## Before you start
You need three things before the AI can write drafts:
1. **A WhatsApp number connected to EasyBiz.** Drafts appear in your WhatsApp inbox. See [Connect & Configure WhatsApp](/docs/connect-and-configure-whatsapp).
2. **The CRM Professional plan.** This is the EasyBiz plan for your team's customer inbox, and suggested replies are included in it. There's no charge per suggestion. See [CRM pricing](https://www.easybizcloud.com/pricing/crm/).
3. **Your price list, shops and business units.** The AI reads prices and opening hours straight from these, so if something is missing there, it's missing from the drafts too. See [Introduction to Price Lists](/docs/introduction-to-price-lists).
The AI only works in WhatsApp chats. It doesn't write drafts for Facebook, Instagram or your website chat.
---
## Quick start
Once you have everything in Before you start, you can switch the AI on in 6 steps. If you're unsure about a step, follow its link to the full guide.
1. Connect your WhatsApp number. See [Connect & Configure WhatsApp](/docs/connect-and-configure-whatsapp).
2. Click ⚙️ Settings → Business Knowledge. Describe your business under **About your business**, then click Save. For what to write, see [About your business](/docs/setting-up-business-knowledge-for-ai-agents#about-your-business).
3. Click ⚙️ Settings → Customer Service Agent. Pick a tone, length and language. For help with each choice, see [Reply style](/docs/setting-up-the-customer-service-ai-agent#reply-style).
4. Test it. In the test chat on the right of the same page, type 2 or 3 questions your customers often ask, such as "How much to wash a duvet?" If an answer is wrong, fix it in your settings or Business Knowledge, then ask again. The test chat is private and never messages anyone. When you're happy, click Save. See [Test chat](/docs/setting-up-the-customer-service-ai-agent#test-chat).
5. In the **Where it works** box, click Change in Inbox settings.
6. Click Suggest replies. If you have more than one shop or business unit, choose the one the AI should answer for under **Answers for**. The AI uses that shop's prices and opening hours. See [Turn on suggested replies](/docs/setting-up-the-customer-service-ai-agent#turn-on-suggested-replies).
Suggest replies is on. Your staff now see AI drafts in your WhatsApp inbox, starting with the next customer message.
---
## What is an AI agent?
Think of an AI agent as a well-trained new staff member who has studied your business. When a customer sends a WhatsApp message, it reads the chat. It checks your prices, opening hours and house rules. Then it writes a **draft**, which is a reply your staff check before sending.
**Nothing is sent until someone on your team presses send.**
### A real example
At 9:40pm, a customer writes to a laundry shop:
> **Customer:** "Hi, can you collect tomorrow? I have 3 bags of clothes."
> **AI draft:** "Hi Mrs Tan! Yes, we can collect tomorrow from your usual address. Our minimum order for pickup is S$30. Please pack your clothes in bags before our driver arrives. 😊"
The next morning, your staff member opens the chat and reads the draft. They fix anything that isn't right, then send it.
The AI got the minimum order from your settings, the address from the customer's record and the packing reminder from your Business Knowledge.
Prices in drafts always use your market's currency. In Malaysia, the same draft would say "Our minimum order for pickup is RM80."
---
## Words you'll see
These words come up in all the AI Agents guides.
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| **Console** | The EasyBiz back office you open in a web browser to manage your business and settings |
| **POS** | The EasyBiz app your staff use at the shop counter. It has the same WhatsApp inbox. |
| **Market** | The country your shop operates in, such as Singapore or Malaysia. It sets your currency and tax. |
| **Sales channel** | A place where you take orders, such as a shop, your website or your app |
| **Business unit** | Each kind of service you run, such as Laundry or Bag Repair. Each one has its own price list. |
| **Brand Profile** | Your business name, logo and brand details, as customers see them |
| **Quick Replies** | Saved answers your team can insert into a chat with a few taps |
| **CRM Professional plan** | The EasyBiz plan for your team's customer inbox. Suggested replies are included. |
| **Draft** or **suggested reply** | A reply the AI writes for your staff. It shows as grey text in the reply box. |
| **Business Knowledge** | Your shared notebook of how your business works, your policies and your common answers |
| **Inbox settings** | Where you turn the AI on or off for your WhatsApp inbox and choose which shop it answers for. Go to ⚙️ Settings → Customer Service Agent → Change in Inbox settings. |
| **Handover** | When the AI doesn't write a draft and leaves the reply to your team |
---
## The two pages you set up
You set up the AI on two pages. Both are under ⚙️ Settings → **AI Agents**.
