Documentation

Widget Installation

A single line of code to integrate the chatbot on your website:

Add this line just before </body>. The widget loads automatically with your bot's configuration (colors, language, schedule, prompt).

Compatibility

• All modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, static HTML
• Dedicated WordPress plugin available

Display the widget on specific pages

By default, the widget appears on all pages of your site. You can limit it to specific pages or exclude it from certain pages.

Method 1: Via Google Tag Manager (GTM)

If you use GTM to integrate the widget:

1. Log in to tagmanager.google.com
2. Click on your ChatDirect tag (the one containing the widget.js script)
3. In the Trigger section, click on the current trigger (e.g., All Pages)
4. Remove the “All Pages” trigger and create a new one
5. Type: Page View → Some Pages
6. To display on specific pages: Page URL → contains → /services (or the desired path)
7. To exclude certain pages: Page URL → does not contain → /admin
8. Save and publish the GTM container

Method 2: Via the WordPress plugin

If you use the ChatDirect WordPress plugin, you can control the display per page:

1. In the WordPress editor, open the page where you do not want the widget
2. In the page settings, look for the ChatDirect option or use a script management plugin
3. You can also add the shortcode [chatdirect] only on desired pages instead of enabling it globally

Method 3: Conditional JavaScript code

If you embed the script directly in your site, you can conditionally control the display:

In this example, the widget will not appear on pages containing /admin, checkout, or cart in the URL.

AI Providers

ChatDirect supports 4 conversational AI providers:

Prompt and Knowledge Base

The system prompt defines your bot's personality and instructions. The knowledge base contains information specific to your business (products, pricing, FAQ).

Best Practices

• Define a tone (formal, friendly, professional)
• List your products/services with pricing
• Include business hours
• Add frequently asked questions and answers
• Specify when to transfer to a human

Max size: prompt 50 KB, knowledge 100 KB.

Dynamic AI Suggestions

The bot automatically generates 2-3 clickable suggestions after each response to guide the conversation. Suggestions are contextual and adapt to the current topic.

Automatic Page Analysis

The chatbot automatically analyzes the content of the page your visitor is browsing to adapt its responses in real time. No manual per-page configuration is needed.

How It Works

When a visitor opens the chatbot, the widget automatically extracts key elements from the current page:

• Page title — The title displayed in the browser tab
• Meta description — The page's SEO summary
• H1 and H2 headings — The content structure
• Main content — Text from the main content area (max 500 characters)

A maximum of 800 characters total is sent to the AI, which is enough to understand context without overloading the system.

Concrete Example

Benefits

• Contextual responses — The AI knows what the visitor is looking at and adapts accordingly
• Zero configuration — Works automatically on every page of your website
• Better conversion rates — A relevant chatbot engages visitors more effectively
• Secure — Page content is sanitized to prevent prompt injection

Privacy

Page content is processed in real time and follows the same privacy rules as conversations. It is not stored separately and is only used to contextualize the AI's response during the session.

Activation

This feature is enabled by default. To manage it: Bot Configuration → Conversations tab → "Per-page personalization". Uncheck the box to disable it if needed.

Auto-sync Knowledge

Auto-sync allows your chatbot to automatically update its knowledge base by reading pages from your website. No more manual updates: your pricing, services and FAQ always stay current in the chatbot.

How It Works

An automated process (cron) visits the URLs you have configured at your chosen frequency. It extracts the text content from each page (removing scripts, navigation and styles) and writes it directly into the chatbot's knowledge base (knowledge.txt).

• Smart extraction — Only useful content is kept (text, headings, paragraphs)
• Permanent content — Synced information is written to the knowledge base and persists across conversations
• Manual content preserved — Your manually written content is never overwritten; synced content is added in a separate section

Configuration

1. Go to Bot Configuration → AI & Prompts tab
2. Enable automatic synchronization
3. Add the URLs of your important pages (one per line): services, pricing, FAQ, etc.
4. Choose the frequency: daily, weekly or monthly
5. Set the character limit per URL (max 5,000 per URL, 30,000 total)

Use Cases

• Pricing page — The bot always knows your current prices, even after a website update
• FAQ — Automatic synchronization with your existing FAQ page
• Blog — The bot can reference your latest published articles
• Services pages — Service descriptions always up to date

Required Plan

Auto-sync is available on Business and Enterprise plans.

