ChatDirect Documentation
Complete guide to understanding and getting the most out of ChatDirect's AI chatbot and built-in mini-CRM.
Quick Start
Welcome to ChatDirect
ChatDirect is a custom AI chatbot platform with a built-in mini-CRM. The client portal is the command center for the chatbot: bot configuration, CRM management, lead pipeline tracking and conversation history.
Setup Checklist
- Identity — Name the bot, choose an avatar, write an engaging welcome message
- Appearance — Adjust colors to match the brand
- System Prompt — Define the bot's personality, tone and boundaries
- Knowledge Base — Add FAQs, hours, pricing and key information
- Quick Replies — Create 3-4 buttons to guide visitors
- Test — Use the live preview to validate bot behavior
- Install Widget — Copy the embed code and paste it on the website
- Activate CRM — Explore the CRM dashboard and configure follow-ups
Recommended Daily Routine
| When | Action | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Check hot leads and overdue reminders | CRM → Dashboard |
| Morning | Respond to pending transfers and tickets | Support / Conversations |
| Afternoon | Process pipeline: contact new leads | CRM → Pipeline |
| Weekly | Generate PDF report and check duplicates | CRM → Report |
Chatbot Configuration
The 7 Configuration Tabs
All chatbot settings are organized into 7 clear tabs:
| Tab | Key Settings | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Bot name, welcome message, avatar, language, AI provider | Visitor's first impression |
| Appearance | Colors (primary, secondary, bubble, header), theme (light/dark/auto/blue) | Brand consistency |
| Schedule | Mode (bot/hybrid/human), business hours, offline message | Availability and visitor experience |
| Conversations | Quick replies, pre-chat form, lead capture, booking | Engagement and conversion |
| AI | System prompt, knowledge base, industry templates, A/B testing | Response quality |
| Integrations | Google Analytics, Slack, CRM webhooks (HubSpot/Pipedrive/Monday) | Automation and tracking |
| GDPR | Consent, privacy policy, data deletion | Legal compliance |
Widget Installation
Option 1: Direct HTML Code
Paste the following code just before the </body> tag:
Option 2: Google Tag Manager
- Open Google Tag Manager and create a new tag
- Choose "Custom HTML" type
- Paste the JavaScript code
- Set the trigger to "All Pages"
- Publish your changes
Option 3: WordPress Plugin
- Download the ChatDirect plugin
- Install it via WordPress → Plugins → Add New
- Activate and go to Settings → ChatDirect
- Enter the client ID and save
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Possible Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Widget not showing | Script misplaced or wrong client_id | Verify client ID and place script before </body> |
| No response | Missing or expired API key | Check API key configuration |
| Wrong colors | Browser cache | Clear cache or increment the &v= in the script URL |
Chatbot Modes
The mode determines how the chatbot interacts with visitors. For a detailed overview, read our article on the 3 live chat modes.
AI responds automatically 24/7. Ideal for basic support and FAQs.
Only human agents respond during business hours.
AI responds first, with the option to transfer to a human at any time.
Which mode to choose?
| Scenario | Mode | Why |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce | Bot | Instant answers about products, pricing, shipping |
| Restaurant | Hybrid | Bot for menu and hours, human for special reservations |
| Accounting firm | Hybrid | Bot for FAQs, human for complex cases |
| Medical clinic | Human | Data sensitivity, need for human judgment |
| SaaS | Bot | Automated tech support with escalation if needed |
Schedule Presets
- Office — Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm
- Retail — Monday-Saturday, 8am-8pm
- 24/7 — Every day, all hours
Transfer to Human Agent
Visitors can request to speak with a human at any time during the conversation. The transfer and live chat system enables a seamless handoff.
Transfer Flow
- Visitor clicks the transfer button
- A confirmation message appears
- The team receives a notification (Slack, email, etc.)
- An agent takes over the conversation
- The agent responds via live chat
- The conversation is saved in history
Conversations and Engagement
Conversation History
Complete history of all chatbot conversations is preserved. Each exchange is recorded with messages, timestamps and visitor ratings.
Quick Replies
Quick reply buttons guide the conversation. Examples by industry:
| Industry | Suggestions |
|---|---|
| Dentist | Book appointment, Pricing, Dental emergency |
| Restaurant | View menu, Reserve a table, Opening hours |
| Real Estate | Available properties, Free evaluation, Book appointment |
| SaaS | Free demo, Pricing, Technical support |
Lead Capture
The chatbot automatically captures visitor contact information (name, email, phone) via an in-conversation form. Leads are automatically sent to the CRM. To learn more, read our guide on automatic lead generation.
Smart Booking
Smart booking automatically suggests a scheduling link (Calendly, Cal.com) when the visitor expresses an intent to book.
