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VowChat 101

Learn how to use VowChat effectively and make the most of its features to enhance customer support and engagement.
VowChat Solutions
By VowChat Solutions
• 8 articles

VowChat Glossary

VowChat Glossary A comprehensive guide to VowChat terminology and features. A Access Token - Application APIs are designed to interact with a VowChat account from a user's perspective. To integrate apps and authenticate to these APIs, you will require a user access_token, which can be obtained from your Profile Settings. Administrator (Admin) - Administrators are account users who have complete access to all the enabled features. They can control all the account settings, unlike agents. Agent - An Agent is anyone from your team who can answer customer conversations. An agent has lesser account permissions compared to the administrator. Agent Status - An agent can set themself as Online, Busy, Offline through their Profile Settings. API - The APIs (Application Programming Interface) in VowChat enable you to connect more external systems than the UI offers. Applications - External apps that are natively integrated with VowChat. Setting these up lets you enhance your customer engagement toolset. Automation - A set of rules an Admin defines to automate specific tasks like assigning agents, adding labels, snoozing conversations. B Bots - Automated assistants that can handle customer conversations using predefined rules or AI. Business Hours - Configured time windows when your team is available to respond to customers. C Campaigns - Proactive messages sent to customers based on specific triggers or schedules. Canned Responses - Pre-written message templates that agents can quickly insert into conversations. Channels - Different communication platforms (website, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc.) through which customers can reach you. Contacts - Customer profiles containing conversation history and contact information. Conversations - Communication threads between your team and customers. I Inbox - A container that holds conversations from a specific channel (like website chat, email, etc.). Integrations - Third-party services that connect with VowChat to extend functionality. L Labels - Tags applied to conversations for organization and filtering. M Mentions - Notifications when someone tags you using @ symbol in a conversation. Messages - Individual communications within a conversation. N Notifications - Alerts for new messages, mentions, and conversation assignments. P Portal - The Help Center website where your knowledge base articles are published. Profile Settings - Personal preferences and account settings for each user. R Reports - Analytics and metrics about conversations, agents, and customer interactions. Response Time - The time taken to respond to customer messages. S SLA (Service Level Agreement) - Defined standards for response and resolution times. Snooze - Temporarily hiding a conversation until a specified time. Status - Current availability state of an agent (Online, Busy, Offline). T Tags - See Labels. Team - The collection of agents and administrators in your account. Templates - Pre-formatted message structures for consistent communication. W Website Widget - The chat interface that appears on your website for customers. Webhook - Automated notifications sent to external systems when events occur in VowChat.

Last updated on Oct 30, 2025

Lesson 1: Your First VowChat Conversation

Welcome to VowChat! In this beginner-friendly guide, we'll walk you through the basics of handling your first customer conversation. As a VowChat user, you will be able to manage multiple conversations with multiple customers from various channels on a single dashboard. What is VowChat? Imagine having all your customer conversations - from emails, social media, WhatsApp, and website chat - in one simple dashboard. That's exactly what VowChat does for you! No more jumping between different apps to respond to customers. Understanding Channels Think of channels as different doors through which your customers can reach you. These include: - Email support - Website live chat - Social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) - Messaging apps (WhatsApp, Line, Telegram) - SMS - Chatbot Quick Tip: In VowChat, we call each channel connection an "inbox" - just like your email inbox, but smarter! How Does It Work? Based on the channels you choose for your organization, your customers can contact you from any of them. When someone sends a message, it becomes a new conversation in VowChat, listed chronologically on your dashboard. Creating Your First Conversation Sign up for your free trial account to get started. We'll help you set up a website live chat channel. Let's set up your website channel: Step 1. Go to Settings → Channels → "Add Channel". Step 2. Click on the "Website" icon. Step 3. Fill in the fields you see on the screen and follow the setup wizard. Step 4. Once configured, install the widget code on your website. Step 5. Test it by sending a message from your website - it will appear in your VowChat dashboard! Your First Reply When a new conversation comes in: 1. Click on the conversation from your inbox 2. Read the customer's message 3. Type your reply in the message box 4. Hit Send or press Enter Congratulations! You've just handled your first VowChat conversation! 🎉 What's Next? Now that you know the basics, move on to Lesson 2 to learn about Dashboard Basics and more advanced features.

