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.

Billing and plan management

Visit the → Billing page to view your current plan, usage, and subscription details. Your limits and enabled features are shown there in real time.

To discuss your plan or explore an upgrade, contact your account manager or submit a support ticket through this assistant.

Agent-to-Agent messaging

Your agents can message each other privately without leaving the messaging workspace. Click the chat bubble icon in the bottom-right corner to start an internal thread, share files, or request help from a supervisor. Threads are fully searchable — type in the search box to find threads by title, member name, or message content.

For details, see the Agent-to-Agent guide.

Velaro AI assistant (in the messaging workspace)

Agents have a built-in AI assistant available throughout the messaging workspace and admin app. Click the AI button (near the top of the page, or in the left navigation) or press Alt+M to ask questions about features, get help with tasks, or troubleshoot issues. The AI provides clickable links to navigate directly to relevant settings pages. The panel can be docked to the side, floated as a movable window, or minimized to a small button — your preference is remembered.

If agents need to reach Velaro support, they can click Talk to a person (or type "talk to a person" in the AI chat) to connect with a live support agent, or Leave a message when our team is offline to create a support ticket.

Setting up AI auto-resolution

Want AI to handle customer conversations automatically? The fastest path:

1. Go to Workflows → New Workflow → Use Starter Template.

2. Pick AI Support Auto-Responder (or an integration-specific template).

3. Customize the system prompt with your company info and policies.

4. Activate the workflow.

AI will now handle incoming conversations and escalate to a human only when needed. Track your savings in Reports → Value Report. For the full setup guide, see the AI Auto-Resolution guide.

Your profile picture and time zone

The first time a new user signs in to the admin portal, a short setup window asks how they want to appear and which time zone to use.

• Picture: Your initials are the default. You can choose a shape or an illustrated avatar instead, or keep your initials. Your choice also shows in the Messaging workspace.
• Time zone: We suggest the one your browser reports. Confirm it or pick another. Times across the portal are shown in this zone.
• Skip: Choose Skip for now to close the window. It won't come back.
• Change it later: Open your profile menu (your name at the bottom of the left sidebar) and choose the avatar or time zone option.

Getting help

• Use the Velaro Copilot (this chat assistant) to ask any setup question.
• In the messaging workspace, use the Velaro AI assistant for agent-facing help.
• Click Talk to a person in either assistant to reach Velaro support directly.
• Email support@velaro.com for account-specific help.
• Look for the small "?" icon next to a page or section title (e.g. on the CRM Deals board) — click it for a quick inline explanation, with a link to the full help article when one exists.