Auto-sync vs Page Analysis: What's the Difference?

ChatDirect offers two complementary features to help your chatbot understand your website. Here's how they compare:

Recommendation: Enable both! Auto-sync gives the chatbot deep knowledge of your site, while Page Analysis allows it to respond contextually based on the visitor's current navigation.

Multi-Agent AI

The Multi-Agent AI feature allows a single chatbot to have multiple specialized "personalities" that automatically take over the conversation based on the topic.

How It Works

1. The administrator configures specialized agents (name, description, dedicated prompt) in the admin panel.
2. When a visitor asks a question matching an agent's area, the system automatically delegates the conversation to that agent.
3. The specialized agent responds with its own expertise — the transition is invisible to the visitor.
4. Subsequent messages continue using the active agent's specialized prompt.

Configuration Example

Benefits

• More precise, specialized responses per topic
• Each agent has its own personality and expertise
• Automatic delegation — no manual intervention needed
• Seamless experience for the visitor (they don't see the switch)
• Unlimited number of configurable agents

Required Plan: Business or Enterprise.

Multi-Bots per Client

The Multi-Bots feature allows a single client account to manage multiple independent chatbots, each with its own identity, colors, prompt and knowledge base. Ideal for businesses that need distinct bots for different departments or use cases.

Use Cases

Configuration per Bot

• Name and identity — Each bot has its own name displayed in the widget
• Colors — Independent color palette per bot
• System prompt — Dedicated personality and instructions
• Knowledge base — Content specific to the bot's domain
• Quick replies — Custom quick reply suggestions

Integration on Your Site

Each bot is selected via the ?bot=name parameter in the widget:

You can place a different bot on each page or section of your website.

Administration

The bots.php page in the admin panel allows creating, editing and deleting bots. Each bot is independent and has its own statistics, conversations and leads.

Advanced AI Features

Dynamic QR Code

Generate a custom QR code that directs visitors straight to your chatbot. Perfect for business cards, storefronts, restaurant menus, or product packaging. Customize the color and size, download as PNG or SVG, and track scan statistics in real time.

Plan required

Available from the Pro plan ($69/month).

Live Social Proof

Display the number of active visitors in the widget (e.g., "3 people online"). This social proof creates a sense of urgency and boosts engagement by 15–20%. The counter updates automatically every 60 seconds.

Plan required

Available from the Business plan ($149/month).

Real-Time Opportunity Detection

The AI analyzes every conversation in real time and identifies strong buying signals: budget mentions, urgency cues, and purchase intent. When multiple signals converge, an instant notification is sent via Slack, email, or WhatsApp so you can step in at the right moment.

Plan required

Available from the Business plan ($149/month).

AI Auto-Training

The chatbot learns from corrections made by human agents during live chat. By typing /correction followed by the correct text, an agent teaches the bot the right answer. The bot uses these corrections as additional context in future conversations, improving continuously without any technical intervention.

Plan required

Reserved for the Enterprise plan ($299/month).

AI Documents (RAG)

ChatDirect uses a Supabase database (PostgreSQL) with pgvector to power Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG). This means your chatbot can draw from your own documents and web pages to deliver highly accurate, context-aware answers.

Upload your documents

Upload PDF, Word (.docx), or TXT files directly from the client portal. You can also index web pages by URL so the chatbot automatically learns the content of your website — product pages, FAQ, policies, service descriptions, and more.

How it works

Each uploaded document or indexed page is automatically split into sections. The system generates vector embeddings for every section and stores them in the database. When a visitor asks a question, the system performs a real-time semantic search to find the most relevant excerpts, which are then injected into the AI’s context to produce a precise, grounded answer.

