AI summaries
Each conversation gets a short AI summary: who the customer is, what they wanted and how it ended. It appears after a few messages. Summaries leave out phone numbers and email addresses; those are in the contact panel on the right.
A website chat shows as Website visitor until the customer gives their name and contact details (in the chat, in the widget's contact form, or in an earlier chat on the same device), or proves who they are to check or change a booking. Then it shows under their name.
Click Summarize to create one now, or Refresh to update it. Summaries are included on every plan and never count toward your usage.
When a customer asks for a person
Customers can simply ask, for example "Can I talk to a person?" or "I want a real person". This works in English and several other languages, including Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian and Tagalog. Asking "Are you a real person?" doesn't count: the AI just answers honestly that it's an AI.
The AI also hands off on its own when it needs to, for example for an emergency, a billing or legal question, an upset customer, or a question it can't answer. You choose some of these on the AI receptionist page (see below).
When it hands off on a chat, text, WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger or email conversation, the AI tells the customer your team will reply in the same conversation, then stops replying so it never talks over you. On the website chat, the customer sees a note that they're being connected with your team.
Outside your opening hours, a customer who asks for a person is told when your team is back, and the AI keeps helping them in the meantime (answering questions or booking). The conversation still goes to Needs reply and you get the email. If you turned on the reminder when nobody answers, it goes out when you open.
If a customer describes a danger to life, like a gas smell, a fire or chest pain, the AI first tells them to leave the area or get help and call your country's emergency number, and the alert is marked URGENT.
- In the dashboard: the conversation moves to the Needs reply tab and the bell shows "Conversation needs a human".
- Desktop alert: if you turned on desktop alerts (see below).
- Email: every owner, co-owner and admin with a confirmed email gets one email with the customer's name, the channel, the reason, their last message and an Open the conversation button.
- Text message: the first person available on your Who takes your calls list, or Your mobile number (under When a customer wants a real person), gets one text per handoff with a link to reply. Outside your opening hours, routine chat and text handoffs don't send this text (you still get the email and the bell); urgent ones always do.
You also get a notification each time the customer writes again while your team is handling the conversation. Your mobile number and your team alerts also get the start of their message and a link to it, at most once every 30 minutes per conversation. This doesn't happen in the first 30 minutes after the handoff (you were just told), or if someone on your team wrote in the conversation in the last 5 minutes.
The text leaves out any links, email addresses and phone numbers in the customer's message. Open the conversation to see everything they wrote.
On Instagram, Messenger and email, these texts and alerts start once someone on your team has replied to that customer from the Inbox. Replies you send from the Instagram app, your Facebook Page or your own mailbox don't show in Frontivo.io, so we can't tell that you already answered.
Your mobile number gets at most 10 of these alert texts a day (handoffs, waiting customers and missed call transfers together), and at most 5 of them about waiting customers, so at least 5 are left for new handoffs and missed call transfers. After that, you still get the bell notifications and team alerts.
Urgent alerts (emergencies, and messages with one of your Emergency words) start with URGENT and have their own 25 texts a day, so an emergency is never left out because of routine alerts.
Take over a conversation
- 1Open the conversation in the Inbox. Handed-off conversations are in the Needs reply tab.
- 2Click Take over. The AI stops replying to this customer, and the conversation is assigned to you if nobody has it yet.
- 3Type your reply and press Enter to send it.
- 4Click Hand back to AI when you're done. The AI answers the customer's next message again.
Sending a reply also takes the conversation over, so the AI won't answer the customer's next message. Your reply goes out on the same channel the customer used. On an email conversation, it's sent as an email in the same thread.
On WhatsApp, a reply more than 24 hours after the customer's last message goes inside WhatsApp's approved message (one paragraph of up to 300 characters), because WhatsApp allows nothing else then. On Instagram and Messenger, a reply from a person is allowed for up to 7 days after their last message.
Every handoff, take-over and hand-back shows as a small gray line in the conversation, with who did it and when.
Message a customer first
- 1In the Inbox, click New at the top of the conversation list. Or open a customer in Customers, or a lead in Leads, and click Send message.
- 2In To, type the customer's name, phone number or email address and pick them from the list. To message someone who isn't saved yet, type their full number (with the country code) or email address and click Message ... (new contact).
- 3Under Send by, choose the channel. Channels that can't reach them right now are grayed out, with the reason under them.
- 4Type your message. Or click Write it for me, say in a few words what it should say, and click Write: the AI writes it in the customer's language for you to check and edit.
- 5Under When they reply, choose Your AI receptionist answers or Your team answers.