| | Business Knowledge | Customer Service Agent |
|---|---|---|
| **What you set** | How your business works, your policies and common answers | Tone, length, language, house rules and handover topics |
| **What it controls** | **What** the AI says | **How** the AI says it, and which chats it leaves to your team |
| **Think of it as** | Your staff handbook | Your WhatsApp training for new staff |
| **Guide** | [Setting Up Business Knowledge for AI Agents](/docs/setting-up-business-knowledge-for-ai-agents) | [Setting Up the Customer Service AI Agent](/docs/setting-up-the-customer-service-ai-agent) |
Business Knowledge is shared. The Customer Service Agent, the Marketing Agent in Marketing Studio and [the EasyBiz Assistant](/docs/meet-your-ai-assistant) all read it, so you only write it once.
---
## What the AI already knows from your settings
A lot of what the AI needs is already in EasyBiz, because you entered it when you set up your account. The AI reads these details every time it writes a draft. You never type them twice, and they never go out of date.
| Information | Where it comes from | How to update it |
|---|---|---|
| Services and prices | The price list of the business unit your inbox answers for | [Introduction to Price Lists](/docs/introduction-to-price-lists) |
| Minimum order | Your business unit | [Setting Up Your Business Unit](/docs/setting-up-your-business-unit) |
| Opening hours | Your shop | [Setting Up a New POS Shop](/docs/setting-up-a-new-pos-shop) |
| Country and currency | The market your shop belongs to | [Setting Up a Market](/docs/setting-up-a-market) |
| Business and brand name | Your Brand Profile | [Creating and Assigning a Brand Profile](/docs/creating-and-assigning-a-brand-profile) |
| Your team's saved answers | Your inbox Quick Replies | [Setting Up Quick Reply Templates](/docs/setting-up-quick-reply-templates) |
| The customer's name, orders and address | The customer's record in EasyBiz | Updated as you take orders |
| Current promotions | Your public promotions for that shop and business unit | Your promotion settings |
| Payment and pickup status | The order the chat is about | Updated as your team works on the order |
If a draft shows the wrong price or opening hours, fix it in your settings. Your settings always win over anything written in Business Knowledge.
### What the AI doesn't read
The AI doesn't read the settings below yet. If customers ask about them, describe them in your own words as [Knowledge entries](/docs/setting-up-business-knowledge-for-ai-agents#knowledge-entries).
| Setting | What to write in Business Knowledge instead |
|---|---|
| Your shop's street address | Each outlet's address and how to get there |
| Booking Options pickup time slots | Which days and areas you collect from, and how to book |
| WhatsApp Business Hours | When your team replies on WhatsApp |
| Payment methods | How customers can pay, and when payment is due |
| Delivery and other fees that aren't in your price list | Each fee, when it applies, and any free delivery amount |
### What the AI reads in the chat
Before each draft, the AI reads the chat, just like a staff member scrolling up before replying. It reads:
- **The latest 20 messages** from the customer and your team. This includes messages from your WhatsApp Chatbot and Auto Reply Rules, and any buttons the customer tapped.
- **The customer's latest 4 photos**, so it knows which item they mean. Your team still checks any damage and gives the quote.
- **Booking forms.** The pickup date, time and items a customer fills in on a WhatsApp booking form.
- **Today's date and time**, so "tomorrow" or "this Saturday" means the right day.
The AI can't read voice messages, videos, documents such as PDFs, stickers, shared locations or contact cards yet. When a customer sends one, the AI only knows it was sent, plus any caption. It also doesn't read the notes and labels on the customer's record.
---
## What your staff see in the inbox
When a customer is waiting for a reply, a grey draft appears in the reply box.
