SwisChat User Guide
Everything you need to build, customize, launch, and manage your AI chatbot — organized so you can jump straight to what you need.
🚀 Getting Started
What is SwisChat?
SwisChat turns your website into an AI chatbot in minutes. You paste your website URL, SwisChat crawls it and uses AI to learn about your business, then generates a ready-to-embed chat widget. You customize how it looks and talks from a powerful dashboard, drop one line of code onto your site, and start turning visitors into customers.
How It Works
SwisChat crawls your website and reads your pages.
AI builds a knowledge base — business info, FAQs, and more.
You tune the look, tone, knowledge, and rules in the dashboard.
Paste one script tag and your chatbot goes live.
Quick Start (5 minutes)
- Register / Log in — name, email, and a password (8+ characters).
- Create a chatbot — click New Chatbot, enter your website URL, let SwisChat analyze it.
- Pick the pages the bot should learn from, then let AI build the configuration.
- Add your AI API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google Gemini) and click Create My Chatbot.
- Save your Secret Token — it's shown only once.
- Customize the look, tone, and knowledge (everything auto-saves).
- Test it using the built-in Live Test preview.
- Copy the embed script and paste it before
</body>on your site. You're live! 🎉
Key Terms to Know
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Chatbot | One bot for one website/brand — its own knowledge, look, settings, and embed code. Create as many as you want. |
| Public ID | Identifies your chatbot. Part of the embed code. Safe to expose. |
| Secret Token | Authenticates your chatbot. Shown once at creation — keep it private. |
| API Key | Your own key from an AI provider. SwisChat uses it to generate replies (billed to you). |
| Knowledge Base | Everything the bot knows — the more you fill in, the smarter it gets. |
| Live Test | A private preview inside the dashboard that runs the real widget. |
| Domain Locking | Your bot only runs on the domain you register (always on, for security). |
🤖 Create a Chatbot — The Setup Wizard
Click New Chatbot from My Chatbots or the top nav. The wizard has three steps.
Step 1 — Enter Your Website URL
Type your website address (e.g. https://yourbusiness.com) and click Analyze Website. SwisChat crawls your site to discover its pages.
Step 2 — Select Pages
SwisChat shows every page it found. Tick the pages the bot should learn from — About, Products, Pricing, FAQ, Contact, and so on. Use Select All / Deselect All to move fast. You don't need every page; pick the ones that best represent your business. Click Continue.
Step 3 — Configure & Create
The AI reads your selected pages and pre-fills the configuration:
- AI-generated preview — Business Name, Business Info, Contact Email/Phone, Language, Tone, plus counts of the FAQs and Guardrails it created.
- Chatbot Name — editable; what your bot calls itself.
- Theme / Colors — pick an AI-suggested theme, or click Regenerate Themes with a description ("dark with gold accents, premium feel") and optionally match your website's design.
- AI Provider Settings (required) — Provider (OpenAI / Anthropic / Gemini), Model, and your API Key. Optionally enable File Upload.
Click Create My Chatbot 🚀.
Save Your Secret Token
cb_sec_). If you lose it, you'll have to reset it from Settings → Embed Code, which changes your embed script. Copy it, then click I've Saved My Token — Continue.
📁 My Chatbots
Overview & Stats
Your home base. The top row shows Total Chatbots, Active count, and Today's Conversations. Below is a card for each chatbot, plus a New Chatbot button.
Managing Each Bot
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Edit / Configure | Opens the full dashboard for that bot. |
| Enable / Disable | Turns the bot on or off without deleting it. |
| Duplicate | Clones a bot with all its settings — great for a second, similar bot. |
| Reset Token | Generates a fresh secret token (invalidates the old embed code). |
| Delete | Permanently removes the bot and its data. |
🎛️ Dashboard Basics
Open any chatbot to reach the dashboard. The left sidebar groups everything into 8 collapsible sections; the main panel shows the current page's fields; the right side (or the 💬 button on mobile) is the Live Test preview.
Layout & Auto-Save
Nearly every field saves automatically as you type or toggle it. Watch for the "All changes saved ✓" indicator at the top — there's no Save button to hunt for.
Live Test Preview
The dashboard runs the real widget in a preview so you can test changes instantly without touching your website. Live Test is not rate-limited or access-restricted — it's your private sandbox, always available.
AI-Fill Buttons
Many text fields have a 🤖 Fill with AI button, and lists like FAQs have ⚡ Generate with AI. These draft content from your website knowledge so you can start fast, then refine.
🏢 Business Profile
Who your business is — the factual backbone of the chatbot's knowledge.
The 6 Pages
| Page | What you set |
|---|---|
| Who We Are | Business Name, Tagline, Description, Founded Year, Industry, Team Size. |
| What We Sell | Products & Services, Product Details, Pricing Information. |
| Who We Serve | Target Customers and Unique Selling Points. |
| How to Reach Us | Location, Working Hours, Open Days, Email, Phone, WhatsApp, Contact Card settings, Quick Messages, and Social Media links. |
| Our Policies | Return Policy, Shipping Policy, Payment Methods, Warranty Info. |
| Online Presence | Your official Website URL. |
Contact Card Setup
💬 Chatbot Persona
Who your chatbot is and how it behaves.
