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How the AI Agent Works

Understand how rendevo's AI booking assistant handles customer conversations and creates appointments.

What the AI Agent Does

The AI agent is a conversational AI system that:

  • Understands booking requests in natural language
  • Checks your real-time availability
  • Collects customer information
  • Creates appointments automatically
  • Escalates complex requests to you when needed

Works across all platforms:

  • WhatsApp Business
  • Facebook Messenger
  • Instagram Direct Messages

How a Booking Conversation Works

Step 1: Customer Initiates Contact

Customer sends a message like:

  • "I need a haircut tomorrow at 2pm"
  • "Can I book a massage?"
  • "Do you have availability this Friday?"

Step 2: AI Understands Intent

The AI analyzes the message to determine:

  • What they want: Which service(s)
  • When they want it: Date and/or time preference
  • Who they want: Specific staff member (if mentioned)

Step 3: AI Checks Availability

The AI automatically:

  1. Identifies the requested service(s)
  2. Checks your calendar for available time slots
  3. Considers:
    • Your business hours
    • Service duration
    • Existing appointments
    • Staff availability (if service assigned to specific staff)
    • Buffer time between appointments
    • Location timezone

Step 4: AI Offers Time Slots

The AI presents available options:

  • Shows multiple time slots if available
  • Suggests alternative times if preferred time is booked
  • Explains constraints (e.g., "We close at 6 PM, so the latest available slot is 4:30 PM")

Step 5: Customer Selects Time

Customer confirms their preferred slot:

  • "2:00 PM works for me"
  • "I'll take the 3:30 slot"

Step 6: AI Collects Customer Information

If it's a new customer, AI asks for:

  • Full name (required)
  • Phone number (required, validated in E.164 format)
  • Email address (optional but recommended)

Returning customers:

  • AI recognizes them by phone number
  • Skips information collection
  • Greets by name

Step 7: AI Creates Booking

The AI:

  1. Validates the time slot is still available
  2. Creates the appointment in your calendar
  3. Saves customer information
  4. Sends confirmation message to customer
  5. Notifies you via your chosen notification method

Step 8: Confirmation

Customer receives confirmation with:

  • Service name(s)
  • Date and time
  • Location address
  • Your contact information
  • Cancellation/rescheduling policy

Multi-Service Bookings

The AI can handle multiple services in one booking.

How It Works

Customer request: "I want a haircut and a beard trim"

AI response:

  1. Identifies both services
  2. Calculates total duration (e.g., 45 min + 15 min = 60 min)
  3. Finds slots that accommodate both services back-to-back
  4. Presents available times
  5. Books both services sequentially

In your calendar:

  • Shows as 2 separate appointments
  • Scheduled consecutively
  • Same booking reference

AI Decision-Making Process

What the AI Can Handle Automatically

✅ Standard booking requests

  • "I need a haircut tomorrow"
  • "Do you have slots on Friday?"
  • "Can I book at 3 PM?"

✅ Service inquiries

  • "What services do you offer?"
  • "How long does a massage take?"
  • "How much is a haircut?"

✅ Availability questions

  • "Are you open on Saturdays?"
  • "Do you have morning appointments?"
  • "What times are available tomorrow?"

✅ Multi-service bookings

  • "I want a haircut and color"
  • "Book me for massage and facial"

✅ Staff preferences

  • "I want Maria to do my hair"
  • "Is John available?"

✅ Information updates

  • "I need to change my phone number"
  • "Update my email address"

What the AI Escalates to You

❌ Complex requests

  • "I have very specific color requirements"
  • "I need to discuss my skin concerns first"
  • "Can you do this custom service?"

❌ Policy questions

  • "What's your cancellation policy?"
  • "Do you accept insurance?"
  • "Can I get a refund?"

❌ Complaints or issues

  • "I had a problem with my last appointment"
  • "The service wasn't what I expected"
  • "I want to file a complaint"

❌ Out-of-scope requests

  • Requests for services you don't offer
  • Requests outside your service area
  • Special accommodations or exceptions

❌ Low confidence

  • AI isn't sure what the customer wants
  • Ambiguous or unclear requests
  • Conflicting information

AI Confidence System

The AI assigns a confidence score to every interaction.

Confidence Threshold

Default: 80%

What it means:

  • Above 80%: AI handles automatically
  • Below 80%: AI escalates to you

Adjustable in Settings:

  • Lower threshold (e.g., 70%): AI handles more, but may make mistakes
  • Higher threshold (e.g., 90%): AI escalates more, but fewer errors

High Confidence Scenarios (90-100%)

  • Clear service name: "I need a haircut"
  • Specific date and time: "Tomorrow at 2 PM"
  • Complete customer information provided
  • Simple, straightforward request

Medium Confidence Scenarios (70-89%)

  • Service implied but not exact: "I need a trim"
  • Relative time references: "This weekend"
  • Some missing information
  • Needs clarification questions

Low Confidence Scenarios (Below 70%)

  • Vague request: "I need something"
  • Unclear service: "Whatever you recommend"
  • Conflicting information: "Today... or maybe tomorrow"
  • Complex or unusual requests

Conversation State & Memory

The AI remembers context within a conversation.

