Help Center search does not support conversation lookups by custom field; use Agent search with the custom field API key

Overview

Kayako provides different search behavior for support agents in the agent interface and for end users in the Help Center.

A support agent can use Kayako's internal search to look up conversations by the value of a custom field.

An end user searching from the Help Center should not expect that same custom-field value to locate the conversation. In practice, Help Center conversation search is not a reliable custom-field lookup method for end users.

Agent Search Behavior

In the agent interface, support agents can search conversations using custom-field values.

To do this correctly, the search must use the custom field's key, not just the display title of the field.

For example, if a conversation has a custom field with:

• custom field key: external_reference
• value: ABC-12345

an agent can search with:

in:conversations external_reference:ABC-12345

This is useful for locating conversations by:

• external reference numbers
• migration IDs
• contract numbers
• serial numbers
• other internal tracking values

Help Center Search Behavior

In the Help Center, end users should not rely on custom-field values to search for conversations.

Even if a conversation contains a custom field with a known value, a Help Center search using that value may not return the conversation. This includes searches using a modifier-style query such as:

external_reference:ABC-12345

For end users, the more dependable search methods are:

• the current conversation subject
• words from the conversation body
• the direct Help Center conversation link, if they already have access to it

Example

A conversation contains a custom field with the value ABC-12345.

• A support agent may be able to find that conversation in the agent interface by searching:

  in:conversations external_reference:ABC-12345

• An end user searching from the Help Center may not be able to find the same conversation by searching for ABC-12345 or external_reference:ABC-12345.

Key Limitation

This creates an important practical limitation:

If an end user only knows a value stored in a custom field, they may not be able to locate the conversation from the Help Center search alone.

In that situation, a support agent or administrator may need to:

1. find the conversation internally from the agent interface
2. identify the current subject or current Help Center link
3. provide that information to the end user

References

• Using Modifiers When Searching in Kayako
• API Field Key for Custom Fields
• Custom Field Key Name Value
• Cannot Search Using Conversation IDs From the Help Center