Bodholdt Contact Docs
Set up the smart contact widget, including recognition, spam protection, and how it pairs with Ticketing.
What Bodholdt Contact is
Bodholdt Contact is a free, floating “Contact us” widget for your site’s footer. It’s built for sites that sell digital products: it can recognize returning customers and let them skip the email-verification step, while everyone else verifies with a quick 6-digit code to keep spam out. It works on its own, and if you also run Bodholdt Ticketing, every message becomes a support ticket automatically.
Quick start (about 2 minutes)
- Install & activate the plugin (Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin). There’s no license key — it’s free.
- That’s essentially it — the widget turns on with sensible defaults (your site name, a default color, and messages go to your admin email). Open any page and you’ll see the contact button in the bottom-right corner.
- To customize it, go to Settings → Bodholdt Contact.
The Settings page
Everything is on one screen at Settings → Bodholdt Contact, and a live preview at the bottom updates as you type so you can see exactly how the widget will look. The options:
- Show the widget — turn the footer widget on or off.
- Brand name — shown in the widget header and in notification emails (defaults to your site name).
- Accent color — pick a color; the preview updates instantly.
- Header text / Intro line / Success message — the wording customers see (defaults to “Contact us”, “Enter your email to start.”, and a friendly confirmation).
- Send messages to — the email address that receives submissions (defaults to your site admin email).
- Recognize returning customers via — how the widget decides who can skip the verification code (see below).
Click Save settings when you’re done.
How returning-customer recognition works
The “Recognize returning customers via” setting has three choices:
- No one — everyone verifies by email code. The safest option; every sender confirms a 6-digit code.
- Logged-in WordPress users. Anyone signed in to your site skips the code.
- Bodholdt Licensing customers. If you run Bodholdt Licensing, your paying customers (recognized by their email) skip the code. (This option only appears when Bodholdt Licensing is active.)
Recognized people get a faster, frictionless experience; everyone else verifies. Either way, the message lands in your inbox (or your ticket desk).
How the spam protection works
You don’t configure a CAPTCHA or pick a spam mode — protection is automatic and layered, so it just works:
- A 6-digit email code for unrecognized senders (proves the email is real).
- A honeypot field that traps bots.
- Rate limiting and brute-force lockout so no one can hammer the form.
Working with Bodholdt Ticketing
If Bodholdt Ticketing is active on the same site, Bodholdt Contact becomes its front-door: each submission creates a support ticket (so your customer can track and reply to it in the portal) and emails you a heads-up — instead of just sending a plain email. The Settings page shows a “Connected to Bodholdt Ticketing” notice when this is in effect. Without Ticketing, submissions are simply emailed to your “Send messages to” address. Nothing to set up either way.
Frequently asked questions
Is it really free?
Yes. There’s no license key and no paid tier — every feature is available to everyone.
Do I need Bodholdt Licensing or Bodholdt Ticketing?
No. Both are optional. Bodholdt Licensing just unlocks the “recognize paying customers” option, and Bodholdt Ticketing turns submissions into trackable tickets. On its own, Bodholdt Contact is a polished, spam-resistant contact form.
Where do messages go?
To the address in “Send messages to” (your admin email by default) — or into your Bodholdt Ticketing desk if that plugin is active.
Getting help
Bodholdt Contact is free on WordPress.org. For help, use the plugin’s support forum on WordPress.org, or open a ticket on our Support page. Browse all our guides at the documentation home.