Last updated on Nov 06, 2025

Lesson 2: Dashboard Basics

By the end of this lesson, you will understand all the key things you can do on the VowChat dashboard. Dashboard Sections 1. VowChat Icon Click on the VowChat icon to go to the dashboard anytime. 2. Sidebar Controls (First Set) - View conversations - View contacts - View Reports - Create a campaign - Create a Help Center - Go to Account Settings 3. Sidebar Controls (Second Set) - Read documentation - View notifications - Access personal profile settings 4. Currently Viewing Shows the connected organization/company for message reception. 5. Connected Stuff - Conversations (All, Mentions, Unattended) - Teams - Inboxes - Labels 6. Conversations Panel Features include: - Search bar - Dashboard layout switching - Conversation filtering - Conversation list with tabs (Mine, Unassigned, All) 7. Customer Information - Customer basic info - Contact details - Previous conversations history 8. Reply Features - Reply box with rich text editor - File attachment options - Canned responses - Emoji support 9. Conversation Management - Assigned agent/team selection - Conversation actions (resolve, snooze, etc.) - Macros for quick actions - Labels and tags - Contact attributes Getting Comfortable Spend some time exploring each section. Click around, open conversations, and familiarize yourself with where everything is. The more comfortable you are with the dashboard, the faster you'll be able to help your customers! Next Steps Once you're familiar with the dashboard layout, move on to Lesson 3 where we'll dive into mastering VowChat's core features.