AI and Prompts
System Prompt
The system prompt defines the chatbot's personality, tone and knowledge. It's the main instruction that guides AI behavior.
Recommended Structure
- Role — Define who the bot is (e.g., assistant for Le Jardin restaurant)
- Tone — Define the style (professional, friendly, formal)
- Knowledge — What the bot knows (menu, pricing, hours)
- Boundaries — What the bot must NOT do (invent prices, give medical advice)
- Goal — What the bot should accomplish (capture leads, answer FAQs)
Example Prompt — Restaurant
Knowledge Base
Structured information enriches the bot's responses. Use clear sections with headers:
A/B Testing
A/B testing lets you compare two prompt variants to determine which performs better. The system automatically alternates between variants and measures satisfaction.
Specialized Agents
Agents let you define different behaviors based on the visited page. For example, a "Support" agent on /help and a "Sales" agent on /pricing.
Industry Templates
Pre-configured templates let you get started quickly with an optimized setup.
- Real Estate — Properties, evaluations, appointments
- Restaurant — Menu, reservations, hours, special events
- E-commerce — Products, orders, returns, shipping
- B2B / Services — Quotes, consultations, sales process
- Dentist / Medical — Appointments, services, emergencies
- SaaS — Features, pricing, demos, technical support
- Accountant — Tax services, consultations, required documents
- Lawyer — Practice areas, initial consultations
Communication Channels
Channels allow the chatbot to communicate beyond the web widget.
Always active. The chatbot on the website.
Bidirectional. Visitors communicate via text messages.
Bidirectional. Conversations via email.
BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)
What is BYOK?
BYOK mode lets you use your own API key for the AI provider of your choice. Conversations become unlimited and costs are billed directly by the provider. Read our complete BYOK guide for all the details.
Supported Providers
| Provider | Models | Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Haiku 4.5, Sonnet 4.6, Opus 4.6 | Yes |
| OpenAI | GPT-4o Mini, GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo | No |
| Gemini 2.0 Flash, Gemini 1.5 Pro | No | |
| Mistral | Small, Medium, Large | No |
Estimated Costs by Provider
| Provider | Model | Input (1M tokens) | Output (1M tokens) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropic | Haiku 4.5 | $1.00 USD | $5.00 USD | General chatbot, best value |
| Anthropic | Sonnet 4.6 | $3.00 USD | $15.00 USD | Sophisticated responses |
| OpenAI | GPT-4o Mini | $0.15 USD | $0.60 USD | High volume, minimal cost |
| Gemini 2.0 Flash | $0.10 USD | $0.40 USD | Very low cost, fast | |
| Mistral | Small | $0.20 USD | $0.60 USD | Native French, affordable |
Automatic Knowledge Sync
Auto-sync lets the chatbot automatically fetch content from specific web pages to enrich its knowledge base.
- Pricing page — The bot always knows the latest prices
- FAQ — Syncs with the existing FAQ page
- Blog — The bot can reference the latest articles
CRM Dashboard
The CRM dashboard displays key metrics: total leads, conversion rate, average conversion time and average score. The conversion funnel shows lead progression through stages. Learn more about the benefits of an integrated CRM.
| Metric | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Total leads | Total number of captured prospects | Monthly growth |
| Conversion rate | Percentage of leads converted to customers | > 15% |
| Average time | Days between capture and conversion | < 7 days |
| Average score | Average lead engagement level (/15) | > 8 |
Hot Leads
The "Hot Leads" section highlights active prospects from the last 7 days with high scores requiring immediate attention.
Kanban Pipeline
The pipeline displays leads in 4 columns by status. Drag and drop leads between columns to update their status.
| Column | Description | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| New | Lead just captured by the chatbot | Make contact within 24 hours |
| Contacted | Contact has been established | Follow up and re-engage if needed |
| Converted | Prospect became a customer | Retain and nurture |
| Lost | Prospect did not convert | Analyze reasons |
Dynamic Lead Scoring (0-15 points)
Each lead receives an automatically calculated score based on engagement level. The score updates in real-time with each interaction.
| Factor | Points | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Fields filled | +1 to +4 | Name, email, phone, company |
| Return visits | +1 to +3 | Number of site visits |
| High-intent pages | +2 | Visit to /pricing, /contact, /demo |
| Conversation length | +1 to +2 | Number of messages exchanged |
| Detected intent | +3 | Purchase intent, quote request |
- 0-4: Cold lead — low engagement, monitor
- 5-9: Warm lead — interested, follow up
- 10-15: Hot lead — strong intent, contact immediately
Custom Tags
Tags let you categorize leads for more effective tracking. Create, apply and filter by tags from the lead detail page or the leads list.