- 6Click Send message (or Send email). The conversation opens in the Inbox, and it takes a few seconds to arrive.
Your message shows in the conversation like a reply, with a small gray line saying who started it. If the customer answers within a week, their answer joins the same conversation.
Which channels can reach a customer first
Each app has its own rules about who a business may message first, and Frontivo.io follows them:
- Text message: anyone with a phone number, from your business number. Not if they replied STOP. A number in another country only if that person has called, texted or WhatsApped you before, and a US or Canadian toll-free number can only text the US and Canada. Each text counts as an automated text on your plan.
- WhatsApp: only people who have messaged you on WhatsApp. You can send anything within 24 hours of their last message. After that, WhatsApp only allows its approved message, so yours goes inside it: "Hi <name>, this is <your business>: <your message> Just reply here if you have any questions." It fits one paragraph of up to 300 characters and counts as an automated text.
- Messenger and Instagram: only people who have messaged your Page or account. You can send anything within 24 hours of their last message, and a message from a person on your team for up to 7 days. After that, they need to message you first.
- Email: anyone with an email address. It's sent under your business name, and their reply comes back to your Inbox. The first email to a new address can land in their spam folder.
Limits when you message customers first
You can start up to 200 conversations a day, and up to 30 of them by email.
Messages go to one customer at a time. There are no bulk texts, newsletters or promotions: they break the phone companies', WhatsApp's and Meta's rules for business messages and can get a number blocked. To tell everyone booked on a day about a closure or a delay, use Message everyone booked on the Appointments page.
If a channel is grayed out or a message wasn't delivered, see the troubleshooting at the end of this article.
Assign a conversation to someone
- 1Open the conversation in the Inbox.
- 2Under the customer's name, click the Assigned to menu.
- 3Choose a team member, or Unassigned.
Owners, co-owners and admins can assign a conversation to anyone on the team. Team members can assign a conversation to themselves.
To see only your own conversations, choose Assigned to me in the menu next to the search box. This menu appears once you have at least 2 people on your team.
Choose when the AI hands off
- 1Click AI receptionist in the menu, then the Calls & messages tab.
- 2Find When a customer wants a real person.
- 3Turn Hand off when the AI doesn't know the answer on or off. When it's off, the AI takes the customer's details for a callback instead.
- 4Turn Hand off upset customers on or off. When it's off, the AI calms things down and takes the customer's details instead.
- 5Click Save changes.
- 6For extra words that bring in your team right away, open the Settings tab and type them in Words that bring in your team, separated by commas. For example: refund, cancel my order.
- 7Click Save changes.
Takes about 2 minutes. You can add up to 20 handoff keywords. A customer who clearly asks for a person is always handed off, so you don't need to add phrases like "talk to a human".
Let the AI take back over if nobody replies
- 1Click AI receptionist in the menu, then the Settings tab.
- 2Under If no one on your team replies, choose 15 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours or 24 hours. Choose Keep waiting for my team to turn this off.
- 3Click Save changes.
If nobody on your team replies within that time, the AI answers the customer's next message, helps as best it can and tells them your team will still follow up. It never takes back over once someone on your team has replied or clicked Take over.
Get reminded if nobody answers
- 1Click AI receptionist in the menu, then the Settings tab.
- 2Under Remind me if nobody has answered after, choose 15 min, 30 min or 1 hour. Choose Off to turn reminders off.
- 3Click Save changes.
Takes about 1 minute. It's on (15 min) unless you change it.
When a customer your team is handling has waited that long and nobody on your team has answered, you get one reminder: a text to Your mobile number (under When a customer wants a real person), your team alerts and a bell notification. Once someone on your team replies, the customer's next message can get a new reminder.
Outside your opening hours, the reminder waits until you open, unless the reason they were passed to your team or their last message has one of your Emergency words (on the same tab). If every day is closed in your opening hours, it doesn't wait.
Phone calls and test conversations never get reminders, and neither do conversations the AI took back over. If you take over a conversation the AI had already answered, you only get a reminder once the customer writes again.
On Instagram, Messenger and email, reminders start once someone on your team has replied to that customer from the Inbox. Replies sent from the Instagram app, your Facebook Page or your own mailbox don't show in Frontivo.io.
Get a desktop alert when a customer is waiting
- 1Click the bell at the top of any dashboard page.
- 2Turn on Desktop alerts at the bottom of the list.
- 3Click Allow when your browser asks.
- 4If you like, turn on Play a soft sound. Click Send a test alert to check it works.
You'll get an alert when a customer asks for a person, sends a new message on a conversation you took over, or when you miss a call. Click the alert to open it.
