Customize the Zendesk chat button with an animated character

Swap the plain Zendesk bubble for a character in your brand colors. Opens Zendesk Messaging or the Classic Web Widget.

Can you change the Zendesk chat icon?

Partly. Zendesk Messaging lets you set the launcher's color, choose a square or circle shape, pick the corner and offset, or switch to a "Custom launcher" that removes the button so you can build your own. There's no option to upload your own icon or to animate the launcher.

What Zendesk lets you change

Change the primary color
Choose a square or circle shape
Pick bottom left or right and the offset (also separately for mobile, via the API)
Hide the launcher and open Messaging from your own button (zE('messenger','open'))

What it doesn't

Upload your own launcher icon
Animate the launcher or use a character

Source: Zendesk: customizing the Web Widget for messaging, checked 2026-10-18. More tools compared in how to customize your website's chat button.

Add an animated character to Zendesk, step by step

Create a free Chatmello account and enter your website address.
Pick a character (or upload your own mascot), your brand colors, a personality and a greeting.
Publish, then paste your snippet before </body> on every page, next to your Zendesk code. It looks like this:
```
<script src="https://www.chatmello.com/chatmello.js" data-site="YOUR-SITE-ID" async></script>
```
Open your website. Your pet finds Zendesk on the page by itself and takes over its button. The dashboard shows "Found Zendesk on your site".

Keep your Zendesk snippet (the script with id="ze-snippet") on the page.
Both Zendesk Messaging and the Classic Web Widget work. Chatmello detects which one your site uses.

How the pet works with Zendesk

Chatmello hides Zendesk's launcher while the pet is showing and brings it back if the pet can't work.
Clicking the pet opens the Zendesk chat. The chat window opens above the corner, so the pet stays put and a second click closes the chat.
Zendesk's unread message count shows on the pet while the chat is closed.

What stays the same

Your Zendesk account, inbox, team and routing
Your bots, automations and office hours
The Zendesk chat window your visitors see
If Zendesk fails to load or open, the pet steps aside and the normal Zendesk button comes back

Performance and accessibility

The Chatmello script is about 12 KB (gzipped), loads after your page and downloads only the character you use.
No cookies, and it never records what visitors type.
The pet is a real button with a label, works with the keyboard, and keeps still for visitors who ask for reduced motion.

Troubleshooting

Zendesk's button still shows: Check that the Zendesk snippet loads on the same pages as Chatmello, then hard-refresh. If Zendesk takes more than about 15 seconds to start, the pet steps aside and leaves Zendesk's button.
I use Zendesk's Custom launcher option: That's fine. With no Zendesk button on the page, the pet still opens Messaging through Zendesk's API.
The pet doesn't appear: Check the website address in your Chatmello settings and that your design is published.

What visitors get

A friendly character instead of a plain bubble
A greeting bubble with your message
The Zendesk chat opens when they click the pet
Unread messages shown on the pet while the chat is closed

Questions

Does it work with the Classic Web Widget too?

Yes. Chatmello supports both Zendesk Messaging and the Classic Web Widget, and detects which one is on your site.

Do I need a particular Zendesk plan?

No. Chatmello works with Zendesk's standard web widget on any plan that includes it.

Can I upload my own icon for the Zendesk launcher without Chatmello?

No. Zendesk offers square and circle shapes, or a Custom launcher option where you build your own button in code.

Does Chatmello change my tickets or conversations?

No. Conversations still arrive in Zendesk exactly as today. Chatmello only replaces the button.

Will Zendesk's unread count still show?

Yes, on the pet while the chat is closed.

Can the pet close the Zendesk chat?

Yes. The pet stays in the corner while the chat is open, and clicking it again closes the chat.

Will it slow down my website?

No. The script is about 12 KB, loads in the background, and only fetches the files your pet needs.

Is there a free plan?

Yes: one website, every character and every chat tool, free forever.

Give Zendesk a face

Free for one website. Pick a character, choose your colors, paste one line of code.

Create your pet free