AI Support Agent: Service Expectations
Conversations AI must be active on your account. The edition that is active will affect which channels our team is able to connect. See the full requirements below.
The AI Support Agent Setup is a done-for-you service where our experts configure, train, and launch the AI Support Agent for your business. Our team handles the technical setup, configures the HEARD support framework, connects your requested channels (web chat, SMS, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and email), installs the chat widget on your website, and builds out the knowledge base so the AI can resolve customer inquiries without fabricating information.
What's included?
AI Employee profile
We configure the AI Employee with a name and avatar that represents your business. Customers interact with a professional support persona rather than a generic bot. The profile is configured within the AI Workforce section of Business App.
HEARD Support Framework
We configure the HEARD framework, a structured support methodology that guides every conversation through five stages:
- Hear: the customer's issue
- Empathize: with their situation
- Apologize: when appropriate
- Resolve: the issue directly or escalate
- Diagnose: patterns to improve over time
For simple questions, the AI answers immediately. For complaints or unresolved issues, it follows the full sequence.
Escalation logic
We configure your escalation rules so the AI hands off to your team only when it genuinely can't help, not for every inquiry it receives. Escalation is triggered when the AI cannot find an answer in the knowledge base, or when the issue requires human judgment. At that point, the AI smoothly transitions the conversation and captures the customer's contact information.
The quality and completeness of your knowledge base directly affects how often escalations are triggered. A well-documented FAQ reduces unnecessary handoffs to your team.
Channel setup
We connect all channels requested during the onboarding call. Supported channels include:
- Web chat
- SMS
- Facebook Messenger
- Instagram Direct Messages
Each channel routes conversations to your AI Support Agent automatically, so customers receive a consistent experience regardless of how they reach out.
SMS for U.S. businesses requires A2P registration before it can be activated. See the requirements below for details.
Chat widget installation
For web chat, we will install the chat widget directly on your website, typically in the global footer or homepage, so it is visible to customers across all pages. We will need login access to the place where you edit your website (for example, WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or whichever platform you use to manage your site).
If you are unable to provide website access, we will provide the embed code and installation instructions for your team or web developer to install independently.
Knowledge base setup
We connect your business profile, website, and any FAQs, policies, or help documentation to the AI's knowledge base. This allows the Support Agent to answer questions about your services, hours, policies, and more without fabricating information.
AI Workforce Optimization Plan
The AI Workforce Optimization Plan is a monthly subscription that keeps your AI employee performing after launch. Setting up an AI employee is only the beginning — real value comes from the steady tuning that follows. This plan gives your team a direct line to Vendasta's experts so prompts, automations, and settings can evolve as your business does, without you having to do the technical work yourself.
What's included
- 1 AI employee setup: Choose your AI employee at purchase. Setup is delivered in Month 1 and follows our standard setup scope: tasking, prompts, automations, and settings.
- Monthly AI employee check-in: A proactive touchpoint each month where our team reaches out to ask for business updates and confirm the accuracy and overall performance of the AI employee.
- Coverage for AI employees set up by our team: Ongoing optimization coverage applies to AI employees configured by Vendasta's services team within the standard setup scope: tasking, prompts, automations, and settings.
- Unlimited changes: Request as many changes as you need to prompts, automations, and AI employee settings.
- Email access to our expert team: Submit requests by email and receive a same-day acknowledgment. Our target is to fully resolve standard requests within 2 business days.
- Live training session for your team: A live, guided training session so your team understands how the AI employee works, how to spot issues, and how to make the most of the optimization plan.
What's not included
The AI Workforce Optimization Plan is focused on tuning and operating AI employees within the Vendasta platform. It is not a custom development engagement. The following are out of scope:
- Sophisticated automations and integrations beyond the platform: Work that goes beyond what can be configured within the Vendasta platform in a reasonable amount of time.
- Custom software development: Writing, hosting, or maintaining custom code, scripts, or APIs on your behalf.
- Third-party tool buildouts and administration: Configuring, administering, or paying for third-party tools and accounts that sit outside the Vendasta platform.
- Strategic consulting and business process design: Designing your overall go-to-market strategy, sales process, or operational workflows.
- Content creation and creative production: Producing long-form marketing content, brand assets, or creative deliverables.
- Net-new AI employees beyond the one included: Additional AI employees can be added through a separate setup engagement.
- Coverage for AI employees you configured yourself: Self-configured AI employees can be brought into scope through a setup engagement.
- Guaranteed business outcomes: We commit to expert configuration and ongoing optimization, not to specific revenue, lead, or conversion outcomes.
If a request falls outside the optimization plan, we'll let you know. We can scope your request to see if it's something we can set up and support, and let you know if additional charges apply.
What to expect: response times, check-ins, and change requests
Response and resolution
- Same-day acknowledgment. Every request you email in is acknowledged the same business day so you know it has been received and is queued.
- 2-business-day resolution target. Most standard requests — prompt edits, small automation tweaks, settings updates — are resolved within two business days. Larger or more complex requests may take longer, or not be included; if so, we'll set expectations up front.