Key benefits

• More precise answers — responses are based on your actual content rather than generic AI knowledge.
• No manual prompt rewriting — simply upload your files or paste a URL and the chatbot is ready.
• Always up to date — re-index a page or re-upload a document whenever your content changes.
• Semantic understanding — the search goes beyond keyword matching to understand the meaning behind each question.

Plan required

Available from the Pro plan ($69/month).

Limits per plan

Review Booster

Turn conversations into Google reviews

The Review Booster uses your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business / GMB) to direct satisfied customers to your Google listing. You need an active Google Business Profile to use this feature.

The Review Booster automatically detects when a visitor is satisfied and asks them to rate their experience from 1 to 5 stars, directly in the chat widget.

3 smart triggers

The review request triggers in three situations: the visitor expresses satisfaction, the AI detects strong positive sentiment, or the conversation ends naturally on a positive note.

Anti-bad-review filter

4-5 stars: the visitor is redirected to your Google listing to leave a public review. 1-3 stars: the visitor fills out a private feedback form. AI generates an empathetic response and you receive a notification with AI analysis of improvement points.

Built-in A/B Testing

Three message variants are tested automatically. The Reviews dashboard shows conversion rates per variant to optimize your results.

Multi-channel follow-up sequence

If the visitor doesn't leave a review immediately: a reminder email is sent after the configured delay, then optionally an SMS 24 hours later via Twilio.

Testimonials widget

Display your positive reviews directly on your site with the testimonials widget. Embed via HTML code or the WordPress shortcode [chatdirect-testimonials].

Configuration

Enable the Review Booster in Configuration → AI tab. Enter your Google Reviews URL from your Google Business Profile (Google Maps → your listing → Ask for reviews → copy the link). Available options: incentive promo code, automatic follow-up email, monthly report.

Plan required

Available from the Pro plan ($69/month).

Widget Dark Mode

The ChatDirect widget offers 5 visual themes to perfectly match the look of your website.

Available Themes

Automatic Detection (Auto / System)

The Auto and System modes use the browser's prefers-color-scheme media query to detect user preference. In System mode, the widget reacts in real time: if the visitor switches their OS from light to dark mode, the widget adapts instantly without page reload.

Adaptive Colors

Each theme automatically adjusts background colors, text, message bubbles, the input bar and buttons to ensure optimal contrast and perfect readability.

Configuration

The theme is configured in Bot Configuration → Appearance tab → Widget theme. The Auto mode is recommended for most websites.

Live Chat — 3 Modes

Transfer to a Human Agent

In Hybrid or Human mode, a transfer button appears in the widget. Visitors can request to speak with a human at any time.

An animated LIVE badge appears in the widget when an agent is connected and available. Availability is determined by the configured schedule. Rate limit: 20 transfers per hour per IP address.

Agent Interface (Admin & Portal)

Agents manage live sessions from the admin panel or client portal.

• Queue — Visual badges: “Waiting” and “In Progress”
• Takeover — The agent clicks to take over a waiting session
• Real-time messages — Instant send and receive
• System messages — “Agent X has joined the conversation”
• “Seen” indicator — The agent sees when the visitor has read their messages
• Conversation link — Access the full conversation history with the bot
• Close session — The agent closes the session when the conversation is complete

Saved Replies

Speed up your responses with pre-written templates.

• Templates organized by category (general, leads, support, sales)
• One-click insertion into the input field
• Editable before sending — personalize each response
• Full management: create, edit, delete from the Saved Replies page

AI Conversation Summary

An automatic 3-line summary is generated for each session:

• Need — What the visitor is looking for
• Response — What the bot answered
• Recommended action — Suggested next step

Generated by Claude Haiku, the summary is cached and can be regenerated on demand.

Polling and “Seen” Indicator

Schedule and Off-hours Behavior

A unified schedule controls bot and human transfer availability.

Schedule presets: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Mon-Sat 8am-8pm, 24/7. Over 20 time zones supported.

Notifications

When a visitor requests a transfer or sends a message, your team is notified through multiple channels simultaneously:

• Slack
• WhatsApp
• Messenger
• Email
• Custom webhooks
• Google Sheets

Each notification includes a summary of the conversation history.

