AI Chatbot

Provide instant customer support with an AI-powered chatbot. Automate responses, manage conversations, and improve customer satisfaction around the clock.

Overview

The AI Chatbot module lets you deploy an intelligent support assistant on your storefront that can answer customer questions automatically:

AI-powered responses trained on your knowledgebase, FAQs, and live store data
Real-time access to your products, orders, shipping info, and store pages
Real-time conversation inbox for manual follow-ups
Fully customizable chat widget to match your brand
Human Mode for manual conversation handling
AI Credits system with monthly usage tracking
Pre-built system prompt templates to get started quickly
Lead capture and management
Omnichannel messaging — connect Instagram DM, set up comment automations, and manage all messages from one inbox

Access the chatbot from your dashboard by navigating to AI Chatbot in the sidebar.

Smart AI with Real-Time Data

The chatbot doesn't just use your knowledgebase — it also accesses your live store data in real time. When a customer asks about products, shipping, or their order status, the AI pulls current information directly from your store to provide accurate, up-to-date answers.

AI Credits

Every merchant receives a monthly allocation of AI tokens that power chatbot responses. The AI Credits system tracks your usage and resets automatically each month.

How Credits Work

Monthly Allowance — Each merchant starts with 1,000,000 tokens per month (approximately 500 conversations)
Token Usage — Each AI response consumes tokens based on the length of the conversation context and the response generated
Automatic Reset — Credits reset on the 1st of every month
Hard Stop — When credits are exhausted, the chatbot stops generating AI responses. Customer messages are still saved and can be answered manually

Monitoring Your Credits

Your current credit usage is displayed at the top of the Chatbot → Settings page. The usage card shows:

A color-coded progress bar (green under 70%, amber 70–90%, red over 90%)
Tokens used vs. your monthly limit
Remaining tokens available
Days until your credits reset

When Credits Run Out

If your AI credits are exhausted, customers will still be able to send messages through the chat widget. Their messages will be saved in your inbox, and customers will receive a polite acknowledgment asking them to wait for a team member. You can reply manually from the Inbox at any time.

Inbox

The inbox is where you view and manage all customer conversations with your chatbot.

Viewing Conversations

Navigate to Inbox

Go to AI Chatbot → Inbox in your dashboard.

Browse Conversations

See a list of all conversations with customer name, last message preview, timestamp, and status.

Open a Conversation

Click on any conversation to view the full message history.

Replying to Messages

While the AI handles most responses automatically, you can jump into any conversation to provide a personal reply:

Open the conversation from the inbox
Type your reply in the message input field
Click Send to deliver your message to the customer

Conversation Status

Active

Conversation is ongoing and may need attention

Waiting

The AI has handed off the conversation or credits are exhausted — requires your manual reply

AI Handled

The AI successfully answered the customer's questions

Closed

Conversation has been resolved and closed

Real-Time Data Access

The AI chatbot intelligently detects what customers are asking about and pulls live data from your store to provide accurate answers. This happens automatically — no extra setup required.

What the AI Can Access

Products

When customers ask about your products, pricing, availability, or features, the AI searches your product catalog and responds with current information including prices, descriptions, and stock status.

Orders

If a customer provides their email, the AI can look up their order history and provide status updates on recent purchases.

Shipping

The AI accesses your shipping zones, methods, and fees to answer delivery questions with accurate costs and timeframes.

Store Pages & Policies

The AI reads your store pages (About, Contact, Terms, Return Policy, etc.) to answer questions about your business policies.

Automatic Intent Detection

You don't need to configure what data the AI accesses. It automatically detects customer intent from their message and fetches only the relevant data. For example, “How much does shipping cost?” triggers shipping data, while “Do you have red shoes?” searches your product catalog.

Knowledgebase

The knowledgebase supplements the AI's real-time data access with custom information specific to your business that isn't captured in your product listings or store pages.

Adding Knowledge Articles

Navigate to Knowledgebase

Go to AI Chatbot → Knowledgebase in your dashboard.

Add New Entry

Click Add Entry to create a new knowledge article.

Write the Content

Enter a clear title and detailed content. Cover common questions, policies, product details, or any information customers frequently ask about.

Save

Click Save to add the article. The AI will immediately start using it to answer relevant questions.

Adding FAQs

FAQs are question-and-answer pairs that train the AI to respond to specific questions consistently. Unlike knowledge articles (which are free-form), FAQs provide structured answers the AI can match directly.

Navigate to FAQs

Go to AI Chatbot → Knowledgebase and switch to the FAQs tab.

Add a Question

Enter the question exactly as a customer might ask it.

Write the Answer

Provide a clear, complete answer. The AI will use this when it detects a similar question.

Tips for a Better Knowledgebase

Write in clear, simple language
Cover your most frequently asked questions first
Include specifics like business hours, return windows, and processing times
Update entries when policies or information change
Add FAQs for questions where you want a consistent, exact answer

Knowledge + Live Data

The knowledgebase works alongside live store data. For example, if a customer asks “What's your return policy for electronics?”, the AI might combine your return policy knowledge article with current product information to provide a tailored response.

Leads

The Leads section captures contact information from visitors who interact with the chatbot. When a customer provides their name, email, or phone number during a conversation, the AI automatically saves their details as a lead for follow-up.

Access your leads from AI Chatbot → Leads in your dashboard.

Customize the appearance of your chat widget to match your brand and storefront design. The widget appears as a floating chat button on your storefront that customers can click to start a conversation.

