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AI Chatbot

Set up and manage the AI-powered chat assistant for SMS and web

The AI Chatbot is an AI-powered assistant that automatically responds to customer messages via SMS and a web chat widget you install on your website. It knows your services, pricing, and service area, so it can answer questions accurately around the clock. When a new prospect chats, the AI can collect their information and generate a personalized booking link so they sign up directly in the conversation. If an existing customer reaches out, the AI detects them via Field Routes, provides your office phone number, and escalates the thread to your team. For anything the AI cannot handle, it hands off gracefully and your team is notified by email. The business impact is significant: abandoned-cart SMS replies recover leads that would otherwise be lost, the web widget captures website visitors 24/7 without staffing a live chat team, and your support load drops because the AI resolves common questions before they reach your inbox.

Requirements

  • Pro or Enterprise subscription tier (chatbot features are not available on free plans)
  • A dedicated SMS number provisioned and linked to your organization (for SMS — configured during onboarding)
  • Company slug configured in Dashboard → Settings → Booker (required for the web chat widget embed code)
  • At least one active service plan with pricing configured (the AI references your real plans when answering)
  • Admin role in your PestBooker organization (Members cannot edit chatbot settings)
  • About 10 minutes to complete initial setup and testing
1

Enable the AI Chatbot

  • Go to Dashboard → Settings → Chatbot
  • Find the "AI Auto-Replies" section at the top of the page
  • Toggle "Enable AI Chatbot" to ON (the toggle turns green when active)
  • The first time you enable it, a confirmation dialog asks you to acknowledge that customer messages are processed by an AI model before you can turn it on
  • The chatbot immediately begins auto-replying to all inbound SMS messages and web chat messages
  • When disabled, inbound messages are still stored in Dashboard → Conversations — you just lose the automatic AI reply
  • You can toggle this on and off at any time without losing conversation history or settings
  • Click "Save Changes" in the bottom bar to persist your change
2

Write Custom Instructions

  • After enabling the chatbot, a "Custom Instructions" text area appears below the toggle
  • These instructions are appended to the AI system prompt and steer every response the AI generates
  • Maximum 500 characters — a character counter appears below the field and turns red when you hit the limit
  • GOOD examples: "Always mention our 10% first-time customer discount", "Emphasize that we offer same-week appointments", "Our specialty is termite treatment — lead with that when relevant"
  • BAD examples: "Be nice" (too vague — the AI is already friendly), "Do not talk about pricing" (conflicts with built-in behavior that references your actual service plans)
  • Think of instructions as priorities: what should the AI emphasize, what promotions to mention, and what tone to use
  • Leave the field empty if you want default behavior — the AI already knows your services, pricing, and service area
  • After editing, click "Save Changes" BEFORE testing — the test chat uses your saved instructions, not unsaved drafts
3

Configure Feature Toggles

  • After enabling the chatbot, a "Chatbot Features" section appears with two independent toggles
  • NEW CUSTOMER REGISTRATION (on by default): When enabled, the AI collects customer info (name, address, phone, email) conversationally and generates a personalized booking link. The customer clicks the link to pick a date, choose a plan, and enter payment — completing signup without leaving the chat flow. Disable this if you prefer all new customers to call your office or if you want the AI to only answer questions without pushing toward a booking.
  • EXISTING CUSTOMER DETECTION (on by default): When enabled, the AI checks whether the person messaging you is already a customer and, if so, routes them to your team with your office phone number instead of trying to sign them up again. This prevents existing customers from accidentally creating duplicate accounts. Disable this if you prefer the AI to treat everyone as a new prospect.
  • You can enable both, one, or neither — with both off, the AI simply answers questions about your services without collecting info or checking Field Routes
  • Toggle changes take effect after clicking "Save Changes" in the bottom bar
4

Install the Web Chat Widget

  • In Dashboard → Settings → Chatbot, scroll to the "Chat Widget Embed Code" section (only visible when the chatbot is enabled and your company slug is configured)
  • Click the copy button in the top-right corner of the code block to copy the script tag to your clipboard
  • The embed code looks like: <script src="https://getpestcontrol.services/chat-widget.js" data-company="yourslug"></script>
  • WORDPRESS: Go to Appearance → Theme File Editor → footer.php and paste the script just before the closing </body> tag. Alternatively, use a plugin like "Insert Headers and Footers" and paste it in the Footer Scripts box.
  • SQUARESPACE: Go to Settings → Advanced → Code Injection and paste the script in the Footer field. Click Save.
  • CUSTOM HTML / STATIC SITE: Open your main HTML file (often index.html) and paste the script tag just before the closing </body> tag.
  • The widget renders as a floating green chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of every page where the script is loaded
  • It uses Shadow DOM isolation so it will not conflict with your website styles, CSS frameworks, or other scripts
  • After installing, visit your website in a new browser tab and verify the chat bubble appears — click it to open the chat interface
5