1. Your staff member opens the chat and reads the draft.
2. They press **Tab** to use it. On a touch screen, they tap ⋯, then Insert.
3. They change anything that isn't right.
4. They press send.
To ignore the draft, they just start typing their own reply. Drafts work in the WhatsApp inbox in both the Console and the POS. For the full steps, see [Use a suggestion](/docs/using-ai-suggested-replies-in-whatsapp#use-a-suggestion).
---
## You stay in control
The AI helps your team. It doesn't replace them.
- **It never sends messages by itself.** It only writes drafts, and your staff send every message.
- **Sensitive chats are flagged.** Complaints, refund or compensation requests, customers asking for a person and price haggling get a draft with an orange **Needs a person** warning, so your staff take extra care. See [Needs a person](/docs/using-ai-suggested-replies-in-whatsapp#needs-a-person).
- **You choose topics it stays out of.** For up to 10 topics you add yourself, the AI writes no draft and leaves the reply to your team. See [Handover to your team](/docs/setting-up-the-customer-service-ai-agent#handover-to-your-team).
- **You can test it first.** A private test chat shows how the AI would answer, without messaging anyone. See [Test chat](/docs/setting-up-the-customer-service-ai-agent#test-chat).
- **Staff can pause it.** Anyone who prefers to type can pause suggestions just for themselves. See [Pause suggestions just for yourself](/docs/using-ai-suggested-replies-in-whatsapp#pause-suggestions-just-for-yourself).
This guide covers **Suggest replies**, where the AI only writes drafts for your staff. Some accounts also see a third option in Inbox settings, **Reply automatically**. It only appears if your account has the separate Customer Service Agent product.
---
## How the AI keeps learning
Your staff already know how to answer customers. The AI can learn from the replies they send, so you don't have to write everything down yourself.
1. **Your staff reply to customers as usual.**
2. **The AI spots repeated information.** When staff give the same information in several chats, such as "Shoe cleaning takes 10 days", the AI saves it as a **Draft** Business Knowledge entry. You can approve, edit or delete it.
3. **The AI picks up everyday habits.** Things staff do in almost every chat, such as their usual greeting, are added and used straight away.
Learning starts after your first suggested reply and then runs once a night. The **Auto update from inbox replies** switch on the Business Knowledge page controls it, and it's on by default. See [How the AI learns from your team](/docs/setting-up-business-knowledge-for-ai-agents#how-the-ai-learns-from-your-team).
---
## Why it's worth setting up
- **Faster replies.** The draft is ready when your staff open the chat, so customers wait less and fewer go to a competitor.
- **The same answer from everyone.** New and experienced staff give customers the same information.
- **Fewer mistakes.** Prices and opening hours come straight from your settings.
- **It gets better over time.** It learns from the way your team already replies.
You don't need a complete setup to begin. A short description of your business and three or four key policies are enough to start testing.
---
## FAQs
**Do suggested replies cost extra?**
> No. They're included in the CRM Professional plan, with no charge per suggestion. Normal WhatsApp fees still apply to the messages you send.
**Will customers get a reply at night when my shop is closed?**
> No. The AI only writes drafts. The customer gets a reply when someone on your team sends it.
**Are my customer chats kept private? Are they used to train AI?**
> Your chats are sent to our AI provider only to write the draft. Neither EasyBiz nor the provider uses them to train AI models. EasyBiz does review how its AI features perform so it can fix wrong answers. See our [Privacy Policy](https://www.easybizcloud.com/privacy/).
**Who on my team can change these settings?**
> The owner, and any team member you've given access to **AI Agents** settings. Turning suggestions on or off in Inbox settings also needs access to **Staff Apps**. See [Inviting Your Team and Managing Access](/docs/inviting-your-team-and-managing-access).
**Can I keep using my WhatsApp Chatbot and Auto Reply Rules?**
> Yes. They keep sending their fixed menus and messages as before. The AI reads those messages too, and writes a draft whenever a customer is waiting for a person to reply.
**A customer ordered at my other shop. Can the AI see that order?**
> Only if that's the shop your inbox answers for. The AI only sees orders from that one shop. Your staff can still look up other orders themselves.
**I changed my prices. Do I need to tell the AI?**
> No. It reads your price list every time, so the next draft uses your new prices.
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## What's next
Start with [Setting Up Business Knowledge for AI Agents](/docs/setting-up-business-knowledge-for-ai-agents).