MakeYourChatbot Documentation

Everything you need to set up, configure, and manage your AI assistant. From initial setup to advanced customization.

Quick Start Guide How Coordination Works

💬

Try the Assistant

Live

This is a live MakeYourChatbot widget. Ask it anything about our product!

Overview

MakeYourChatbot helps you launch an AI assistant that learns from your business, answers routine questions, and escalates complex requests to your team.

Key capabilities

Self-learning

Trained from your website, documents, and FAQ content

Safe by default

Escalates to humans instead of guessing

Remote control

Respond via email, Slack, or dashboard

Multiple widget types

FAQ, lead capture, scheduling, and custom flows

Why This Is Different

Most AI chatbots fail your customers in one of two ways. This one doesn't.

The problem with other AI chatbots

Can't help → Dead end

The chatbot doesn't know the answer, so it tells the customer to email support or call a number. Now the customer has to start over with a different channel, re-explain everything, and wait.

Tries to help → Transfer

The chatbot tries to help but hits its limits. It "transfers" the customer to a human agent. The customer waits, then has to explain everything again. The agent has no context.

How MakeYourChatbot is different

When your assistant can't answer, it doesn't abandon the customer. It collects their info, sets expectations, and loops in a human—all in the same conversation. The customer never feels transferred.

The customer hands off their problem to the assistant

Not the other way around. The customer stays in one conversation and waits for a resolution.

You reply on your own schedule

Get notified via email or Slack. Reply when you can. Type casually—the assistant translates it into a professional response.

The customer gets helped, not transferred

They never know they talked to a human. They just know they got a resolution in the same conversation they started.

Tip

This works for everything: appointment requests, custom quotes, complaints, technical questions. The customer describes their problem once. You handle it. They get an answer. Done.

Quick Start

Get your assistant live in under 5 minutes.

Enter your website URL

The system crawls your pages, extracts business info, and drafts a starter FAQ automatically.

Customize identity and tone

Pick an avatar, set a name, choose conversation style (friendly, professional, etc.).

Configure coordination

Define when the assistant should loop you in and how you want to be notified.

Install the widget

Copy one line of code. Paste it before </body>. Your assistant goes live instantly.

Step 1: Website Scan

The first step is providing your website URL for automatic content extraction.

What happens during the scan

Phase 1

Discovery — Finds and indexes all accessible pages on your site

Phase 2

Extraction — Pulls out business name, services, contact info, and content

Phase 3

FAQ Generation — Creates initial Q&A pairs based on your content

Tip

You can add up to 12 additional URLs manually to ensure important pages like pricing, menus, or support docs are included.

Step 2: Identity & Avatar

Give your assistant a personality that matches your brand.

Configuration options

Avatar

Choose from 30+ preset avatars or upload your own logo (max 3MB)

Assistant name

The name shown in conversations (e.g., "Julie", "Alex", "Support Bot")

Business name

How the assistant refers to your company

Tone

Friendly, Professional, Enthusiastic, or Empathetic

Perspective

Adaptive, First person ("I"), Collective ("We"), or Third person

Step 3: Widget Styling

Customize the appearance of your chat widget to match your brand.

Styling options

Primary color

8 color families (blue, red, green, purple, orange, pink, teal, gray) with 5 shade variations each

Widget title

Appears at the top of the chat window

Welcome message

The first message shown when a customer opens the chat

Opener message

Preview text shown on the chat button (max 30 characters)

Step 4: Knowledge & Training

Build your assistant's knowledge base with FAQs and documents.

Knowledge sources

Q&A Editor

Edit auto-generated FAQ responses from the website scan
Add your own Q&A pairs manually
Import/export Q&A as plain text (Q: and A: format)

Document uploads

Supported formats: PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT, CSV, XLS, XLSX
Maximum file size: 10MB per file
Up to 5 files per upload batch

Info

Changes to knowledge are stored as files the assistant references first. Q&A pairs get highest priority, followed by uploaded documents, then website content.

Step 5: Contact Collection

Configure what information to collect when escalating to a human.

Available fields

Customer nameOptional toggle

Email addressOptional toggle

Phone numberOptional toggle

Custom fieldsAdd your own (e.g., "Order number")

Warning

At least one contact field must be enabled so you can follow up with customers. Without contact info, you won't be able to reach them.

Step 6: Coordination Settings

Define when and how your assistant loops you in.

