintain chat sessions and recognize returning visitors. Under GDPR, these cookies require consent since they transmit browsing context and visitor data to external servers. It is categorized as functional.

What data does the Help Scout Beacon collect?

The Beacon widget sets cookies for conversation state and returning visitor identification. It collects page URL, referrer data, and browser info, sending this to Help Scout for agent context. Conversation metadata like timestamps and pages visited is also transmitted during chats.

How does ConsentStack handle Help Scout?

ConsentStack detects the Help Scout Beacon widget and classifies it as functional. When a visitor grants functional consent, the Beacon loads with chat and knowledge base features. If consent is denied, ConsentStack blocks the script, preventing session cookies and data collection.

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Manage consent for Help Scout

ConsentStack automatically detects and manages Help Scout trackers so your site stays compliant with global privacy regulations.

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