Last updated on Nov 06, 2025

Lesson 3 (a): Mastering Core Features

So, you have your first channel ready and know your way around the dashboard. Now let us learn everything about the core features of VowChat––where to find them and how to use them effectively. We like to call these features as "tools" to help you effectively communicate with your customers. Agents You would have entered VowChat through one of the two ways: - You signed up, and you are your account's admin. - You were invited via email by the admin of your account. Regardless of your entry point, it'll be helpful to understand what an Agent can do on VowChat. What is an Agent on VowChat? An Agent is anyone from your team who can answer customer conversations. They can be a member of your customer support team, your Engineering colleague, your co-founder, the marketer on your team, or anyone and everyone you want to bring to your VowChat account to help answer questions. What differentiates an Agent from an Admin? Permissions do. Agents can only access channels, response templates, reports and conversations. They can assign conversations to other agents or themselves. They can also resolve conversations. Admins can do everything. How to add an Agent to VowChat? We have a detailed document for adding agents in the Setup Account section. How to use the Agents feature? There are two basic ways to do this, as explained below. 1. Assign an agent to a conversation Step 1. On your dashboard, when you open a particular conversation, you'll find a section that reads "Conversation Actions". Click the + sign to expand it. Step 2. You'll see an option that reads "Assigned Agent" followed by a dropdown of all the Agents on your account. Use the search bar to narrow down on the name of the Agent you're looking for. Alternatively, you can also assign a conversation to yourself by selecting "Assign to me". 2. Talk on Private Note When you want to talk to your teammates within a conversation thread about a customer's question, you can use Private Notes. These are internal comments that won't be visible to your customers. Step 1. On your dashboard, when you open a particular conversation, you'll find a reply box. Notice there are two options: "Reply" and "Private Note" (in yellow). Step 2. Click on "Private Note" to write an internal message. Step 3. Type your message. You can: - Use @ to mention specific teammates - Add emoji and rich text formatting - Attach files if needed These notes are perfect for: - Asking colleagues for help - Documenting conversation context - Sharing internal updates about a customer issue Agent Reports If you're an admin, you can access detailed Agent Reports to track team performance. Step 1. Navigate to Reports → Agents Overview Step 2. You'll see metrics like: - Total messages sent - Average response time - Conversations handled - Resolution time Step 3. You can: - Select a specific agent from the dropdown - Choose a time period - Download the report - Toggle business hours view Teams What is a Team on VowChat? A Team is an internal group of Agents on VowChat that handle a specific type of conversation. For example, you could have a Tech team handling technical queries, a Billing team for payment issues, and a Product team for feature requests. How to use the Teams feature? There are three main ways: 1. Assign a conversation to a team Step 1. Open a conversation on your dashboard. Step 2. Click the + sign in "Conversation Actions" section. Step 3. Select "Assigned Team" from the dropdown menu. Step 4. Search or select the team you want to assign. 2. Use Automation Rules You can automatically route conversations to specific teams based on conditions. Example 1: Route by Browser Language If a customer's browser is set to Spanish, automatically assign to the Spanish Support team. Example 2: Route by Message Content If the message contains keywords like "bug" or "error", automatically assign to the Engineering team. 3. View Team Reports Step 1. Navigate to Reports → Teams Overview Step 2. Select a team from the dropdown Step 3. View team performance metrics: - Total conversations handled - Average response time - Resolution rate - Member contributions Contacts What are Contacts? Contacts are two types of people: 1. People who have messaged you through any of your channels 2. Contacts you've manually uploaded to VowChat How to use the Contacts feature? 1. View Contact Details Step 1. Click on "Contacts" in the sidebar Step 2. You'll see a list of all contacts with: - Name - Email - Phone number - Last contacted date - Conversation count 2. Filter Contacts Step 1. Click the "Filter" button Step 2. Create filters based on: - Labels - Channel - Country - City - Custom attributes Step 3. Save your filter for future use Contact Management Tips - Add Custom Attributes: Store additional information like subscription tier, signup date, or purchase history - Create Segments: Group contacts by behavior or characteristics - Import/Export: Bulk upload contacts or export your database - Merge Duplicates: Combine duplicate contact profiles Labels What are Labels? Labels are tags you can add to conversations and contacts to organize and categorize them. Think of them like folders or tags in your email. How to use Labels? 1. Add Labels to Conversations Step 1. Open a conversation Step 2. Click the + sign in "Conversation Actions" Step 3. Select "Labels" and choose from existing labels or create new ones Step 4. You can add multiple labels to one conversation 2. Add Labels to Contacts Step 1. Go to Contacts Step 2. Open a contact profile Step 3. Click "Add Label" in the contact details Step 4. Select or create labels 3. Filter by Labels Once you've labeled conversations and contacts, you can easily filter them: For Conversations: - Click on a label in the sidebar - All conversations with that label will appear For Contacts: - Go to Contacts - Use the filter option - Select label criteria 4. View Label Reports Step 1. Navigate to Reports → Labels Overview Step 2. See metrics like: - Most used labels - Conversation volume by label - Response times by label - Resolution rates by label Label Best Practices - Use Consistent Naming: Stick to a naming convention (e.g., all caps, lowercase) - Don't Over-Label: Start with 5-10 essential labels - Use Colors: Assign colors to quickly identify label types - Create Categories: Group labels (e.g., Priority: High/Medium/Low) - Use in Automation: Trigger actions based on labels What's Next? Now that you've mastered these core features, move on to Lesson 3(b) to learn about Response Templates, Custom Attributes, Automation, and Reports!