Trigger phrases

When a customer uses any of these phrases, the assistant will automatically loop you in.

15 Default triggers (always active)

humanrepresentativeagentpersonmanagerspeak to someonetalk to someonereal personcustomer servicesupport teamhelp deskcomplaintcancelrefundescalate

Custom triggers

Add industry-specific phrases that should loop you in for your business.

Examples: "warranty claim", "legal issue", "urgent order", "schedule appointment"

Owner instructions

Customize what the assistant says when looping you in and how it sets expectations.

Default message: "I'm connecting you with our team. They typically respond within a few hours during business hours. Can I get your contact information to make sure they can reach you?"

Step 7: Slack Integration

Connect Slack to receive alerts and manage conversations.

Setup process

Connect your workspace

Click 'Add to Slack' to authorize the MakeYourChatbot app in your workspace.

Select monitoring channel

Choose where all conversation messages should be posted (optional).

Select alerts channel

Choose where urgent alerts should be posted when you're needed.

Tip

Once connected, you can respond to customers directly from Slack by mentioning the bot or replying in a conversation thread.

Step 8: Advanced Settings

Fine-tune widget behavior and enable power features.

Widget positioning

Position

Left or right corner of the screen

Side offset

Distance from edge (in pixels)

Bottom offset

Distance from bottom (in pixels)

Desktop mode

Floating widget or sidebar layout

Additional options

Enable attachments

Images only (PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, HEIC). Up to 3 per message, 5MB each. Drag/drop or paste supported.

Toggle

Trial mode

Collect messages without AI replies

Toggle

Note

Image uploads are stored with the conversation. In the dashboard you'll see an "[Image uploaded]" placeholder today; full previews are currently only shown in the widget transcript.

How Coordination Works

The complete flow from customer request to resolution.

Looping you in is a feature, not a failure

When the assistant needs help, it's not giving up—it's getting your customer the right answer. The customer stays in the same conversation, provides their info once, and waits for a resolution. No transfers, no repeating themselves, no starting over.

You reply however you want—"tuesday 4 works" becomes a polished, professional message. The assistant translates your casual reply into something on-brand.

How coordination works

1. Customer needs help

Uses a trigger phrase or requests human help

2. Assistant collects contact info

Gathers configured fields (name, email, phone)

3. Sets expectations

Tells customer when to expect a response

4. You get notified

Via email, Slack, or both (your choice)

5. You respond

Reply from email, Slack, or the dashboard

6. Customer gets your answer

Delivered in the assistant's voice for consistency

Trigger Phrases

The assistant will loop you in when:

Keyword triggers

When customers use specific words like "human", "manager", "refund", or any custom triggers you've configured.

Frustration detection

The assistant recognizes when customers are getting frustrated or repeating themselves.

Complex requests

Questions outside the assistant's knowledge base loop you in rather than guessing.

Explicit request

Customers can always ask to speak with a human directly.

The Coordination Flow

When the assistant loops you in, it follows a structured process:

1. Categorize the request

The assistant identifies the type of request (scheduling, billing, complaint, technical, or other) and begins the coordination process.

2. Collect contact info

Gathers the customer's contact details based on the fields you've configured (name, email, phone).

3. Set expectations

Tells the customer when they can expect a response based on your business hours.

4. Notify your team

Sends you the full conversation context via email and/or Slack so you can respond.

Notification Channels

Email

Instant notification to your configured email
Includes full conversation context
Customer info summary
One-click dashboard link (magic link auth)
Reply directly to the email to respond

Slack

Posts to your configured coordination channel
Includes customer info and request summary
Reply in Slack to respond to customer
Optional: All messages in monitoring channel
Thread-based conversation management

Info

You can enable both channels simultaneously. Most teams use email as the primary channel and Slack for urgent alerts.

Responding to Customers

Three ways to respond

Reply to email

Simply reply to the alert email. Your response is processed and delivered to the customer in the assistant's voice.

Reply in Slack

Mention the bot or reply in the conversation thread. Your message is translated and sent to the customer.

Use the dashboard

Click the magic link in your email to go directly to the conversation in your portal inbox.

Tip

Your replies are automatically rephrased into the assistant's voice for consistency. Write naturally — the system handles the translation.

Dashboard: Inbox

Your command center for managing conversations and coordination.