- Business hours. Requests are handled during standard business hours, Monday to Friday. Requests received outside of business hours are picked up on the next business day.
Monthly check-ins
- Each month, we proactively reach out to ensure your AI employee is performing as expected or to identify any necessary updates.
- If you know of upcoming changes to your business, please notify us during these meetings so we can make proactive adjustments.
Change requests
- Submit change requests by emailing marketingservices@yourdigitalagents.com. Please include the AI employee, what you'd like changed, and the desired outcome.
- There is no cap on the number of requests per month — but the more clearly you describe the desired outcome, the faster we can deliver it.
- We will confirm changes once they are live so you can validate them in your environment.
Roles and responsibilities
Vendasta will
- Set up your included AI employee within the standard setup scope in Month 1.
- Reach out proactively each month to ensure AI employee accuracy and performance.
- Action your change requests against the AI employee's prompts, automations, and settings.
- Acknowledge requests the same business day and target 2-business-day resolution.
- Deliver one live training session for your team.
You will
- Provide accurate business information, processes, and content the AI employee should reflect.
- Submit change requests with enough context for us to act: the AI employee, the change, and the desired outcome.
- Validate changes in your environment after we confirm they are live.
- Keep us informed of meaningful changes to your business — new services, hours, pricing, or processes — so the AI employee stays accurate.
Once your subscription is active, your services contact will reach out to schedule the Month 1 setup and onboarding, the live training session, and your first monthly check-in. From there, you can email change requests at any time.
The setup process
The process involves a fulfillment form, a series of calls, and configuration steps to get your AI Support Agent running effectively.
1. Fulfillment form
To ensure a smooth and efficient setup, please fill out the fulfillment form with as much detail as possible, including your common customer inquiries, escalation preferences, and the channels you'd like to activate.
- Timeline: We'll review the order and start the process within 2 business days.
2. Onboarding call
Our team will lead a structured onboarding call to understand your support needs, common customer inquiries, and escalation preferences. We'll configure the HEARD Support Framework, a structured approach that guides your AI through direct answers for simple questions, empathetic resolution for complaints, and a smooth handoff to your team when human support is needed. We'll come to the call with an initial setup ready to demo and refine together.
- Timeline: An onboarding call can be booked in as little as 1 business day, depending on availability.
- For U.S. businesses: A2P registration is required to validate the business' use of SMS. Please be ready with your business legal information if you'd like to use SMS. Registration for A2P can take up to two weeks to complete.
If you are unable to attend the onboarding call, our team will proceed with setup using the information provided in your fulfillment form and will follow up via email and phone to review and refine. If we are unable to reach you after our follow-up process, the project will be closed, but can be reopened at any time by reaching back out to us.
3. Agent setup
Using the information gathered during the onboarding call, we will configure your AI Support Agent with the HEARD support framework, set up escalation logic to smoothly transition complex or unresolved issues to your team, connect all requested channels (web chat, SMS, Facebook, Instagram, and more), and install the chat widget on your website.
- Timeline: Your AI Support Agent will be complete in 1 business day, or 3 business days for setups with multiple channels or complex knowledge bases.
4. Training call
This call will walk you through your new AI Support Agent: how it handles simple questions, complaints, and escalations, where to find captured leads and conversation summaries, and how to manage and respond to conversations in Business App.
- Timeline: This call can be booked in as little as 1 business day after Agent setup completion, depending on availability.
5. 30-day check-in
This call will be used to review real conversations, assess how the AI is handling inquiries, and refine the knowledge base, escalation triggers, and support prompts based on actual interactions.
Prior to this call, our team will review 5-10 conversations to identify improvement opportunities and highlight wins.
- Timeline: This call will be booked 3-4 weeks after the completion of your AI Support Agent setup.
Requirements
To set your business up for success, the following requirements must be met to deliver this service efficiently.
Conversations AI
Conversations AI must be active on your account. The edition that is active will affect what our team is able to connect. This is the platform requirement for deploying the AI Support Agent.
Website access
To install the chat widget on your website, we will need login access to the place where you edit your website, such as WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or any other website builder you use. If you don't manage your website yourself, please have your web developer available to provide access on your behalf.
If you are unable to provide website access, we will provide the embed code and installation instructions for your team to install independently.
Knowledge base content
Any FAQs, policies, help articles, or support documentation you would like the AI to reference. The more specific and comprehensive your knowledge base, the more accurately the AI can resolve customer inquiries without escalation.
Completing SMS registration
For U.S. businesses, A2P registration is required to validate the business' use of SMS. Please be ready with your business license and legal information, which includes the following:
- Legal Business Name
- Business Category
- Business Type
- Country/Region
- Business Registration Number (EIN for U.S. businesses)
- Address
- Website or a link to an online listing
We will also need the following information for an Authorized Business Representative:
- First and Last Name
- Job Position
- Title
- Phone Number
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What channels can the AI Support Agent handle?