Limits and Rate Limiting

Smart Booking

The bot schedules appointments automatically via:

• Calendly — Direct integration with pre-filling
• Google Calendar — Real-time available slots
• Cal.com — Open-source alternative

Kanban Pipeline

Drag-and-drop view with 4 columns: New, Contacted, Converted, Lost. Change status with one click or by dragging.

Features

• Custom tags (create, apply, filter)
• Advanced filters (search, status, score, tag, dates)
• "My leads" — filter by assigned agent
• Agent assignment

Dynamic Lead Scoring (0-15)

The score is calculated automatically and updated with each interaction:

Predictive Conversion Score

In addition to the classic lead scoring (0-15), ChatDirect calculates a predictive conversion score expressed as a percentage (0-95%). This score estimates the probability that a lead will convert into a customer, by comparing their profile to previously converted leads.

Calculation Criteria

Display

The predictive score is displayed in the lead detail page as a colored circular indicator:

• Green (70-95%) — High conversion probability
• Orange (40-69%) — Moderate probability
• Red (0-39%) — Low probability

Enhanced AI Scoring

The AI scoring automatically detects signals in the lead's messages:

• Purchase keywords — "buy", "order", "quote", "budget", "urgent"
• Negative keywords — "cancel", "too expensive", "not interested"
• Conversation length — Longer conversations increase the score

Automated Follow-ups — 3 Steps

Configure up to 3 follow-up steps by email (+ SMS via Twilio optional). Each step has a delay, subject and template with variables:

Example Sequence

Email from CRM

From a lead's detail page, an email can be sent directly. The form is pre-filled with the lead's address. Email history is preserved in the lead's timeline.

• Pre-filled form with lead contact info
• Email history in the timeline
• Automatic status change to "Contacted" after sending
• Support for email API providers (SMTP2GO, SendGrid, Brevo, Mailgun, Amazon SES)

Duplicate Detection and Merging

The system automatically detects duplicates by email address or phone number. When merging, the highest score is kept and notes, tags and history from both records are combined.

Real-time Notifications

The notification system alerts about important events: new leads, overdue reminders, follow-ups sent and status changes.

• CRM Bell — Icon in CRM navigation, polling every 30 seconds
• Slack — Notifications in a Slack channel
• WhatsApp — WhatsApp Business notifications
• Email — Automatic email for hot leads

Activity Log

The activity log displays all CRM events in chronological order: lead captures, status changes, emails sent, notes added, tags modified, reminders and follow-ups.

• New lead capture
• Status change (new → contacted → converted/lost)
• Email sent from CRM
• Note added to a lead
• Tag added or removed
• Reminder created or completed
• Automated follow-up sent

Interactive Monthly Calendar

The calendar provides an overview of planned follow-up activities across a month.

• Click a date — Add a new reminder
• Click a reminder — View the associated lead
• Colors — Blue = upcoming, Red = overdue, Green = completed

CRM PDF Report

A PDF report of CRM statistics can be generated with date selection. The report includes:

• Key metrics (leads, conversions, average score)
• Visual conversion funnel
• Hot leads list
• Trends over selected period

Custom Fields

Define custom fields to enrich your lead records with information specific to your business. Fields are configured per client in the administration section.

Available Field Types

Features

• Lead detail display — Custom fields appear in the lead detail page
• Inline editing — Edit values directly from the lead detail
• List columns — Fields are visible as columns in the leads list
• Advanced filters — Filter your leads by any custom field

Embeddable Web Forms

Create HTML forms that can be embedded directly on your client's website. Submissions are automatically converted into CRM leads with notifications.

Form Creation

• Standard fields — Name, email, phone, message
• Custom fields — Add your own fields defined in the configuration
• Colors — Customize form colors to match the client's website

Integration

An embed code is automatically generated. Simply copy and paste it into the website's HTML:

Security

• Honeypot anti-spam — Hidden field to block bots
• Rate limit — Submission limit per IP to prevent abuse
• Notifications — Automatic alert on each new submission

Leads Map View

Visualize your leads on an interactive map to understand the geographic distribution of your prospects. The map uses Leaflet.js and OpenStreetMap.