Last updated on Nov 06, 2025

Lesson 3 (b): Mastering Core Features

This lesson is an extension of Lesson 3(a). Response Templates Response Templates help reduce repetitive messaging by saving frequently used reply templates that you can quickly insert into conversations. What is a Response Template on VowChat? A Response Template is a saved reply template which can be used anytime to send out a reply to a conversation quickly. Instead of typing the same message over and over, you can create templates for common responses and reuse them with a simple shortcut. How to use Response Templates Step 1. In a conversation, type / in the reply box. This will display all available response templates. Step 2. Either type the shortcode directly, or browse through the list and click on a response template. The template content will populate your reply box. Step 3. Review the message, make any necessary edits for personalization, and press Send. Creating Response Templates Step 1. Go to Settings → Response Templates Step 2. Click "Add Response Template" Step 3. Enter a short code (e.g., /greeting, /pricing, /support) Step 4. Write your template message. You can include: - Text formatting (bold, italic, lists) - Variables for personalization - Links and attachments Step 5. Set visibility (personal or team-wide) Step 6. Save your template Response Template Best Practices - Use Clear Shortcodes: Choose memorable, descriptive codes like /refund-policy instead of /rp - Keep Templates Flexible: Leave room for personalization rather than making them too rigid - Review Regularly: Update templates based on changing policies or customer feedback - Organize by Category: Group similar templates with consistent naming conventions - Test Before Sharing: Try your templates in real conversations before making them team-wide Custom Attributes Custom Attributes allow you to track unique facts about your contacts or conversations that matter to your business. What is a Custom Attribute? A Custom Attribute is a particular type of fact you create for your conversations or contacts. These could be things like: - Subscription plan (Free, Pro, Enterprise) - Signup date - Most ordered product - Order value - Customer tier - Account ID from your system - Preferred contact method - Industry or company size How to use Custom Attributes 1. Applying Custom Attributes to Conversations Step 1. Open the conversation dashboard Step 2. In the right sidebar, click the + sign in the "Conversation Information" section Step 3. Select "Add Attributes" Step 4. Choose an existing attribute or create a new one, then populate the attribute details Step 5. The attribute will now be visible in the conversation information panel 2. Applying Custom Attributes to Contacts Step 1. Navigate to Contacts in the sidebar Step 2. Open a contact profile Step 3. In the contact details panel, click "Add Attribute" Step 4. Select or create attributes and populate their values Step 5. Save the contact information 3. Filtering Conversations by Custom Attributes Step 1. Go to "Conversations" in the sidebar Step 2. Click the filter icon at the top Step 3. Select "Custom Attribute" from the filter options Step 4. Choose your attribute and set the condition (equals, contains, etc.) Step 5. Apply the filter to see matching conversations 4. Filtering Contacts by Custom Attributes Step 1. Go to "Contacts" in the sidebar Step 2. Click the filter button Step 3. Select "Custom Attribute" from the filter criteria Step 4. Define your filter conditions Step 5. View all contacts matching your criteria Custom Attribute Tips - Define Clear Attribute Names: Use descriptive names that your team will understand - Standardize Values: Use dropdown lists for attributes with fixed options - Document Your Attributes: Keep a guide of what each attribute means and how to use it - Use for Automation: Custom attributes can trigger automation rules for smart routing - Track What Matters: Focus on attributes that help you serve customers better Automation Automation allows admins to create rules that automatically perform tasks, saving time and ensuring consistency across your team. What is Automation in VowChat? Automation is a set of rules an Admin defines for the account to automate certain tasks. These tasks can include: - Assigning conversations to specific agents or teams - Adding labels based on conditions - Sending automated messages - Snoozing conversations - Updating conversation priority - Setting custom attributes Key Points About Automation - Admin-Only Creation: Only administrators can create and edit automation rules - Team-Wide Usage: Once created, automation rules work automatically for everyone - Condition-Based: Rules trigger when specific conditions are met - Action-Based: Each rule performs one or more actions when triggered How to Create Automation Rules Step 1. Go to Settings → Automation Step 2. Click "Add Automation Rule" Step 3. Name your rule (e.g., "Route billing questions to billing team") Step 4. Define trigger conditions: - When should this rule activate? - Examples: Message contains "billing", Channel is "Email", Browser language is "Spanish" Step 5. Set actions to perform: - What should happen when conditions are met? - Examples: Assign to Billing Team, Add label "urgent", Send message Step 6. Enable the rule and save Automation Examples Example 1: Auto-assign by keyword - Condition: Message contains "bug" OR "error" - Action: Assign to Engineering Team, Add label "technical-issue" Example 2: Business hours routing - Condition: Outside business hours - Action: Send auto-reply with expected response time Example 3: VIP customer priority - Condition: Contact has attribute "tier" equals "VIP" - Action: Add label "priority", Assign to senior support agent Example 4: Language-based routing - Condition: Browser language is "Spanish" - Action: Assign to Spanish Support Team Automation Best Practices - Test Your Rules: Create a test rule first to verify it works as expected - Start Simple: Begin with basic rules before creating complex multi-condition automation - Monitor Performance: Check if your automation is improving response times and efficiency - Review Regularly: Outdated rules can cause problems, so audit them quarterly - Document Your Automation: Keep a list of what each rule does and why it was created Reports VowChat offers seven comprehensive report types to help you understand your support performance and make data-driven decisions. Available Report Types 1. Overview Account-wide metrics showing overall performance across all channels, agents, and teams. View total conversations, response times, resolution rates, and customer satisfaction scores. 2. Conversations Overview Detailed conversation metrics and trends including: - Total conversations by status - Peak conversation times - Average conversation duration - Conversation volume trends over time 3. CSAT Reports Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) reports showing: - Overall satisfaction rating - CSAT score trends - Ratings breakdown by agent, team, or channel - Customer feedback comments 4. Agents Overview Individual agent performance metrics: - Total messages sent by each agent - Average first response time - Average resolution time - Conversations handled - Customer satisfaction ratings 5. Labels Overview Label usage statistics showing: - Most frequently used labels - Conversation volume by label - Response time by label category - Resolution rates for labeled conversations 6. Channel Overview Channel-specific metrics for each of your communication channels: - Conversation volume per channel - Response times by channel - Channel-specific resolution rates - Channel performance comparison 7. Team Overview Team performance data including: - Total conversations handled by team - Team response and resolution times - Member contributions within teams - Team satisfaction ratings How to Access and Use Reports Step 1. Click the Reports icon in the sidebar Step 2. Select the report type you want to view Step 3. Choose your date range: - Today - Last 7 days - Last 30 days - Custom date range Step 4. Apply filters if needed: - Filter by specific channel - Filter by agent or team - Filter by label - Toggle business hours view Step 5. Analyze the data: - View charts and graphs - Identify trends and patterns - Spot areas for improvement Step 6. Export data if needed: - Download as CSV for further analysis - Share with stakeholders - Track performance over time Using Reports Effectively - Set Baselines: Track your initial metrics to measure improvement - Regular Review: Schedule weekly or monthly report reviews with your team - Identify Trends: Look for patterns in response times, conversation volume, and satisfaction - Spot Training Needs: Use agent reports to identify coaching opportunities - Optimize Staffing: Use conversation trends to adjust team schedules - Channel Performance: Compare channels to allocate resources effectively - Customer Satisfaction: Monitor CSAT trends to ensure service quality What's Next? Congratulations! You've now mastered VowChat's core features including Response Templates, Custom Attributes, Automation, and Reports. These tools will help you: - ✅ Respond faster with Response Templates - ✅ Track important customer information with Custom Attributes - ✅ Work smarter with Automation - ✅ Make data-driven decisions with Reports Move on to Lesson 4 to explore advanced features and complete your customer engagement suite setup!