Inbox features

Conversations tab

View all conversations with status badges (Active, Escalated, Resolved, Needs Response)
Filter by assistant or status
Search by customer name or content
Sort by last activity

Offline messages tab

Messages left when assistant was in trial/offline mode
Sender info (name, email) if provided
Mark as read functionality

Stats dashboard

This week

Total conversations

Hours saved

Estimated time

Auto-resolved %

No human help needed

Conversation Detail

What you see in each conversation

Full message thread (customer ↔ assistant ↔ owner)
Customer contact information
Timestamps for all messages
Coordination status and category
Reply interface to respond directly

Assistants

Manage multiple assistants

Grid view of all your assistants with avatars
Per-assistant stats (conversation count, last active)
Quick actions: Configure, View Inbox
Create new assistant button

Widgets

Widget types

FAQ Widget

Answer questions directly from your knowledge base. Great for help centers.

Lead Capture

Collect contact info conversationally. Perfect for landing pages.

Scheduler

Help customers book appointments and collect preferences.

Free Form

Custom AI interactions with your own instructions.

Info

Each widget type can be embedded independently on different pages. Widgets have their own conversation tracking separate from your main assistant. Lead Capture and Scheduler send an email summary to the team owner when a submission completes.

Team Management

Team roles

Permission	Member	Admin	Owner
View conversations
Respond to customers
Train assistant
Configure assistants
Invite team members
Promote/demote or remove members

Team management actions

Invite new members by email with role assignment (Owner/Admin)
View pending invitations with expiration dates
Resend or cancel invitations that haven't been accepted (Owner/Admin)
Owners can promote/demote members between roles
Owners can remove team members

Tip

Team members authenticate via email magic links — no passwords needed. They'll receive an invitation email with a one-click login.

Settings

Account info

View your account details

Notification preferences

Configure how you receive alerts

Weekly digest

Automatic weekly summary of activity and trends

Tip

Update your notification email in Configure. Weekly digests are sent automatically to the team owner.

Remote Control

Take over conversations from Slack or email without accessing the dashboard.

Remote control via Slack

When connected to Slack, you can take over any conversation directly:

Reply in the conversation thread to send a message to the customer
Mention the bot to trigger specific actions
View full conversation context in the monitoring channel

Slack commands (using "Julie" as an example — use your assistant's name)

@Julie [message] Send a response (timer resets to 10 minutes)
@Julie done End remote control and return to AI
@Julie extend 15 Extend the timer (minutes)
@Julie status View remaining time and controller

Remote control via email

Every alert email includes a special reply-to address:

{company}+{conversationId}@mail.makeyourchatbot.com

Simply reply to the email and your message is automatically routed to the right conversation and delivered to the customer.

Tip

Include "RESOLVED" at the start of your email reply to mark the conversation as closed.

Training Mode

Correct assistant responses in real-time to improve future answers.

How to use training mode

Generate a training PIN

Go to your assistant's configuration page and generate a time-limited PIN.

Enter training mode

In the chat widget, type 'enter training mode' and provide the PIN when prompted.

Correct responses

If the assistant gives a wrong answer, simply respond with the correct one. Say something like 'No, the correct answer is...' or 'Actually, it should be...'. The assistant will save your correction automatically.

Reset and test

Click 'Reset History' in the training banner to start fresh, then ask the same question to verify your correction was learned. Repeat this process to dial in your assistant's responses.

Exit training mode

Type 'exit training mode' when finished. All corrections are saved automatically.

Info

Training corrections have the highest priority in the knowledge hierarchy. The assistant will use your corrected responses before falling back to other knowledge sources.

Trial & Offline Mode

Collect messages without AI responses during setup or downtime.

Trial mode

Trial mode disables AI responses while still collecting visitor messages. This is useful for:

Testing widget installation before going live
Lead capture without AI assistance
Temporary pauses while updating knowledge

Offline message

Customize what visitors see when the assistant is offline:

Default: "Our assistant is currently offline. Please leave your message and contact info, and we'll get back to you soon."

Slack Integration

Full integration with Slack for notifications and conversation management.

Setup process

Install the app

Click 'Add to Slack' in your assistant's configuration to authorize the MakeYourChatbot app.

Select channels

Choose a monitoring channel (all messages) and a coordination channel (urgent alerts).

Start receiving notifications

Alerts and conversations will appear in your selected channels.