Set Up Inbound Message Notifications

  • Inbound message alerts are configured on the Notifications settings page, not on the Chatbot page itself
  • Go to Dashboard → Settings → Notifications and turn on the "Inbound Message Alert" type
  • Add up to 5 recipient emails — each gets an email for every inbound SMS or web chat message, including the AI response if the chatbot is enabled
  • See "Notification Settings" for the full list of internal alert types and how to configure them
6

Monitor and Manage Conversations

  • Go to Dashboard → Conversations to see all chat threads across SMS and web chat in one place
  • Each conversation row shows: the customer name or phone number, the channel icon (phone icon for SMS, globe icon for web chat), the last message preview, and a status badge
  • STATUS BADGES: "Active" (green, bot icon) means the AI is handling the conversation. "Escalated" (amber, headphones icon) means the AI handed off to your team — usually because it could not answer a question or the customer asked for a human. "Opted Out" (red, ban icon) means the customer texted STOP and cannot receive further messages. "Closed" (gray) means the conversation has ended.
  • Use the search bar at the top to find conversations by phone number or customer name
  • Use the status filter tabs (All, Active, Escalated, Closed) to narrow the list — the count next to each tab updates in real time
  • Click any conversation to open the full transcript in the chat panel on the right (on mobile, it opens full-screen)
  • To reply manually, type your message in the input field at the bottom of the chat panel and press Enter or click Send — your message is sent as an SMS or web chat reply depending on the channel
  • When you send a manual reply, the AI automatically pauses for that conversation so it does not respond on top of you. You can re-enable the AI using the toggle in the chat panel header.
  • You can deep-link to a specific conversation by sharing the URL with ?id=sessionId — useful for handing off a conversation to a colleague
7

Test Your Chatbot

  • In Dashboard → Settings → Chatbot, find the "Test Chat" section (visible any time your company slug is configured, even before you enable the chatbot for real customers)
  • Click "Open Test Chat" to launch an interactive test panel with a message input and response area
  • Type a message and press Enter — the AI responds in real time using your saved settings, custom instructions, and actual service data
  • Test sessions are intentionally kept out of Dashboard → Conversations, so testing never clutters your real customer inbox
  • WHAT TO TEST: Ask about pricing to verify the AI references your actual service plans. Ask about pests you treat to confirm pest offerings are accurate. Ask an off-topic question to see how the AI handles it. Try saying "I want to sign up" to test the new customer registration flow (if enabled). Ask about an existing appointment to see how existing customer detection works.
  • To start fresh, click "Reset & Close" at the bottom of the test panel — this clears the session so your next test starts a new conversation
  • IMPORTANT: Always click "Save Changes" before testing — the test chat uses your persisted settings, not unsaved edits in the form
8

Understand Existing Customer Handling

  • When Existing Customer Detection is enabled, here is what happens for SMS conversations:
  • The customer sends an SMS to your SMS number. The AI checks whether the sender is already a customer.
  • If they are, the AI responds with a message like "It looks like you are already a customer! For account questions, please call [your office number]." The conversation status changes to "Escalated" so your team knows to follow up.
  • For web chat, the AI asks the visitor for their phone number during the conversation and performs the same check
  • If the person is not an existing customer, the conversation continues normally — the AI can proceed with new customer registration if that feature is also enabled
  • This prevents existing customers from accidentally creating duplicate accounts and routes them to your support team instead
  • Your office phone number is pulled from your organization settings — make sure it is up to date in Dashboard → Settings

Pro Tips

  • • The AI automatically knows your service plans, pricing, pest offerings, and service area — you do not need to repeat this information in custom instructions
  • • When the AI cannot answer a question or the customer asks for a human, the conversation is marked "Escalated" and your team receives a notification email (if configured). No message is left unanswered.
  • • Customers who text STOP are automatically opted out — the conversation shows an "Opted Out" badge and the reply input is disabled to prevent accidental messages to opted-out numbers
  • • Web chat sessions persist via the visitor browser. If a customer leaves your website and returns later, they pick up the same conversation — they do not start over.
  • • The abandoned cart SMS text adjusts its language based on your chatbot setting: it says "reply to this message with any questions" when AI is on, and "call us at [number]" when AI is off. This happens automatically.
  • • Custom instructions are the single most impactful setting — spend time writing specific, actionable instructions rather than generic ones. Mention promotions, differentiators, and your preferred tone.
  • • Test after every change to custom instructions. A small wording change can meaningfully shift how the AI responds to common questions.
  • • Use the status filter on the Conversations page to review escalated conversations daily — these are customers who need human attention and represent your highest-priority follow-ups

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