Alerts work while Frontivo.io is open in a browser tab, even in the background. The setting is saved in this browser only, so turn it on in each browser you use.
Phone calls
Phone calls can't be taken over from the Inbox. Anything you type on a call is saved as an internal note, so call the customer back instead.
On Phone Only, Starter and Growth, your AI can transfer live calls to your team when a caller asks for a person, during opening hours (see who takes your calls). If nobody picks up, the caller can leave a voicemail.
Every call's transcript and summary are also on the Calls page, with the recording if you turned call recording on. See call recordings and transcripts.
Resolve and reopen
Click Resolve once a conversation is handled. Click Reopen if you need it again.
Ask customers to rate your team
After someone on your team has helped a customer, you can ask them to rate that help from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). It's off until you turn it on. Only conversations your team replied to are rated, never ones the AI handled alone.
- 1Click AI receptionist in the menu, then the Settings tab.
- 2Find Ask customers to rate your team.
- 3In Ask for a rating, choose When my team resolves a conversation they answered (the question goes out when you click Resolve), or Only when someone on my team clicks Ask for a rating.
- 4Optional: type your own Question, and turn on Share your review link after they rate.
- 5Click Save changes.
Takes about 1 minute. To ask at any time, open the conversation in the Inbox, click the ... button next to Resolve, then click Ask for a rating. Each customer is asked once per conversation.
How customers answer: the website chat shows 5 stars, with an optional comment. On texts, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger they reply with a number from 1 to 5, and can add a comment after it. Email gets a link to a short rating page, or they can reply with a number. Phone calls aren't rated.
Each rating counts for the team member who helped: the person the conversation is assigned to if they replied, otherwise the last person on your team who replied. The question names them, for example "How would you rate the help you got from Maria today?" (in your own question, type {name} where their first name should go).
The answer shows in the conversation as a small gray line and a Rated 4/5 badge with that person's name, next to their name on the Team page (their average over the last 90 days), and under Team ratings on the Analytics page: the share of satisfied customers (4 or 5 stars), the average, each team member and the latest comments. A rating of 1 or 2 also shows in the bell, so you can follow up.
The review link goes to everyone who rates, whatever the score. Review sites like Google don't allow asking only happy customers.
On the website chat, if the visitor may still be chatting when you click Resolve, they're asked right away and the chat stays open for up to 30 minutes, until it can be resolved. WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger only let a business message a customer within 24 hours of their last message, so ask before then.
The question and the thank-you go out in the customer's language when it's English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian or Tagalog (otherwise English). A question you write yourself is sent as you wrote it.
See customers' reactions
When a customer reacts to a message on Instagram or Messenger, for example with ❤️ or 👍, the emoji shows on the corner of that message in the conversation. It shows up live, and it goes away again if they remove it.
A reaction is not a new message: the AI doesn't reply to it and nobody is alerted. If they react to a message from before you connected, or one you sent from the Instagram or Facebook app, a small gray line in the conversation says what they reacted with.
WhatsApp reactions can't be shown: the WhatsApp connection Frontivo.io uses doesn't pass them on.
Mark a conversation as spam
- 1Open the conversation in the Inbox.
- 2Click the ... button next to Resolve.
- 3Click Mark as spam.
Takes a few seconds. The conversation leaves every Inbox tab and isn't counted in your analytics. Leads from it that are still open are marked as spam too.
If that person writes again on the same channel, their message goes straight to Spam. The AI doesn't reply, nobody is alerted, and it doesn't count toward your usage.
On a call, text or WhatsApp conversation, owners, co-owners and admins also block the number from calling. You can see them under Blocked callers on the AI receptionist page (Settings tab).
To see spam, click View spam at the bottom of the conversation list. Open a conversation there and click Not spam to move it back to your Inbox. The AI answers that person again, and their number is unblocked.
Delete a conversation
- 1Open the conversation in the Inbox.
- 2Click the ... button next to Resolve.
- 3Click Delete conversation.
- 4Click Delete permanently to confirm.
Takes a few seconds. This deletes the messages, photos and any call recording for good, so use it when a customer asks you to erase their data. To just tidy up, use Resolve or Mark as spam, which you can undo.
The customer's contact details, leads and appointments are kept. Usage already counted on your plan doesn't change.
Only owners, co-owners and admins can delete conversations. The owner or a co-owner can give a team member Delete conversations on the Team page. Every delete is listed under Security activity on the Team page.
To clear out practice chats from the Channel Tester and demo calls, click Delete test conversations at the bottom of the conversation list. Real customers' conversations are never deleted this way.
