Get Started with BotSpace
Set up your BotSpace workspace, connect customer channels, prepare approved business knowledge, capture the right enquiry information and test staff handoff before going live.
Setup time varies according to the number of channels, quality of the available content, provider approvals and implementation scope.
What you will set up
The Omnichannel Enquiry Desk brings supported website chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram enquiries into one shared workspace.
Your initial setup should enable BotSpace to:
- Receive enquiries from channels
- Answer using approved knowledge
- Capture customer info
- Organize by status & category
- Assign conversations
- Transfer customers to staff
- Run reliable workflows
- Report on activity & gaps
Before you start
Prepare the following before configuring the workspace.
| Requirement | What to prepare |
|---|---|
| Workspace administrator | One person responsible for setup, access and approval |
| Business identity | Approved name, description, address and contact info |
| Operating hours | Customer-service hours, time zone and holiday exceptions |
| Channel access | Administrator access to the accounts being connected |
| Business knowledge | Current FAQs, policies, services, prices and public info |
| Enquiry requirements | Information staff need before responding or preparing an offer |
| Staff structure | Users, responsibilities, teams and escalation contacts |
| Handoff rules | Situations that require human review |
| Customer notices | Approved privacy, consent or data-collection wording |
| Test cases | Common, unclear, sensitive and out-of-scope questions |
Keep sensitive information out
Do not place passwords, one-time codes, private keys, unrestricted API credentials, full payment-card information or confidential internal records in ordinary knowledge sources or support messages.
Set up your workspace
Configure the basic business context before connecting channels. Add or confirm:
Use the time zone in which the customer-service team actually operates. Do not promise continuous availability if staff are not available continuously.
Review plan capacity
Confirm the applicable plan's limits for Monthly Active Enquiries, staff users, connected accounts, knowledge items, and add-ons.
Review BotSpace plansConnect customer channels
Start with the channels that generate meaningful customer enquiries. You do not need to activate every supported channel at once.
Website chat
Access to website and permission to install/configure widget
Eligible business account and required Meta permissions
Facebook Messenger
Administrator access to the relevant Facebook Page
Eligible professional account with required Meta connection
Test each connection separately
- Confirm that the correct business account is being connected.
- Complete the provider's authorization process.
- Check that BotSpace reports a successful connection.
- Send an enquiry from an external customer account.
- Confirm that the message appears in the correct workspace.
- Reply from BotSpace.
- Confirm that the response reaches the customer.
- Record and resolve any delivery error.
Connection does not override the provider's rules. Messaging windows, templates, account approval and external charges remain subject to the channel provider.
Prepare AI knowledge
Start with the most frequent and commercially important questions rather than uploading every document your organization owns.
Recommended Knowledge Register
| Knowledge title | Identifies the topic |
| Approved answer | Provides the customer-facing information |
| Source owner | Identifies who can verify it |
| Intended audience | Confirms whether it is suitable for customers |
| Last reviewed | Shows whether the information is current |
| Escalation rule | Explains when staff must take over |
Improve answer reliability
- • Keep sources focused on clear topics
- • Remove outdated versions
- • Resolve contradictions before uploading
- • Separate internal guidance from customer-facing
- • Assign owners to prices and policies
Extra Control Required
AI should not independently confirm:
- • Live availability & final prices
- • Booking confirmations & refunds
- • Supplier bank-detail changes
- • Legal, medical or emergency advice
Configure enquiry capture
Capture only the information staff need to understand and progress the request. Avoid making every field mandatory.
Recommended general fields
- • Customer name / channel identity
- • Preferred contact method
- • Enquiry category & Service of interest
- • Requested date or time
- • Location (where relevant)
- • Customer's question or requirements
- • Communication preference (consent)
Good enquiry capture:
- Uses familiar language.
- Requests one piece of info at a time.
- Explains why sensitive info is needed.
- Allows customer to ask for staff assistance.
- Avoids collecting unnecessary personal info.
Add your team
Invite only the staff who need access to the workspace. Apply least-privilege access: give each staff member only the access needed for their work.
| Responsibility | Typical scope |
|---|---|
| Workspace administration | Users, channels, configuration and access |
| Knowledge management | Source review, approval and updates |
| Enquiry handling | Customer replies, notes, status and follow-up |
| Team supervision | Assignment, escalations and unresolved enquiries |
| Workflow management | Trigger, condition and action configuration |
| Reporting | Usage and operational review |
Use individual staff accounts. Shared credentials make access removal and accountability difficult.
