AI Chatbot
What It Does
The AI Chatbot is an AI-powered chat widget that answers your customers' questions automatically using your knowledge base. It helps reduce ticket volume by resolving common queries before they ever become support tickets.
How to Enable
- Go to DeskPress > AI Agent > AI API and make sure your AI provider (OpenAI or Gemini) is configured with a valid API key.
- Go to DeskPress > AI Agent > Knowledge Base and index at least one content source so the chatbot has something to draw from.
- Go to DeskPress > AI Agent > Chatbot and toggle Enable Chatbot to on.
That's it -- the chatbot is now live on your site.
Configuration Walkthrough
Step 1: Choose a Display Mode
The chatbot can appear on your site in two ways:
- Floating Bubble -- A small chat icon appears in the corner of every page on your site. When visitors click it, the chat panel opens. You can choose whether it sits in the bottom-right or bottom-left corner using the Position setting.
- Embedded -- Place the chatbot inline on any page using the
[hsd_chatbot]shortcode. You can also add it as an AI Chat block in the Portal Template Builder. This is great if you want the chatbot on a specific support or FAQ page rather than everywhere.
Step 2: Customize the Welcome Experience
- Greeting Message -- This is the first thing visitors see when they open the chatbot. Something friendly like "Hi there! How can I help you today?" works well.
- Chatbot Name -- Give your bot a name (e.g., "Support Bot" or "DeskBot") so it feels more personal.
- Subtitle -- A short line under the name, such as "Powered by AI" or "Available 24/7".
- Avatar URL -- Add a custom image URL to give your chatbot a face. A small square image works best.
Step 3: Configure the AI Behavior
- System Prompt -- This is the set of instructions that tells the AI how to behave. The default prompt works well out of the box, but you can customize it to match your brand voice. For example, you might add "Always respond in a friendly, casual tone" or "Never recommend competitor products."
- Max Context -- Controls how many previous messages the AI remembers during a conversation. The default of 5 is a good balance between context and performance.
- Prioritize Docs -- When turned on, the AI gives higher weight to your documentation articles. This is recommended if you have a well-maintained knowledge base.
- Account Context -- Add extra information about your business here. For example, "We are a SaaS company that sells project management software. Our plans start at $10/month." The AI uses this to give more accurate answers.
- Rate Limit -- Limits how many messages a visitor can send per session. The default of 10 prevents abuse while still allowing meaningful conversations.
Step 4: Set Up Handoff
When the AI cannot resolve an issue, it needs a way to hand off to your human team.
- Beacon -- Opens the Help Scout Beacon widget so the customer can create a ticket directly.
- Form -- Links to your support form page instead.
Use Handoff Text to customize what the button says (e.g., "Talk to a human" or "Create a support ticket").
Step 5: Enable Optional Tabs
The chatbot panel can show additional tabs beyond the main Chat tab:
- Tickets Tab -- Lets logged-in users see their recent support tickets right inside the chatbot. Toggle Show Tickets to enable it. You can customize the button text and URL with Ticket Button Text and Ticket Button URL.
- Docs Tab -- Adds a documentation search tab inside the chatbot panel. Toggle Show Docs to enable it. This requires a Docs API key to be configured under DeskPress > Integrations > Docs.
Shortcode Reference
Use [hsd_chatbot] to embed the chatbot on any page or post.
| Attribute | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
height |
From settings | Panel height in pixels (minimum: 200) |
show_tickets |
From settings | Show the Tickets tab. Set to "0" to hide. |
show_docs |
From settings | Show the Docs tab. Set to "0" to hide. |
Example:
[hsd_chatbot height="500" show_tickets="1" show_docs="1"]Settings Reference
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Chatbot | Off | Master toggle to activate the chatbot on your site |
| Greeting Message | "Hi there! I'm your AI assistant..." | The first message visitors see when opening the chat |
| System Prompt | (detailed RAG prompt) | Instructions that control how the AI responds |
| Handoff Mode | Beacon | What happens when the AI can't help: opens Beacon or links to your form |
| Handoff Text | (empty) | Custom label for the handoff button |
| Position | Bottom Right | Where the floating bubble appears (Bottom Right or Bottom Left) |
| Max Context | 5 | Number of previous messages the AI considers per conversation |
| Prioritize Docs | On | Give documentation articles higher priority in AI responses |
| Account Context | (empty) | Extra information about your business for the AI to reference |
| Rate Limit | 10 | Maximum number of messages a visitor can send per session |
| Show Tickets | Off | Display the Tickets tab in the chatbot panel |
| Show Docs | Off | Display the Docs tab in the chatbot panel |
| Ticket Button Text | (empty) | Custom label for the ticket button |
| Ticket Button URL | (empty) | Custom link for the ticket button |
| Chatbot Name | (empty) | Display name shown at the top of the chatbot (e.g., "Support Bot") |
| Subtitle | (empty) | Short text displayed under the chatbot name |
| Avatar URL | (empty) | URL of a custom avatar image for the chatbot |
Tips and Common Questions
Will the chatbot make up answers?
No. The AI strictly answers based on your indexed knowledge base. If it doesn't find a relevant answer, it will let the customer know and offer to hand off to your team. It won't fabricate information.
How do I improve the chatbot's answers?
Keep your knowledge base up to date. The better your documentation and resolved conversations are, the better the chatbot performs. You can reindex your content at any time from the Knowledge Base tab.
Can I customize the chatbot's personality?
Yes. Edit the System Prompt to change the tone, style, and boundaries of the AI. For example, you can make it more formal, more casual, or restrict it to certain topics.
Does the chatbot work for logged-out visitors?
Yes. The Chat and Docs tabs work for everyone. The Tickets tab only appears for logged-in users since it shows their personal ticket history.
Can I put the chatbot on specific pages only?
Use the embedded mode with the [hsd_chatbot] shortcode. The floating bubble appears on all pages, but the shortcode lets you place it exactly where you want.
What if I use both the floating bubble and the shortcode?
They will both appear. If you want the chatbot on specific pages only, disable the floating bubble and use the shortcode instead.