What the AI Remembers

During the conversation:

  • Services discussed
  • Dates mentioned
  • Times shown
  • Staff preferences
  • Customer information collected
  • Previous questions asked

Example: Customer: "I need a haircut" AI: "Great! What day works for you?" Customer: "Tomorrow" AI: "I have slots at 10 AM, 2 PM, and 4 PM available tomorrow. Which time works best?" Customer: "2 PM" AI: Remembers: haircut + tomorrow + 2 PM

Conversation Expiry

24-hour window:

  • Conversation state saved for 24 hours
  • After 24 hours, AI starts fresh conversation
  • This prevents stale booking attempts

Completed bookings:

  • State cleared after successful booking
  • Next message starts new conversation

How the AI Learns

Knowledge Base

Location: Settings → AI & Automation → AI Knowledge Base

What you can teach the AI:

  • Specific service details
  • Your policies and procedures
  • Answers to common questions
  • Special instructions
  • Business-specific terminology

Example:

- We offer express haircuts (20 min) and full haircuts (45 min)
- Cancellations must be made 24 hours in advance
- We have parking available in the rear
- First-time clients should arrive 10 minutes early

How the AI uses it:

  • Searches knowledge base for relevant information
  • Incorporates your instructions into responses
  • Uses your terminology and tone

Performance Improvement

When enabled (Settings → AI Feedback Consent):

  1. Tracks patterns in customer questions
  2. Detects synonyms customers use for your services
  3. Improves matching between customer language and your service names
  4. Runs automatically in the background

Example:

  • Customers often ask for "trim" instead of "haircut"
  • AI detects this pattern
  • Automatically associates "trim" with your "haircut" service
  • Future customers can use either term

AI Limitations

What the AI Cannot Do

❌ Handle phone calls (Voice AI coming soon for Growth+ plans) ❌ Process payments (booking only, payment happens in person) ❌ Modify existing appointments (only create new ones) ❌ Cancel appointments (escalates to you) ❌ Access your email or calendar (except Google Calendar sync for viewing events) ❌ Make judgment calls about service suitability ❌ Override business hours or availability rules

Technical Limitations

Platform constraints:

  • WhatsApp: Can only message customers who messaged you first, or within 24 hours of their last message
  • Instagram: Direct messages only, not comments
  • Messenger: Page messages only, not personal profile

Booking constraints:

  • Can only book available time slots
  • Cannot double-book or override conflicts
  • Must respect minimum advance notice settings
  • Cannot book beyond maximum advance booking window

Best Practices for AI Performance

Service Setup

  1. Clear service names: "Men's Haircut" not "Cut"
  2. Accurate durations: Include prep and cleanup time
  3. Current pricing: Keep prices up to date
  4. Good descriptions: Help AI explain services accurately

Knowledge Base

  1. Answer common questions: Add FAQs to knowledge base
  2. Use customer language: Include terms customers actually use
  3. Keep it current: Update when policies change
  4. Be specific: "We require 24-hour cancellation notice" not "Cancel in advance"

Settings Configuration

  1. Appropriate confidence threshold: Start at 80%, adjust based on performance
  2. Realistic advance booking: Don't allow same-day if you can't handle it
  3. Accurate business hours: AI won't book outside these times
  4. Buffer time: Add buffer if you need cleanup between appointments

Monitoring

  1. Check Inbox daily: Review AI conversations
  2. Respond to escalations: Handle "Requires Human" conversations promptly
  3. Provide feedback: Use AI Feedback button when AI makes mistakes
  4. Review performance: Check AI Performance tab in Settings (if consent enabled)

Common Questions

Q: Can the AI speak multiple languages?
A: Currently, the AI works best in English and Greek. It can understand basic requests in other languages but may escalate complex conversations.

Q: What if a customer uses slang or informal language?
A: The AI is trained to understand casual language. If it's unsure, it will ask clarifying questions or escalate.

Q: Can I customize the AI's personality or tone?
A: The AI tone is professional and friendly by default. You can influence it through the Knowledge Base by adding guidelines like "Always be warm and welcoming" or "Use casual, friendly language."

Q: What happens if the AI makes a mistake?
A: You can take over the conversation, correct the booking, and provide feedback through the AI Feedback button. This helps improve the system.

Q: Can the AI handle group bookings or events?
A: Not automatically. The AI will recognize these as complex requests and escalate to you for manual handling.

Q: How does the AI know which staff member to assign?
A: If the customer requests a specific staff member by name, the AI checks that person's availability. If no preference, the AI assigns based on service availability and staff schedules.

Q: Can the AI send reminder messages?
A: No. Reminder messages are sent separately via the automated notification system (not AI-generated).

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The AI agent is designed to handle routine bookings, giving you more time for important work! 🤖