Last updated on Nov 06, 2025

Lesson 4: Complete your customer engagement suite

Congratulations on making it to Lesson 4! By now, you've learned how to handle conversations, navigate the dashboard, and use VowChat's core features. Now it's time to expand your customer engagement by adding more channels. How to select the best channels for your business? Businesses often aim to connect with customers across multiple platforms. There are two primary approaches to consider: 1. Omnichannel Customer Service Being present on all channels where your customers are. This approach ensures you never miss a customer inquiry, regardless of which platform they prefer. Pros: - Maximum customer reach - Meet customers where they are - No missed opportunities Cons: - Requires more resources - Can spread team too thin - Higher complexity to manage 2. Optichannel Customer Service Focusing on 2-3 preferred customer channels for optimal service quality. This strategic approach prioritizes depth over breadth. Pros: - Better resource allocation - Higher service quality - Easier to manage and optimize - More focused team expertise Cons: - May miss some customers - Need to research which channels matter most Recommendation: Start with optichannel (2-3 key channels) and expand as your team grows and you identify where your customers are most active. Adding your second, third, and fourth channel on VowChat Expanding to additional channels is simple. To add a new channel: Go to Settings → Channels → Add Channel You'll see a list of channels to choose from. If you want to setup a particular channel, we recommend going through the specific guide. Find the list below: - Website live chat - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter - WhatsApp - SMS - Email - Telegram - Line - Connect a different channel through API What's Next? Congratulations! You've completed the VowChat 101 tutorial series. Need help or have feedback? Contact our support team at support@vowchat.ai

Last updated on Nov 06, 2025