Features

• IP geolocation — Approximate position determined via ip-api.com with caching for performance
• Color-coded markers — Color based on lead status (green = converted, blue = new, orange = contacted, red = lost)
• Clustering — Automatic grouping of nearby markers for a readable view
• Filters — Filter by status, score, tag or time period
• Popups — Click a marker to view lead information (name, score, status)

Advanced Analytics

The Analytics dashboard provides a comprehensive view of your chatbot's performance. Accessible from the client portal, it brings together all key metrics, trend charts, and analysis tools you need to optimize your chatbot and measure its impact on your business.

Dashboard and metrics

The main dashboard displays your chatbot's essential indicators at a glance:

• Total conversations — Number of conversations over the selected period
• Average messages per conversation — Indicator of conversation depth
• Tokens consumed — AI token usage over the period
• Satisfaction — Thumbs up vs thumbs down ratio
• Performance — Average response time, average duration, bounce rate, abandonment rate, and lead conversion rate

Four charts accompany these metrics:

• Conversations per day — Bar chart showing daily volume
• Peak hours — Horizontal bars identifying the busiest time slots
• Tokens per day — Daily consumption line chart
• Satisfaction trend — Satisfaction rate evolution line chart

A date selector lets you freely choose the analysis period. The dashboard auto-refreshes every 60 seconds without page reload.

Period comparison and alerts

Enable the "Compare" checkbox to display a second reference period. Comparison dates are customizable. Each metric then displays a colored delta indicator:

• +12% in green for improvements
• -8% in red for declines

The system also automatically detects anomalies and displays alerts in the dashboard:

• Satisfaction drop greater than 20%
• Abandonment rate exceeding 50%
• Token spike greater than 200% of the average
• Zero conversations for 3 consecutive days
• Bounce rate above 70%

Detailed analysis

Below the main dashboard, detailed sections offer in-depth analysis:

Engagement

• Unique vs returning visitors
• Human transfer rate
• File upload rate
• Positive and negative rating breakdown

Business

• Total cost, cost per conversation, and cost per lead (visible only in BYOK mode)
• Number of leads generated over the period
• Total tokens consumed

Top pages — Table of the most visited pages by visitors before their chatbot interaction. Useful for understanding the user journey.

Most asked questions — Table grouping the first questions sent by visitors. Helps identify recurring topics and adjust the knowledge base.

Lowest rated messages — List of chatbot responses that received a thumbs down. Ideal for spotting areas to improve in the prompt or knowledge base.

Exports

Two export formats are available:

• PDF export — Printable report containing key metrics and charts. Ideal for sharing with the team or periodic reporting.
• CSV export — Raw data export (conversations, tokens, questions, or all). Useful for custom analysis in a spreadsheet.

Embeddable widget

A mini-dashboard can be embedded directly on your website via an iframe. This widget displays essential metrics in real time.

• Authentication via public API key (api_public_key)
• Available themes: light and dark
• Auto-refresh every 5 minutes

Automations

Weekly email report — An automatic summary of the week's statistics is sent by email every week. The cron runs automatically and includes key metrics, trends, and any alerts.

Analytics webhooks — Automatically send your statistics to a configured URL on a daily or weekly basis. Data is sent in JSON format via POST.

Analytics API (v1)

The /api/v1/stats.php endpoint allows you to retrieve statistics programmatically. Authentication is done via an API key in the request header.

Google Analytics, Slack and CRM Webhooks

Google Analytics 4

Chatbot events are tracked directly in Google Analytics:

Slack

Notifications are sent to Slack for each new lead, transfer or alert. Simply create an incoming webhook in Slack and paste the URL in the configuration.

CRM Webhooks

• HubSpot — Direct API integration
• Pipedrive — Automatic deal creation
• Monday.com — Board item creation
• Custom webhook — JSON POST to any URL

These integrations are especially useful for B2B and SaaS companies as well as e-commerce businesses. Explore all our industry solutions.