Identity & Tone
| Page | What you set |
|---|---|
| Name & Avatar | Chatbot name and avatar (emoji/text or a custom uploaded image). |
| Chat Appearance | Font, business-name display, and related visual identity. |
| Personality | Persona description and Conversation Tone (Friendly, Professional, Casual, Formal, Enthusiastic). |
| First Impression | Greeting Message and Main Purpose. |
| How to Talk | Response Style and Topics to Cover. |
| When to Escalate | Escalation Rules, Fallback Message, Closing Message. |
Chat Experience Settings
A single page with ~23 live-widget settings, grouped:
- Chat Behavior: Typing Indicator, Sound Effects, Timestamps, File Upload, Emoji Picker, Markdown Support, Suggested Replies, Restore Chat After Refresh, Typing Delay, Session Timeout, Max Message Length, Auto Close Timeout, Input Placeholder.
- Messages: Offline, Business Hours, Holiday, and Welcome Back messages.
- Notifications: New Message Badge and Browser Notifications.
📚 Knowledge Base
FAQs, Facts & Documents
| Page | What you set |
|---|---|
| Frequently Asked Questions | Add Q&A pairs manually, or ⚡ Generate with AI from your website. |
| Quick Answer Buttons | Tappable quick-reply buttons for common questions. |
| Key Facts About Us | A list of important facts customers should know. |
| Uploaded Documents | Drag & drop PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT (max 10MB each). Their text becomes bot knowledge. |
| Product Details | Detailed product info, pricing, and Processes / How It Works. |
How Knowledge Is Used
⚙️ AI Engine
The AI brain and its guardrails.
Choose & Backup Model
| Page | What you set |
|---|---|
| Choose AI Model | Primary Provider, Model, and API Key — the engine that answers messages. |
| Backup AI Model | A fallback provider + model + key. If the primary fails, SwisChat retries the backup automatically so visitors still get a reply. |
| System Behavior | Topics to Cover — steer what the bot focuses on. |
Safety Rules
Turn on Preset Guardrails, plus add custom lists: Custom Guardrails, Topics to Avoid, Competitor Rules, Tone Rules, Privacy Rules, Blacklisted Words (never used), Required Disclaimers, and Custom Rules.
Advanced Settings
- Creativity Level (temperature 0–2) — lower = focused & factual; higher = creative.
- Reply Length Limit (max tokens) — longer answers vs. shorter/cheaper.
- Response Variety (top-p) — how varied the wording is.
- Real-Time Typing — stream replies word-by-word.
- File Upload and AI Remembers Chat History.
Two Memory Settings — Don't Confuse Them
Restore Chat After Refresh (Chat Experience) — controls whether the visitor still sees their past messages after reloading the page.
🎨 Look & Feel
Layout, Launcher & Behavior
| Page | What you set |
|---|---|
| Layout & Size | Chat Position (bottom-right/left) and Widget Size — Preset (Small/Medium/Large) or Custom (exact width, height, border radius). Only the selected mode applies. |
| Launcher Button | The floating button's icon and animation. |
| Chat Behavior | Bubble Style (Rounded/Square/Pill), Online Status Text, Input Placeholder, Dark Mode for the widget. |
Custom CSS & JS
For advanced users: inject your own CSS to restyle the widget and custom JS that runs when the widget loads.
🌈 Colors
Fine-grained control over every color in the widget. Each page has a live mini-preview that updates as you edit.
One-Click Themes
Fine-Tune Each Region
| Tab | Colors you control |
|---|---|
| 🔘 Chat Button | Launcher gradient (start/end) and glow (on/off + color). |
| 🎩 Chat Header | Header gradient, header text, and avatar background. |
| 💬 Messages | Visitor bubble + text, bot bubble + text, chat background. |
| ⌨️ Typing Box | Input background, input text, send-button color. |
| 📝 Contact Form | Lead form title, submit button, and field colors. |
| 📇 Contact Card | Card surface, text, and WhatsApp/CTA button colors. |
| ✨ Highlights | Accent for typing dots, focus rings, and quick-reply chips. |
🔧 Settings
Collect Leads
Turn on a lead-capture form and choose which fields to require (name, email, phone…) before or during chat. Submissions appear on the Leads page.
Who Can Access
Domain Locking is always on — the bot only works on your saved domain. Set your Primary Allowed Domain and optionally a blocklist of domains not allowed to embed the bot.
Rate Limits
Always on to protect your AI spend from abuse. Set Max Requests and Time Window (seconds) — e.g. 100 requests per 60 seconds per visitor.