Slack capabilities

Monitoring channel

All conversation messages posted for visibility

Coordination channel

Urgent requests posted for immediate attention

Reply in threads

Respond to customers directly from Slack

Mention the bot

Trigger specific actions or take over

Email Integration

Automatic email notifications and reply handling.

Email types

Alert emails

Instant notification when a customer needs human help. Includes full context, customer info, and a one-click dashboard link.

Offline message emails

Notification when someone leaves a message while the assistant is offline.

Weekly digest

Summary of activity, trends, and unanswered questions.

Replying to emails

Each alert email has a special reply-to address that routes your response to the correct conversation:

From: Julie <[email protected]>
Reply-To: [email protected]

Hi there,

A customer needs your help...

---
Reply to this email to respond to the customer.
Include "RESOLVED" to close the conversation.

Primary assistant widget

Add this before your closing </body> tag:

<script
  src="https://www.makeyourchatbot.com/widget-loader.js"
  data-bot-id="YOUR_BOT_ID"
  data-api-url="https://www.makeyourchatbot.com"
  data-position="right"
  data-side-offset="20"
  data-bottom-offset="20"
  data-desktop-mode="widget"
  data-enable-attachments="true"
></script>

Embedded widgets

Embed a widget inline on your page (great for landing pages, contact pages, or documentation):

<div id="mycb-YOUR_WIDGET_ID"></div>
<script
  src="https://makeyourchatbot.com/embed.js"
  data-widget-id="YOUR_WIDGET_ID"
></script>

Tip

The widget will expand to fill its container. Wrap it in a div with a specific width to control its size:

<div style="max-width: 400px; margin: 0 auto;">
  <div id="mycb-YOUR_WIDGET_ID"></div>
</div>

Widget styling tips

Container sizing

The widget inherits styles from its container. Use CSS to control width, max-width, and positioning. For centered widgets, use margin: 0 auto.

Responsive design

Widgets are responsive by default. On mobile, they'll adapt to the available width. Consider using max-width: 100% for fluid layouts.

Multiple widgets

You can embed multiple widgets on the same page. Each needs a unique container ID matching the patternmycb-YOUR_WIDGET_ID.

Configuration options

Attribute	Values	Default
data-widget-id	Your widget ID	(required)
data-position	"left" or "right"	"right"
data-side-offset	Number (pixels)	"20"
data-bottom-offset	Number (pixels)	"20"
data-desktop-mode	"widget" or "sidebar"	"widget"
data-enable-attachments	"true" or "false"	"true"
data-attachment-max-bytes	Number (bytes)	"5242880" (5MB)

Analytics & Reports

Track performance and identify opportunities.

Dashboard metrics

Conversation volume

Total chats this week with trend indicator

Hours saved

Estimated time saved by automation

Auto-resolved rate

Percentage handled without human help

Pending requests

Conversations awaiting your response

Busiest times

Peak days and hours for traffic

Offline messages

Unread messages from offline mode

Weekly digest email

Receive a weekly summary including:

Week-over-week comparison of key metrics
Common questions that needed human help
Suggestions for knowledge base improvements

FAQ

Common questions about MakeYourChatbot.

How does the AI learn about my business?

The assistant reads your website content automatically when you provide a URL. It extracts text, products, services, and FAQ candidates to build a knowledge base. You can add documents and manual Q&A pairs to expand its knowledge.

Is this difficult to install?

No. Installation is a single line of JavaScript placed before the closing </body> tag. No developer required. Works with WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, Webflow, Wix, or any custom site.

What happens if the assistant can't answer a question?

It loops you in rather than guessing. The assistant requests contact details and sends the full context to your team via email, Slack, or both.

Can I customize how the assistant responds?

Yes. You can set tone (friendly, professional, enthusiastic, empathetic), perspective (I/we/they), custom instructions, and edit the knowledge base at any time. Changes go live instantly.

Do I need a credit card to start?

No. The free trial does not require a credit card.

How do I get notified when I need to step in?

Choose email, Slack, or both. You receive the full conversation context and can reply immediately from any channel.

Can the assistant send emails to customers?

Yes. When you reply to an alert (via email, Slack, or dashboard), the assistant can email your response to the customer if they provided their email address.

Do you support SMS or WhatsApp?

The assistant works through your website widget, email, and Slack.

Do I need a mobile app?

No app required. Everything works via email, Slack, or the web dashboard.

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