- VIP — High-value potential customer
- Urgent — Requires immediate response
- Demo requested — Wants to see the product in action
- Referral — Came from a recommendation
Reminders and Tasks
Reminders help ensure no follow-up is missed. They can be created from a lead's detail page or from the calendar.
Pending reminders appear on the dashboard and in the sidebar (red badge for overdue). Mark a reminder as completed to remove it from the active list.
Automated 3-Step Follow-ups
ChatDirect allows configuring up to 3 automated email follow-up steps. Each step has a delay (in hours after lead capture), a subject and a customizable template.
Available Variables
Example Sequence
| Step | Delay | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 hour | Thanks for your interest, {nom}! |
| 2 | 24 hours | Do you have any questions? |
| 3 | 72 hours | Last chance: special offer |
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
Google Analytics, Slack and CRM Webhooks
Google Analytics 4
Chatbot events are tracked directly in Google Analytics:
| Event | Trigger |
|---|---|
chat_opened | Visitor opens widget |
message_sent | Visitor sends a message |
lead_captured | Contact details captured |
transfer_requested | Transfer to human requested |
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
| Provider | Free tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SMTP2GO | 1,000/month | Recommended for getting started |
| SendGrid | 100/day | Popular, good deliverability |
| Brevo | 9,000/month | Generous free tier |
| Mailgun | 100/day | Very reliable, advanced API |
| Amazon SES | 3,000/month * | * If hosted on AWS, lowest cost |
Public REST API
A public API key provides access to data via the REST API (Business plan or higher required).
| Endpoint | Method | Description |
|---|---|---|
/api/v1/leads.php | GET | List leads with filters |
/api/v1/conversations.php | GET | List conversations |
/api/v1/stats.php | GET | Usage statistics |
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.
| Measure | Technical Detail | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| IP Hashing | Irreversible SHA-256, even the admin cannot recover the original IP | Complete visitor anonymization |
| Limited Retention | Configurable automatic purge (30 to 365 days) | No data stored indefinitely |
| Zero Cookie | No cookies, no persistent localStorage, only sessionStorage | No cookie banner required for the widget |
| No Cross-session Tracking | Unique session ID per visit, no fingerprinting | Impossible to link visits from the same user |
| Filtered URL | Only the path is transmitted, query string parameters are removed | No sensitive data leakage via URLs |
| Conditional GA4 | Google Analytics activates only after explicit visitor consent | GDPR / Law 25 compliance |
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.
| Action | Required |
|---|---|
| Enable GDPR consent in widget | Yes (EU/QC) |
| Customize consent text | Yes |
| Add privacy policy link | Yes |
| Require checkbox on lead form | Recommended |
| Make Google Analytics conditional on consent | Yes if GA4 active |
| Configure data retention period | Recommended |
| Enable data deletion button in widget | Recommended |
Data Collected
| Data | Purpose | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Conversations | Service improvement | Configurable (30-365 days) |
| Leads (name, email) | Commercial follow-up | Until manual deletion |
| IP Address | Security (rate limiting) | Hashed, irreversible |
| Uploaded files | Conversation support | Configurable |
Advanced Security
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Keyword Alerts | Notification when a visitor mentions certain terms (emergency, complaint, cancel) |
| Access Control | Authorized domains where the widget can display, IP whitelist/blacklist |
| Token Limit | Monthly AI token consumption cap |
| Export/Import Config | Export and import complete configuration as JSON for backup or duplication |
| Webhook Testing | Verify CRM webhooks work correctly |
Usage and Tokens
Understanding Tokens
A token equals approximately 4 characters in English or 3 characters in French.
| Value | Equivalent | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
256 tokens | ~1-2 sentences | Very short responses (simple FAQ) |
500 tokens | ~1 paragraph | Standard responses (recommended) |
1024 tokens | ~2-3 paragraphs | Detailed responses |
2000 tokens | ~1 page | In-depth technical responses |
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.
- Create a ticket with a subject and priority (normal, high, urgent)
- Clearly describe the issue
- Track responses and ticket status (open, closed)
- Add additional information by replying to the ticket
Plans and Pricing
| Plan | Price | Conversations | AI Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Free 14 days | 250 messages | GPT-4o Mini |
| Starter | $39/month | 1,000 conv | GPT-4o Mini |
| Pro | $69/month | 1,000 conv (unlimited with BYOK) | Claude Haiku 4.5 |
| Business | $149/month | 2,500 conv (unlimited with BYOK) | Claude Haiku 4.5 |
| Enterprise | $299/month | 10,000 conv (unlimited with BYOK) | Claude Haiku 4.5 |
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Discovery | Starter | Pro | Business | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatbot widget | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in mini-CRM | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Kanban pipeline | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automated follow-ups | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Streaming (live response) | — | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BYOK (personal API key) | — | — | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Public REST API | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| SMS / Email channels | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| External CRM webhooks | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
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.