Configure assignment and human handoff
Every customer enquiry should have a clear operational destination.
Transfer the enquiry to staff when:
- • The customer asks to speak with a person.
- • Approved knowledge does not contain a reliable answer.
- • The customer corrects or disputes an answer.
- • The request involves negotiation or an exception.
- • Payment, booking, or bank details require verification.
- • The customer reports an urgent problem.
A handoff should retain:
- • The conversation history.
- • Captured enquiry information.
- • Relevant AI summary.
- • Channel and customer identity.
- • Reason for handoff & priority.
- • Current owner or destination team.
Plan for unavailable staff
Configure what the customer should receive when staff are unavailable: confirmation of receipt, accurate operating hours, captured info, expected next steps, and alternative urgent contact routes if applicable.
Create your first workflows
Begin with one to three operationally important workflows. A large automation catalogue is not necessary for launch.
1. New enquiry acknowledgement and assignment
Trigger
A qualifying new enquiry is received.
Actions
- Create or update the enquiry record.
- Apply relevant category/tag.
- Send approved acknowledgement.
- Assign to appropriate queue or staff.
- Notify responsible team & record outcome.
2. Unresolved enquiry escalation
Trigger
Enquiry remains unassigned or unresolved beyond approved threshold.
Actions
- Check if enquiry is closed or awaiting customer.
- Notify supervisor or fallback owner.
- Increase operational priority if appropriate.
- Record the escalation.
3. Customer follow-up
Trigger
A qualified enquiry is waiting for the customer and reaches the follow-up interval.
Actions
- Confirm customer hasn't replied and enquiry is open.
- Send one approved follow-up.
- Create staff task where necessary.
- Stop follow-ups after configured limit.
Test the complete journey
Test from the customer's channel through to staff resolution. Testing only the chatbot response is insufficient. Use external test accounts where possible.
| Test case | Expected result |
|---|---|
| Common question supported by knowledge | Correct answer based on approved source |
| Question with no approved answer | Clarification or human handoff |
| Complete new enquiry | Required info is captured and visible |
| Customer asks for a person | Immediate or queued human handoff |
| Customer writes outside business hours | Accurate acknowledgement and next step |
| Customer sends several messages | Remains part of the same active enquiry |
| Sensitive payment or bank request | No unsupported automatic action |
| Channel delivery fails | Error is recorded and operationally visible |
Do not launch with unresolved failures affecting message delivery, workspace separation, staff access, customer data or high-risk responses.
Go-live checklist
Do not publish the chatbot or activate all channels until the following checks pass.
Business & Channels
Business info & operating hours correct
Workspace admin & billing owner confirmed
Each connected account is authorized
Incoming/outgoing messages reach destinations
Knowledge & AI
Initial knowledge sources approved
Outdated information removed
Unsupported questions transfer to staff
Live prices/availability are not AI-guessed
Team & Operations
Staff accounts and permissions correct
Assignment rules & handoff preserve context
Staff know how to take ownership
Workflows & Privacy
Only tested workflow versions published
Customer notices available where required
Post-launch reviewer assigned
Review the first week
Review the workspace frequently during the first week instead of assuming that a successful test guarantees successful live operation. Change one important issue at a time, test the correction and record what changed.
Useful first-week decisions
Getting started questions
Do I need to connect every channel before launching?
No. Start with the channels your customers use most and expand after the initial process is stable.
How much knowledge should I upload?
Start with a small, current set covering frequent and important questions. Reliable knowledge is more useful than a large collection of duplicated or outdated documents.
Can BotSpace answer questions about price and availability?
It can communicate approved information. Frequently changing prices, live availability and final quotations should be verified through a current source or responsible staff member.
Can I launch without workflow automation?
Yes. A well-configured shared inbox, assignment process and human handoff can provide value before advanced workflows are introduced.
What counts as a Monthly Active Enquiry?
One distinct customer request with at least one qualifying customer-facing interaction during the billing month. Read the complete definition in the billing guide.