Getting Started with Velaro
Getting Started with Velaro
What is Velaro?
Velaro is a customer engagement platform that lets your team chat with customers across web, SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and more — all from one inbox. It includes AI bots, workflow automation, CRM integrations, and reporting.
First-time setup checklist
1. Add your team — go to Teams, create a team, add agents
2. Set up a channel — start with Web Chat (easiest), or connect SMS/WhatsApp
3. Create a deployment — configure the chat widget and get the embed code
4. Write routing rules — decide which team gets which conversations
5. Test — send a test chat and confirm it routes correctly
6. Go live — paste the embed code on your website
Adding agents and teams
1. Go to Users in the sidebar.
2. Click Invite User and enter the agent's email.
3. The agent receives an invite email and sets their password.
4. Go to Teams, create a team (e.g. "Sales", "Support"), and add the agent.
Setting up web chat
1. Go to Deployments.
2. Click New Deployment > Web Chat.
3. Customize the colors, greeting message, and widget position.
4. Copy the Embed Code and paste it into your website.
For WordPress: paste in the <head> section or use a plugin like Insert Headers and Footers.
For Shopify: paste in the theme's theme.liquid file, just before </body>.
Pre-chat form
The pre-chat form collects visitor info (name, email, topic) before the chat starts. To enable:
1. Open the Deployment settings.
2. Go to the Pre-Chat Form tab.
3. Toggle on the fields you want to collect.
4. Mark required fields.
Pre-chat answers are available as variables in workflows: <<firstName>>, <<email>>, <<topic>>.
Understanding the agent inbox
Agents work in the Messaging workspace (separate from this admin). They see incoming conversations in a queue and accept/respond to them. The admin app (this app) is for configuration and reporting.
Setting business hours
1. Go to Rules in the sidebar.
2. Use Quick Setup > Business Hours to create in-hours and after-hours rules in 2 steps.
Key concepts
Deployment — a specific channel instance (e.g. one web chat widget). You can have multiple deployments for different sites or brands.
Team — a group of agents. Conversations are routed to teams, then agents pick them up (or AutoRoute assigns them).
Workflow — automated conversation flow. Runs without an agent. Used for bots, data collection, routing logic, and integrations.
Rule — routes a conversation to a team or workflow based on conditions (channel, time, language, etc.).
Variable — a placeholder like <<firstName>> that resolves to real contact data at runtime.
Bot — AI-powered conversation handler. Configured with a system prompt and optional knowledge source. Runs inside a workflow via the AI/Bot node.
Getting help
- Use the Velaro Copilot (this chat assistant) to ask any setup question.
- Email support@velaro.com for account-specific help.
- Create a support ticket using the Create Ticket button in this assistant.
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