Webhook JSON Format

Email API Providers

Public REST API

A public API key provides access to data via the REST API (Business plan or higher required).

Audit Logs

The audit log system automatically tracks all important actions performed by administrators and portal users. Every change is recorded with the actor's identity, a timestamp and the details of the modification.

Tracked Actions

Storage

• Per client — Dedicated JSONL file per client (tmp/audit/{clientId}.jsonl)
• Global — Global JSONL file aggregating all actions from all clients
• JSONL format — One JSON entry per line for easy processing and analysis

Admin Page

The Audit Logs page in the admin panel provides a complete view of actions with advanced filtering tools:

• Filter by client — Select a specific client or view all clients
• Filter by actor — Identify who performed the action (admin, portal user)
• Filter by action — Search for a specific action type
• Filter by date — Define a precise date range
• Pagination — Page-by-page navigation for large histories
• CSV export — Download filtered logs in CSV format for external analysis

iCal Calendar Integration

Export your CRM reminders and follow-ups to your preferred calendar application using the iCal (.ics) format. Compatible with Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook and Apple Calendar.

How It Works

• iCal feed — A unique URL per client generates a real-time iCal feed
• Reminders included — All CRM reminders (tasks, follow-ups) appear as events
• Follow-ups included — Scheduled follow-ups are also synchronized
• Authentication token — Each client has a unique token to secure feed access

Setup

Copy the iCal feed URL from your portal settings and add it to your calendar application:

Compatible Calendars

Privacy by Design

ChatDirect integrates privacy protection from the ground up, following the Privacy by Design approach. Six mechanisms ensure a high level of visitor data protection.

Right to Erasure

Visitors can request data deletion directly from the widget. All data associated with their session is erased immediately: conversation, leads, uploaded files.

GDPR and Law 25 Compliance

ChatDirect provides comprehensive tools for data protection compliance, applicable to European GDPR and Quebec's Law 25.

Data Collected

Advanced Security

Data Isolation (Privacy Wall)

By default, the ChatDirect team has no access to your data: conversations, leads, tickets, analytics. Your data is fully isolated and private.

Temporary support access

If you need help and want our support team to view your data to assist you, you can grant temporary access for 72 hours from your Profile → Support Access.

Client Portal

The client portal is the self-service space where each client manages their chatbot, leads and settings. Accessible at chatbot.demomonsite.ca/portal/, it offers a comprehensive interface available in 4 languages (FR-CA, FR-FR, EN-US, ES-MX).

Main Pages

• Dashboard — Overview: active plan, statistics, recent leads, conversations, tickets, reminders, BYOK cost
• Conversations — Full conversation history with the chatbot
• CRM — CRM dashboard, leads, kanban pipeline, follow-ups, activity log, calendar, PDF report
• Configuration — 7 tabs: identity, appearance, schedule, conversations, AI, integrations, GDPR
• Usage — Tokens, conversations, USD/CAD costs, daily breakdown
• Users — Add, remove and change passwords for team members
• Support — Create and track support tickets
• Help — 19 documentation sections + search + contextual help per page

Super-admin Access

Super-administrators can log in to the portal with their admin credentials and any client_id. An ADMIN badge is displayed to indicate impersonation.

Install the Mobile App (PWA)

The ChatDirect portal can be installed as an app on your phone or computer. It works like a native app — full screen, home screen icon, notifications — without going through the App Store or Google Play.

On iPhone / iPad (iOS)

1. Open Safari (only works with Safari on iOS)
2. Go to chatdirect.ca/portal/ and log in
3. Tap the Share button (⬆️) at the bottom of the screen
4. Scroll down and tap “Add to Home Screen”
5. Enter a name (e.g. ChatDirect) and tap “Add”

On Android

1. Open Chrome and go to chatdirect.ca/portal/
2. An “Install ChatDirect” banner appears automatically — tap “Install”
3. If the banner doesn’t appear: menu (⋮) → “Install app”

On Desktop (Chrome)

1. Open Chrome and go to chatdirect.ca/portal/
2. Click the install icon (⊕) in the address bar, or menu (⋮) → “Install ChatDirect”

Automatic Signup

The signup.php page allows new clients to register in self-service and start using ChatDirect immediately with the free Discovery plan for 14 days.

