The chat assistant

When a client writes to the salon on certain channels, a virtual assistant that introduces itself as Matilde replies first. It understands what the client wants and helps: looks for a slot, books, moves, cancels, gives information, recommends a service. If it does not know or must not reply, it leaves the conversation to the staff. For the client there is a single voice: they do not know that behind it there are different functions.

Contents

1. On which channels it replies
2. What it reads
3. When it replies and when it stays silent
4. How it speaks
5. How much it remembers
6. The labels you see in chat
7. When it hands over to a person
8. Taking a conversation back
9. Location, hours, workstations
10. The assistant's voice messages
11. What to do if
12. Related entries

On which channels it replies#

The assistant reads only the incoming messages from clients, never those written by the staff.

What it reads#

• Written text.
• Voice messages recorded in the app (WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger): they are transcribed and treated as if the client had written. If the transcription fails the assistant stays silent and the staff reply. Audio files sent as an attachment (for example an mp3) are not transcribed.
• Photos, but only during the haircut preview (Haircut preview (the mirror)).
• Stickers, locations, contacts and documents it does not understand.

When it replies and when it stays silent#

The assistant replies 5 seconds after the last message: if the client writes three in a row, it replies only once, as if it were a single message. If the service is restarted during those 5 seconds, the last message may be lost and the client just has to write again.

The assistant stays silent and the message stays in chat for the staff when:

• the contact is blocked;
• the conversation is in «Serve un operatore» (An operator is needed);
• the message is very short (fewer than 5 characters: «ok», «ciao», a smiley), unless it is waiting for exactly a short reply to a question of its own;
• it is personal chat («ci vediamo per una pizza?» (shall we meet for a pizza?)), even if it contains words such as «appuntamento» (appointment);
• it is an isolated greeting or «grazie» (thank you) when there is no conversation in progress;
• the client asks to speak to a person;
• it is something the assistant cannot do for this business (for example a request to book with Prenotazione intelligente turned off).

In these cases no label appears and no message goes out. A short reply to a question from the assistant («sì» (yes), a name, a number) is never personal chat: the assistant picks up where it left off.

If the artificial intelligence service does not respond, the assistant writes to the client «I nostri sistemi sono temporaneamente occupati. Ti ricontatteremo a breve.» (Our systems are temporarily busy. We will contact you shortly.) The chat does not move to «Serve un operatore» and the message remains to be handled by hand.

How it speaks#

• It writes in Italian, using tu (the informal «you»), with short, warm sentences: one thing per message, at most one question at the end. Tone and sentences cannot be customised.
• It does not make things up. Opening hours, days, team members, prices, durations, promotions and availability are given only if it has read them from the program at that moment. If it does not know, it says so or asks, without promising. Data the program does not have («non risulta» (not found)) is reported as such.
• It does not blame any person at the salon and does not promise refunds or discounts.
• It introduces itself as a virtual assistant if the client asks; otherwise it does not mention it. Its messages appear in chat as if the salon had written them.
• If the client mistakes it for the owner or an operator («Ciao Massimo…» (Hi Massimo…)), it lightly tells them it is Matilde, the salon's virtual assistant.

How much it remembers#

• A conversation left half-way (registration, booking, move, photo) is closed after 40 minutes of silence: the assistant becomes free again without telling the client anything and a later message is treated as new. The check runs every minute.
• Finished conversations are summarised and archived. If the client refers to the past («come l'altra volta» (like last time), «quel taglio» (that haircut)), the assistant can re-read the conversations of that same client (never of others). The archive stays until the contact is deleted or the record anonymised (Privacy and consents in the automations).
• «Serve un operatore» never expires: it stays until a person writes.

The labels you see in chat#

The label «IA: prenotazione in corso» appears for any conversation open with the assistant, even when the client is only asking for information. It lasts until the conversation ends or 40 minutes pass. Where to see the labels and the Blocca IA (Block AI) button is in Muting, banning and deleting a conversation.

When it hands over to a person#

A chat reaches «Serve un operatore» when:

• the client does not reply in an understandable way 3 times in a row at the same step of the recognition or registration;
• there is a problem with the SMS code or with the client's record (How the assistant recognises or registers a client);
• a client sends more than 15 messages in 2 minutes: the assistant writes «Ti metto in contatto con un nostro operatore che ti aiuterà a breve.» (I am putting you in touch with one of our operators who will help you shortly.) and stops until the staff reply (it is a defence against robots and abuse);
• a criticism is serious (Review management);
• the client cannot send a suitable photo after 4 attempts (Haircut preview (the mirror)).

For every chat in this state, Segreteria (the to-do page) shows the task «Rispondi in chat a Nome» (Reply in chat to Name), due 15 minutes after the handover. In the «Dettagli» (Details) bubble there is the reason, if it was recorded (for example «Riconoscimento cliente: numero non valido» (Client recognition: invalid number)); otherwise «L'assistente AI ha passato la conversazione a un operatore» (The AI assistant has handed the conversation to an operator) appears. The task disappears when a person writes (Secretariat).

When the assistant leaves a message in silence (chat, requests it cannot handle) the chat does not move to «Serve un operatore» and no task is created in Segreteria: the message is simply unread.

Taking a conversation back#

• Writing from the program (Comunicazioni or the chat column): the assistant leaves the conversation immediately and the status returns to normal. This applies at the instant the message is created, even if it then does not go out (for example because of an unlinked channel).
• Replying from the phone, in the WhatsApp app on the mobile, is not enough: Narciso does not notice and a chat in «Serve un operatore» stays that way until someone writes from the program.
• Blocca IA only stops the process in progress on that chat; it does not turn off the assistant, which starts again at the client's next message (Muting, banning and deleting a conversation).
• There is no switch to stop the assistant for a single client: there are only the switches, which apply to the whole business (Comunicazioni settings), or blocking the contact.

Location, hours, workstations#

• The assistant works per location: it sees and manages only the appointments of the locations where the conversation is visible, and writes from the number or account of that location.
• It knows the opening hours and holidays entered in the program, and the availability of the staff shifts. It replies at any hour, holidays included.
• It does not assign workstations: the appointment is created without a workstation and you choose it from the Calendario, if needed (Prenotazione intelligente).
• Home-visit appointments it books only if the service and the operator allow it, asking for the address.

The assistant's voice messages#

When it recommends services to an undecided client (Prenotazione intelligente), the assistant can reply with a voice message (at most about 120 words) instead of text, on WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. If the voice message cannot be sent, the text goes out.

What to do if#

Related entries#

• Bots and automations
• Prenotazione intelligente
• How the assistant recognises or registers a client
• Infopoint
• Muting, banning and deleting a conversation