Setting up the AI agent takes about 10-15 minutes if you know your products well.
1. Add knowledge
The AI agent answers questions based on what it knows. Before it can help customers, you need to give it knowledge.
Navigate to AI Agent → Knowledge and add your store information:
Help articles - Create articles in the Help Center with answers to common questions. The AI will reference these when responding. Good starting articles:
- Shipping and delivery times
- Return and refund policies
- Product care instructions
- Common troubleshooting steps
Text snippets - Short knowledge pieces covering policies, FAQs, and specific topics. You can also save good responses from conversations directly to AI knowledge.
Guidance - Give the AI specific rules and instructions. For example: "Always offer free shipping on orders over $100" or "Never promise delivery dates."
The more knowledge you add, the better the AI performs. Start with your most common questions.
2. Configure actions
Actions let the AI do things, not just answer questions. Navigate to AI Agent → Actions and review what's available:
Shopify actions - The AI can look up orders, check tracking status, update shipping addresses, and more. These connect directly to your Shopify store.
Custom actions - Create your own actions with a URL and instructions. For example, you can let the AI check a custom loyalty points system.
Toggle on the actions you want the AI to use.
3. Clarifying questions
When the AI doesn't have enough information to help, it can ask the customer a clarifying question. Navigate to AI Agent → Clarifying questions to set these up.
For example, if a customer asks about their order but doesn't provide an order number, the AI can ask for it.
Answers are automatically saved to AI knowledge, so the AI won't need to ask the same question again.
4. Set AI behavior
Navigate to AI Agent → Settings and configure:
Inbox assignment - Choose which inboxes the AI monitors. The AI only responds to conversations in selected inboxes.
Auto-resolve - Automatically close conversations after the AI successfully helps. You can set a delay (e.g., resolve after 2 hours if no reply).
Handoff rules - Define when the AI should stop and hand off to a human agent. For example, hand off when a customer mentions a refund or uses angry language.
5. Test before going live
Use the Playground (AI Agent → Playground) to test the AI before it talks to real customers.
Send test messages and see how the AI responds. If a response isn't right, you can:
- Add or update knowledge to fill gaps
- Adjust guidance to change behavior
- Add a response example to show the correct approach
6. Enable the AI
When you're happy with the AI's responses, go to AI Agent → Settings and toggle the AI on for your inboxes.
The AI will now monitor new conversations and respond automatically.
Tips for better performance
Start narrow - Enable the AI for one inbox first. Learn how it performs before expanding.
Review conversations - Check conversations where the AI responded. Look for gaps in knowledge or wrong answers, and fix them.
Use CSAT feedback - If customers rate interactions poorly, investigate what went wrong and improve the knowledge base.
Refine over time - The AI improves as you add more knowledge and examples. Regular maintenance pays off.
What the AI won't do
The AI is designed to be helpful and safe. It will not:
- Make promises you haven't approved in guidance
- Take actions you haven't enabled
- Respond to inboxes you haven't selected
- Continue a conversation after a human agent takes over