Registration Form

• Company name — Used as the bot name and client identifier
• Full name — Name of the primary administrator
• Email address — For login and communications
• Password — Secured with bcrypt (minimum 8 characters)
• Preferred language — FR-CA, FR-FR, EN-US or ES-MX

Automatic Provisioning

Upon form submission, the system automatically creates:

1. config.json — Complete client configuration with the Discovery plan
2. system-prompt.txt — Default system prompt adapted to the chosen language
3. portal_users — Portal user account with hashed password (bcrypt)
4. Welcome email — Sent automatically with login instructions

The client is then redirected to the portal where the onboarding wizard guides them through the initial setup.

Onboarding Wizard

The onboarding wizard guides new clients through the initial setup of their chatbot in 5 simple steps. It triggers automatically on first login to the portal.

The 5 Steps

Industry Templates

At step 2, pre-configured templates offer a system prompt adapted to your industry. The template pre-fills the tone, instructions and response examples to accelerate the setup process.

Auto-save

The wizard automatically saves the following files at each step:

• config.json — Bot settings (name, colors, form)
• system-prompt.txt — System prompt with the chosen personality
• knowledge.txt — Initial knowledge base

Skip Button

Advanced users can skip the wizard at any time via the "Skip" button. They can then configure all settings manually from the portal's Configuration tab.

Wildcard Subdomains

The wildcard subdomain feature allows each client to access their portal via a custom URL in the format client-id.chatdirect.ca instead of /portal/?client=xxx.

Advantages

• Professional URL — mycompany.chatdirect.ca is easier to remember and share
• Simplified login — The client_id is pre-filled and locked at login; the client only needs to enter their username and password
• Branding — Each client feels like they have their own platform

Required DNS Configuration

To enable subdomains, a DNS configuration is required:

• CNAME record — *.chatdirect.ca points to the main server
• Or A record — Direct pointing to the server's IP address
• Wildcard SSL certificate — Required for HTTPS on all subdomains

Admin Status Page

A dedicated page in the admin panel shows the status of each subdomain: active, pending DNS propagation or inactive. The administrator can enable or disable subdomains per client.

Profile and Password Change

Each portal user has a profile page to manage their personal information and login credentials.

Profile Information

• Full name — Name displayed in the portal and activity logs
• Username — Used for login
• Role — Administrator or standard user
• Permissions — Access to different portal sections based on role

Password Change

• Entry of the current password is required for verification
• New password with a minimum of 8 characters
• Confirmation of the new password
• Secure hashing with bcrypt

Password Recovery

If forgotten, a recovery email is sent to the address associated with the account. The reset link is single-use and expires after a limited time.

Security

• Rate limit — Maximum 5 password change attempts per hour
• Validation — The current password must be correct before any change
• Session — Session regeneration after password change

BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)

The BYOK mode allows clients to use their own API key for the AI provider of their choice. With BYOK, conversations are unlimited on all compatible plans (Pro and above).

Operating Modes

BYOK Configuration

When BYOK mode is enabled by the administrator (api_key_mode = client), an API section appears in the Identity tab of the client portal. The client can then:

• Choose their AI provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Mistral)
• Select the desired model
• Enter their API key (stored encrypted)

Estimated cost: approximately $6 USD/month for 1,000 conversations with Claude Haiku 4.5.

Usage and Tokens

Understanding Tokens

A token equals approximately 4 characters in English or 3 characters in French.

The client portal displays usage details: conversations, AI messages, input/output tokens, model used and estimated cost in USD, CAD and EUR.

User Management

The client portal allows adding colleagues so they can access the portal with their own credentials.

• Add user — Create a username and password
• Change password — Each user can change their password
• Remove user — Revoke a colleague's access

Support and Tickets

The built-in ticket system allows direct communication with the ChatDirect support team.