Customization Options

Go to AI Chatbot → Widget Designer to access the full set of styling controls. All changes preview in real time on the right side of the screen.

Widget Identity

Avatar — Upload a custom avatar image for the chat header
Title — Set the name shown in the chat header (e.g., “Support”)
Subtitle — Add a subtitle below the title (e.g., “Ask me anything!”)

Colors

Header Color — Background color of the chat header area
Background Color — Main chat area background
Text Color — Color of message text
Bubble Color — Color of the floating chat button and customer message bubbles

Typography & Branding

Font Family — Choose the font for all chat text
Powered By — Toggle whether “Powered by Vaendora” appears in the widget

Position

Choose between bottom-right or bottom-left placement on your storefront

The Widget Designer includes a live preview that updates instantly as you change settings. Use it to see exactly how the chat widget will look on your storefront before saving.

The chat widget is automatically embedded on your Vaendora storefront when the chatbot is enabled and the Show on Storefront toggle is turned on in Settings. No additional code or setup is required.

Human Mode

Human Mode lets you take full manual control of customer conversations instead of relying on AI responses.

How Human Mode Works

When Human Mode is ON, the AI will not auto-reply to incoming customer messages. Messages are saved in your inbox for you to respond manually.
When Human Mode is OFF, the AI responds automatically to customer messages using your knowledgebase and store data.
You can toggle Human Mode on and off at any time from AI Chatbot → Settings. The change takes effect immediately for all conversations.

Human Mode + Email Notifications

When Human Mode is enabled, you'll receive email notifications for new customer messages so you can respond promptly even when you're not watching the dashboard.

Usage & Stats

Monitor how your chatbot is performing and how customers are engaging with it from AI Chatbot → Usage & Stats.

Key Metrics

Conversations

The total number of unique chat sessions initiated by customers. This reflects real conversation counts from your database, giving you an accurate picture of customer engagement.

Tokens Used

The total number of AI tokens consumed during the selected period. This tracks how much of your monthly AI credit allowance has been used.

AI Responses

The number of messages the AI has generated automatically in response to customer inquiries.

Message Sources

A breakdown of where your messages are coming from by channel (Web, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger). This helps you understand which channels your customers prefer.

Improve with Data

Use usage statistics to identify gaps in your knowledgebase. If many conversations require manual intervention, consider adding more knowledge articles on those topics.

Settings

Configure how your chatbot behaves and manage its core settings from AI Chatbot → Settings.

Main Toggles

Enable AI Chatbot

Master switch for the chatbot feature. When disabled, no AI processing occurs and the widget does not appear on your storefront.

Show on Storefront

Controls whether the chat widget appears on your storefront pages. You can keep the chatbot enabled (for dashboard testing) while hiding the widget from customers.

Human Mode

When turned on, the AI stops auto-replying and all messages go to your inbox for manual response. Toggle on and off at any time — the change applies to all conversations immediately.

Who Starts the Conversation

Choose whether the AI sends a welcome message first when the customer opens the chat, or whether the customer types the first message. When set to “Customer First,” the chat opens with an empty input field ready for their question.

Messages

Welcome Message — The greeting customers see when they first open the chat widget (only shown when “AI First” conversation mode is selected)
System Prompt — Define the AI's personality, tone, and behavioral rules. This is the core instruction that shapes how your chatbot communicates with customers.

System Prompt Templates

Not sure how to write a system prompt? Use one of the pre-built templates to get started quickly. Click Browse Templates next to the System Prompt field to open the template picker.

Available Templates

General Store Assistant

A well-rounded assistant that helps customers with products, orders, store policies, and general questions. Great starting point for most stores.

Customer Support Pro

An advanced support agent focused on resolving issues with empathy and structured workflows. Includes handling for complaints, returns, billing disputes, and escalation protocols.

Sales Assistant

A consultative sales agent that drives conversions through smart product recommendations, objection handling, and natural upselling techniques.

Order & Shipping Helper

Specialized in the post-purchase experience: order tracking, shipping inquiries, delivery issues, and return processing.

Lead Qualifier

Engages visitors in natural conversation to qualify leads, capture contact details, and route high-intent prospects to your sales team.

Open Template Picker

Go to AI Chatbot → Settings and click Browse Templates next to the System Prompt field.

Filter by Category

Use the category buttons (All Categories, General Purpose, Customer Support, Sales) to filter templates by type.

Preview a Template

Click on any template to expand it and see the full prompt text. Review the prompt to make sure it fits your business needs.

Apply the Template

Click Use This Template to load the prompt into your System Prompt field. The template will replace your current prompt.

Customize and Save

Edit the loaded prompt to add your specific business details, tone preferences, or custom rules. Replace {{store_name}} with your actual store name. Then click Save Settings.

Templates Are Starting Points

Each template is a comprehensive, professional-grade prompt designed by experts. Use them as-is for great results, or customize them to match your specific business needs. You can always switch to a different template later.

Basic widget appearance settings (color and position) are also available on the Settings page. For full customization, use the Widget Designer.

Test After Changes

After updating chatbot settings, test the chatbot on your storefront to verify the AI responds correctly. This helps catch issues before customers encounter them.

Channels & Instagram

Extend your AI chatbot beyond your storefront by connecting social media messaging platforms. With Chatbot Channels, you can:

Receive and respond to Instagram Direct Messages automatically
Set up Comment Automations to auto-DM people who comment specific keywords on your Instagram posts
Manage all conversations from a unified inbox

For full details on connecting Instagram and setting up comment automations, see the Chatbot Channels documentation.