The AI Support Agent can be configured to operate across web chat, SMS, Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct, WhatsApp, and email. During the onboarding call, we will confirm which channels you want to activate and configure them accordingly. Each channel routes conversations to the same AI Support Agent, so your customers always receive a consistent experience regardless of how they reach out.
What is the HEARD framework and how does it work?
HEARD is a structured support methodology the AI uses to guide every conversation. When a customer contacts your business, the AI first tries to answer directly from your knowledge base (Level 1). For complaints, unresolved issues, or frustrated customers, the AI moves into the full HEARD sequence: Hear the issue, Empathize with the customer's situation, Apologize when appropriate, Resolve the issue or escalate it, and Diagnose patterns to improve over time. This ensures customers always feel heard, even when the AI needs to pass the conversation to a human.
What happens when the AI can't answer a question?
When the AI cannot find an answer in the knowledge base, it transitions the conversation to your team. It acknowledges the customer's question, explains that it is connecting them with someone who can help, and then captures their name and contact information so your team can follow up. You will receive a notification via email or SMS whenever a new lead or escalation is captured.
How does the AI handle complaints or frustrated customers?
The AI is configured with an empathetic, resolution-first approach. It does not jump to collecting contact information at the first sign of frustration. Instead, it acknowledges the customer's concern, validates their experience, and attempts to resolve the issue before escalating. If the issue cannot be resolved, the transition to a human is handled smoothly and warmly, without abrupt handoffs.
Do I need to install anything on my website?
Yes. For web chat, we install a small embed code (chat widget) on your website. This is typically placed in the global footer so it appears on every page. We will handle the installation during setup if you can provide website access. If not, we will provide the code and step-by-step instructions for your team or web developer to install.
How will I know when a new support inquiry or lead comes in?
When a lead is captured or an escalation occurs, you will receive a notification via email or SMS, or both, depending on your preferences. These notifications will also appear directly in Business App whenever you're logged in. Your customer will also receive an automated follow-up message letting them know that a team member will be in touch.
Can I use email and SMS to communicate with my customers?
SMS is available for all Canadian and U.S. businesses. Email is also available as a support channel. Please let our team know during the onboarding call which channels you'd like to utilize.
Note: If you're located in the U.S., please be prepared to supply your legal business information for A2P registration.
What is A2P and what information do you need from me in order to set it up?
A2P stands for Application-to-Person messaging, and is required by businesses who send text messages to their customers in the U.S. We will need the following information from you in order to set it up:
- Legal Business Name
- Business Category
- Business Type
- Country/Region
- Address
- Website or a link to an online listing
We will also need the following information for an Authorized Business Representative:
- First and Last Name
- Job Position
- Title
- Phone Number
I don't have an EIN for my business. Can you still set up A2P?
Unfortunately, this is a limitation of our SMS provider and we are unable to use a SIN/SSN instead of the EIN at this time. Our team is aware of this limitation and is looking into solutions to ensure you are still able to manage SMS conversations with your customers.
What's the difference between the AI Support Agent and the AI Receptionist?
The AI Receptionist is designed to capture leads from website visitors. It collects contact information and routes inquiries to your sales team. The AI Support Agent is built for customer support: it resolves issues, answers questions, handles complaints using the HEARD framework, and only escalates to your team when it cannot help. If your primary goal is support resolution rather than lead capture, the AI Support Agent is the right fit.
What happens if I miss the onboarding call?
If you are unable to attend the onboarding call, our team will proceed with setup using the information provided in your fulfillment form and demo the configuration when we connect. We will then follow up via email and phone to review, refine, and answer any questions you have.
If we are unable to reach you after our follow-up process (4 emails and 4 phone calls), the project will be closed. However, the project can be reopened at any time by reaching back out to us, with no need to start over from scratch.
Can the AI Support Agent connect to social media like Facebook or Instagram?
Yes. The AI Support Agent can be configured to handle conversations that come in through Facebook Messenger and Instagram Direct, in addition to web chat and SMS. During the onboarding call, let our team know which social channels you'd like to activate. We will connect them to your AI Support Agent so every conversation, regardless of the channel, is handled consistently.
How many AI employees does the optimization plan cover?
The plan includes setup and ongoing optimization for one AI employee. Additional AI employees can be added by activating another instance of the same solution.
Is there a limit on change requests?
No. Changes to prompts, automations, and AI employee settings are unlimited. Larger or more complex requests may take additional time or charges to deliver — we'll always set expectations up front.
What counts as a "standard" request?
Standard requests include anything that we originally set up for the AI employee — prompt edits, small automation adjustments, and settings changes. Work that requires custom development or integrations beyond the platform is out of scope.
What if my AI employee was set up by someone other than Vendasta?
Optimization coverage applies to AI employees set up by our team within the standard setup scope. If yours was self-configured, talk to your services contact about a setup engagement to bring it into scope.
How do I submit an optimization plan request?
Email marketingservices@yourdigitalagents.com with the AI employee in question, the change you'd like made, and the desired outcome. You'll receive a same-day acknowledgment and an expected resolution timeline.