AI-Assisted Support

As soon as you create a ticket, the AI assistant analyzes your question and generates an instant reply to guide you toward the solution. The AI searches the full documentation to provide a relevant answer. You can continue the conversation with the AI for up to 4 exchanges. If the issue is resolved, click "Close ticket". Otherwise, a human agent will respond within 24 business hours.

Create a ticket

1. Create a ticket with a subject and priority (normal, high, urgent)
2. Clearly describe the issue
3. The AI replies immediately with relevant suggestions and links
4. Continue the exchange with the AI or close the ticket if resolved
5. If needed, a human agent takes over within 24 business hours

Plans and Pricing

Feature Comparison

BYOK = Unlimited

With BYOK (Bring Your Own Key), conversations are unlimited on all compatible plans (Pro+). Costs are billed directly by the AI provider. Estimated cost: approximately $6 USD/month for 1,000 conversations with Claude Haiku.

Discovery Plan Auto-Expiration

The Discovery plan (free trial) expires automatically after 14 days. The system manages the expiration progressively with alerts and access restrictions.

Dashboard Alerts

Visual alerts are displayed in the client portal dashboard based on the trial status:

• Active trial — Number of remaining days displayed in the information bar
• Less than 3 days remaining — Urgent orange alert inviting the client to choose a plan
• Messages > 80% — Warning that the 250 AI message limit is almost reached
• Trial expired — Red banner with a direct link to the subscription page

Portal Lockout

After 14 days, portal access is restricted. The client is automatically redirected to the subscription page. Only certain pages remain accessible:

• Subscription page — To choose and activate a paid plan
• Support — To contact the team if needed
• Profile — To manage their account
• Logout — To log out properly

Chat API Lockout

When the trial has expired, the chat API is also blocked. Visitors on the website see an expiration message informing them that the chatbot is temporarily unavailable, instead of an AI response.

Stripe Checkout & Subscriptions

ChatDirect integrates Stripe Checkout to manage paid signups and recurring subscriptions in a fully automated way.

Plans & Pricing

Signup Flow

1. The client signs up with the Discovery plan (free, 14 days)
2. Upon expiration or by choice, they access the subscription page
3. Redirect to Stripe Checkout for secure payment
4. After payment, the plan is activated automatically via webhook
5. Success page with portal login information

Stripe Customer Portal

Each client can manage their subscription directly from the Stripe Customer Portal:

• Update credit card
• Change plan (upgrade/downgrade)
• Cancel subscription
• Download invoices

Automatic Webhooks

Stripe events are processed automatically:

• Payment successful — Plan activated, chatbot operational immediately
• Payment failed — Notification to the client and admin
• Cancellation — Plan deactivated at the end of the paid period

Partner Program

The ChatDirect Partner Program allows resellers, agencies and consultants to refer clients and earn a recurring 30% commission on every active subscription. Learn more →

Partner Portal

Each partner has a dedicated portal accessible at chatdirect.ca/partner/ with:

• Dashboard — Active clients, revenue, commission due, 6-month chart, AI forecast
• AI Email Pitch — Generate personalized prospection emails (20 industries, 12 selling points)
• Client tracking — Details of each referred client (plan, status, conversations, satisfaction)
• Commission ledger — Full record with payments, adjustments and cumulative balance (CSV export)
• Automatic notifications — Email on every client signup or cancellation
• Security — 2FA (app or email), secure password, encrypted sessions
• Built-in help guide — Complete documentation within the portal (EN/FR)

Referral Link

Each partner receives a unique referral link:

When a client signs up via this link, they are automatically linked to the partner. The partner receives an email notification and the commission starts accumulating.

Commission on Net Amount

The commission is calculated on the net amount after processing fees are deducted:

• Canada — 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
• International — 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction

Example — Pro plan at $69/mo (Canadian client):

• Processing fees: $69 × 2.9% + $0.30 = $2.30
• Net amount: $69 − $2.30 = $66.70
• Commission (30%): $66.70 × 30% = $20.01/mo

Payouts

Commissions accumulate monthly. Payouts are made when the balance reaches the minimum threshold of $100 CAD.