Resolve, mark as spam or delete several at once
- 1In the Inbox, click Select above the conversation list.
- 2Tick the conversations you want. Click a row to tick it, or hold Shift and click to tick everything in between. Select all ticks the whole list.
- 3Click Resolve, Mark as spam or Delete. In the spam list, click Not spam instead of Mark as spam.
- 4For Delete, click Delete permanently to confirm.
- 5Click Done (or press Esc) to go back to opening conversations.
Takes about a minute for a long list. Each conversation follows the same rules as its own buttons: deleting is for owners, co-owners and admins, and a call still in progress or a website chat the visitor may still have open is skipped. The message afterwards says how many were skipped and why.
Keyboard: press x to tick the conversation that's open.
Troubleshooting
Text message is grayed out (greyed out) in New message
The reason is written under it. The usual ones: we don't have a phone number for them; they replied STOP; their number is in another country and they've never called, texted or WhatsApped you; your business number is a US or Canadian toll-free number, which can only text the US and Canada; texting isn't set up on your number yet (see the Text messages card on Integrations); or your plan's automated texts are used up for the month (see Plan & Billing). Send it by WhatsApp or email instead, or call them.
WhatsApp is grayed out (greyed out) in New message
WhatsApp only lets a business message people who wrote to it first, so it's grayed out for anyone who has never messaged you on WhatsApp. If they have, but more than 24 hours ago, WhatsApp only allows its approved message: if the reason says it isn't ready for your account yet, send a text or an email instead, or wait for them to write again. Also check WhatsApp is connected on Integrations.
Messenger or Instagram is grayed out, or my message there says Not delivered
Messenger and Instagram only let a business message people who messaged its Page or account, and only within 7 days of their last message (after the first 24 hours, only a message from a person on your team). If it's been longer, they need to write to you again first, so call, text or email them instead. If the reason says the connection stopped working, click Reconnect on the Messenger or Instagram card on Integrations.
Every channel is grayed out in New message
We have no phone number or email address for them, or they only ever messaged you on Instagram or Messenger more than 7 days ago. Add their number or email on their page in Customers, then try again.
My message says Saved but not delivered
Open the conversation: the reason is under your message. Fix it (for example reconnect the channel on Integrations), then click Try again under the message. If the reason is that your number can't text that number (for example a toll-free number texting abroad), trying again won't help - use WhatsApp or email, or call them.
There's no New or Send message button
Your team role doesn't include replying to customers. Ask the account owner to turn on Reply to customers for you in Team.
A chat shows as Website visitor instead of the customer's name
That's normal until the customer gives their name and phone or email (for example when they book), or proves who they are to check or change a booking - then the chat shows under their name with their bookings and lead. Their name stays hidden if they only typed someone else's number.
I can't see Ask for a rating
Turn on Ask customers to rate your team in AI receptionist > Settings first. It shows only after someone on your team has replied to the customer, once per conversation, and never on phone calls or spam.
The rating question wasn't delivered on WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger
These apps only let a business message a customer within 24 hours of the customer's last message. Ask for the rating sooner, for example right after your last reply.
The AI isn't replying to a customer
The conversation was handed to your team, someone on your team took it over, or it was marked as spam. Open it and click Hand back to AI, or Not spam if it's under View spam.
I can't see Delete conversation
Deleting is for owners, co-owners and admins. Ask the owner or a co-owner to turn on Delete conversations for you on the Team page.
It says a call is still in progress
Wait for the call to end, then try again. A call counts as in progress for at most 4 hours, so an older call that never got its end time can always be resolved, marked as spam or deleted. Those calls are also closed automatically once a day.
I didn't get an email when a customer asked for a person
Handoff emails go to owners, co-owners and admins who have confirmed their email address. Check your spam folder, and make sure you confirmed your email from the link we sent when you signed up.
The AI handed off when it shouldn't have
Open AI receptionist, click the Settings tab and check Words that bring in your team. A very short or common word can match everyday messages, so remove it and click Save changes.
My reply was saved but not delivered
The reply is in the conversation but couldn't reach the customer. Check that the channel is still connected, for example on Integrations for Instagram and Messenger. For email, ask the customer to check their spam folder.
There's no summary yet
Summaries appear after a few messages. Click Summarize to create one right away.
I'm not getting desktop alerts
Keep a Frontivo.io tab open. If your browser blocked alerts, click the lock icon next to the web address, set Notifications to Allow, then reload the page. Also check that Focus or Do Not Disturb is off on your computer.