Privacy & Data
IP Blocklist (one IP per line; CIDR ranges like 203.0.113.0/24 supported) and Geo Restriction (block selected countries).
Embed Code & Token
Your Embed Script (copy button), your Secret Token (show/hide + Reset), and a Chatbot Status toggle to temporarily disable the bot on your site without removing it.
Account
Change your account password (you'll be logged out afterward).
📋 Custom Data
AI Discovered Fields
Fields the AI auto-created from your website content during setup. Review and edit them.
My Custom Fields
Add your own fields — Short Text, Long Text, or List — with a label and help text (e.g. "Special Offers", "Awards Won"). These feed into the bot's knowledge too.
🔗 Add to Your Website
Get your code from Settings → Embed Code, or the Download page.
Install in 4 Steps
Click the "Copy Script" button.
Find the closing </body> tag. On WordPress: Appearance → Theme Editor → footer.php.
</body>Drop the code in right before that tag.
The chat launcher appears in the corner instantly.
Security & Updates
- Your embed code contains your secret token — keep it private.
- The bot is locked to your domain; it won't run elsewhere.
- Use the Test Chatbot button on the Download page to confirm it works.
- Updates are automatic — the widget re-checks for improvements about hourly, so you never re-paste code.
📊 History, Leads & Analytics
Chat History
Browse every conversation. Select a chatbot, then search by session/country/city/browser and filter by date range. Click a session to read the full transcript. Export CSV for your records.
Leads
Contact details captured by your lead form. See Total Leads, Today, This Week, and Conversion Rate; search and filter by time; and Export CSV into your CRM. (Leads only appear if lead collection is enabled for that bot.)
Analytics
A real-time performance overview per chatbot:
- Stat cards: Total Sessions, Total Messages, Avg Rating, Today's Sessions, Conversion Rate.
- Charts: Conversations per Day, Peak Hours, Device Breakdown, Rating Distribution.
- Tables: Top Questions and Top Countries.
⭐ Key Features
Feature Highlights
Smart Contact Card
When a visitor asks to reach a human, the bot shows a polished card with WhatsApp, hours, and a QR code — not raw text.
Suggested Replies
The bot appends 2–3 tappable follow-up questions in the visitor's language to keep the conversation flowing.
Real-Time Typing
Replies stream in word-by-word for a faster, more natural feel.
Automatic Failover
If your primary AI fails, the backup model answers automatically — visitors never see an error.
Lead Capture
Collect visitor details right inside the chat, then review and export them.
Multi-Language
Set a language, or auto-detect and reply in the visitor's language.
Documents as Knowledge
Upload PDFs/DOCs and the bot answers from their content.
File Upload
Let visitors upload a file for the AI to consider.
✅ Best Practices
Must-Do Checklist
- Save your Secret Token (shown once).
- Add a valid API key with billing enabled.
- Set your Primary Allowed Domain to the exact site you embed on.
- Fill in Business Profile and Knowledge Base thoroughly.
- Add Key Facts and Documents for anything that must be exact.
- Configure Safety Rules — topics to avoid, disclaimers, blacklisted words.
Tuning the AI
- Lower Creativity (~0.2–0.4) for factual, consistent support bots.
- Higher Creativity (~0.8+) for personable, marketing bots.
- Raise the Reply Length Limit for detailed answers; lower it to keep replies short and cheap.
- Keep AI Remembers Chat History on for coherent conversations.
- Tune Rate Limits, IP Blocklist, and Geo Restriction to your traffic.
🛠️ Troubleshooting
Common Questions
The chatbot doesn't appear on my site
Confirm the script is pasted before </body> and the page was saved/refreshed. Check Who Can Access — your Primary Allowed Domain must match exactly (domain locking is always on). Make sure Chatbot Status is Active.
It shows a "connection hiccup" message
Your primary AI provider likely failed. Verify your API key is valid and has billing/credit. Add a Backup AI Model for resilience.
I lost my Secret Token
Go to Settings → Embed Code → Reset. This generates a new token and changes your embed script, so re-copy and re-paste the new code on your site.
Replies are wrong or vague
Enrich the Knowledge Base (FAQs, Key Facts, Documents) and Business Profile. Lower the Creativity Level for more factual answers. Check Topics to Cover and System Behavior.
The chat "forgets" what visitors said
Enable AI Remembers Chat History (Advanced Settings). To keep messages visible across reloads, enable Restore Chat After Refresh (Chat Experience).
Website analysis is stuck / says I'm in a queue
Analysis is queued when the system is busy (up to 15 at once). Wait — the progress bar and checklist advance automatically; no need to refresh.
A visitor is abusing the chatbot
Add their IP to the IP Blocklist, tighten Rate Limits, or block their region with Geo Restriction (Settings → Privacy & Data / Rate Limits).
I need a second, similar chatbot
Use Duplicate on the My Chatbots page to clone a bot's full configuration, then adjust.
Still need help?
Our team at Swismax Solutions is one message away.
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