Help Center | tawk.to | Getting started with AI Assist

Getting started with AI Assist

The instructions below are for desktops and laptops only.

tawk.to’s AI Assist provides AI-powered tools that help your team offer fast, accurate support 24/7 across multiple channels.

Benefits at a glance

Offer quick, reliable answers 24/7 — even when your team is offline.
Improve response quality and speed using AI-powered suggestions (Smart Reply).
Reduce your team’s workload —automate repetitive tasks, brainstorm ideas, and streamline workflows with simple AI Commands.
Support multiple channels, including Live Chat, Tickets, Facebook Messenger, and SMS.
Extend functionality with API integrations — connect with your existing tools and platforms.
Scale support as your business grows without adding new staff.

This guide walks you through activating AI Assist, creating and customizing your AI agent, and best practices to ensure consistent, reliable performance.

Steps to activate AI Assist

1. Log in to tawk.to.

2. Select the correct property.

3. Click Add-ons on the top menu.

4. Click Get Started under AI Assist.

5. Watch the introductory video, or click Start Training AI Agents at the bottom to start the setup.

6. Enter your website address and click Next.

7. Wait while AI Assist scans your website and learns about your business. This only takes about 2 minutes. If AI Assist is unable your website, see this guide for help: Why AI Assist’s web crawler might not be able to crawl some sites

8. Once AI Assist has scanned your website, you’ll see a list of FAQs based on the information on your site. Add, edit, or remove FAQs, and click Next.

9. Test your AI agent’s responses. Select (or enter) a question and check the response at the bottom. Then, click Next.

10. Customize your AI agent’s persona. Change the profile image, Alias and Position Title (your visitors will see these in chats). Then, set the agent’s language or select Multilingual Support. You can also enter a Short Description with key details to help AI Assist understand your business better. Click Next when you’re done.

11. Your AI agent has been created. Click Done to complete the setup.

12. You’ll be taken to the main AI Assist page. Here, you can

- enable or disable the AI Assist add-on
- configure your AI agent’s settings, data sources, and integrations
- upgrade your AI Assist plan
- add AI agents
- add message credits

Configure your AI agent’s settings

1. Select your AI agent on the main AI Assist page.

2. In the Settings tab, scroll to Channels. Enable the channels you want the AI agent to support.

3. Define how your AI agent represents your brand under Persona. Adjust the alias, job title, profile image, and description. A friendly, clear persona helps customers trust the responses. Click Save when you’re done.

4. You can edit the Short Description. This helps AI Assist understand your business better.

5. The Base Prompt tells the AI agent how to communicate and behave. You can edit the default prompt and click Save. You can always return to the default prompt by clicking Use default.

Your base prompt can include instructions on:

- How to greet customers

- What to say and not to say

- What tone of voice to use

- What information to include in your responses

Learn more about the Base Prompt with these guides:
Getting started with the Base Prompt
Modifying the Base Prompt

Using Base Prompt to restrict AI Assist's responses

Using Base Prompt instructions for escalation

6. Under Behaviour, you can:

- Schedule availability — choose when the AI is allowed to answer chats or tickets (paid plans only).

- Delay live chat answering — add a brief delay before sending replies to create a more human feel.

- Enable answer revision — allow the AI agent to improve or refine answers based on conversation context.

- Enable multilingual support — respond to customers in multiple languages.

Under Escalation (paid plans only), you can define the shortcuts the AI agent should use when visitors ask to speak to human agents or when the answer can’t be found in the data source.

7. At the bottom of the Settings page, you can enable/disable

- Apollo AI bot — the AI bot that handles live chat. It can answer questions, triage conversations, and provide instant support.

- Smart Reply — suggests natural, accurate responses to help your team reply faster in chats and tickets.

- AI Commands — perform quick actions like rewriting text, changing tone, or brainstorming ideas.

Learn more with these guides:
Using Smart Reply

Using AI Commands

Upgrade your AI Assist plan

1. Click Upgrade Now at the upper-right corner.

2. Select a plan and click Continue.

3. Enter payment details and click Activate Now. Your new plan takes effect immediately.

To learn more about changing your AI Assist plans, see this guide: AI Assist Plans and Subscriptions

Add AI agents (paid plans only)

You can have one or multiple AI agents depending on your support needs. Each AI agent can support one channel at a time; you may want separate agents for Live Chat, Ticketing, Facebook Messenger, or SMS.

To add a new AI agent, click Add AI agent in the upper-right corner and follow the setup instructions.

To learn more about adding AI agents, see this guide: Deploying multiple AI Agents across support channels

Message credits and usage

AI Assist plans include a monthly message allotment. The Message Usage panel on the right of the main AI Assist page shows a real-time count of messages AI Assist sends in chats, tickets, Smart Replies, and AI Commands.

Each AI-generated message counts toward your total. When you reach your limit, AI Assist will pause its responses until the next billing cycle. If you need uninterrupted service, you can upgrade your plan or purchase message credits.

Learn more with this guide: How to top up AI Assist message credits

Data sources

AI Assist relies on your data to deliver accurate, trustworthy answers. High-quality, up-to-date information leads to better results.

To configure your AI agent’s data source:

1. Click the Data Source tab.

2. You can add FAQs, documentation, Knowledge Base articles, or product pages to guide how the AI agent responds.

See this guide to learn more: Understanding AI Assist’s Data Sources

Integration/API

Let your AI agent interact with third-party platforms to fetch data or perform actions. API integrations expand functionality and connect your AI Assist with your existing tools.

To add an integration:

1. Click the Integration/API tab.

2. Click + Add. Select the integrations you want to add, or add a custom integration.

See these guides to learn more:

How to set up a custom API integration with AI Assist

How to integrate Apollo AI with WooCommerce

How to integrate AI Assist with Shopify

Test and preview

Testing helps you confirm tone, accuracy, and overall behavior. Use the built-in preview window to test how your AI Agent responds before going live. Try different types of questions, including:

Common customer inquiries
Complex product or service questions
Situations where escalation should occur

Note: Testing your AI agent doesn’t use up your message credits.

Additional information

Maintain high-quality data
Keep your data sources, Knowledge Base articles, product info, and FAQs updated. Accurate, current data ensures your AI Assist provides reliable, trustworthy answers.
Start small and expand gradually
Begin with the most common questions and use cases. As you gain confidence, expand your AI agent’s scope to handle more complex queries and additional channels.
Review and refine regularly
Check your AI agent’s responses often, review suggested messages, and adjust your Base Prompt and data sources as needed to improve accuracy and relevance.
Protect sensitive information
Only upload or connect data that you are comfortable sharing with AI for customer support purposes. Ensure sensitive or confidential information is not exposed
.
Monitor message usage and plan accordingly
Keep track of your monthly message allocation to avoid interruptions. Consider upgrading or purchasing additional credits if your usage grows.