Official user guide

Build a support experience your visitors can actually use.

This guide takes you from installation to a live, trained EngageDock AI widget—with lead capture, human handoff, WooCommerce assistance, and reporting ready when you need them.

WordPress 6.0+Minimum WordPress
PHP 7.4+Minimum PHP
No API requiredFor Knowledge Base Only
Before you begin

Requirements and what you need

EngageDock AI Pro is a premium extension for the free EngageDock AI plugin. Keep both plugins installed and active.

01

A WordPress site

WordPress 6.0 or later, PHP 7.4 or later, HTTPS recommended, and an administrator account.

02

The Free plugin

Install EngageDock AI – Smart Support Assistant from WordPress.org. Current Pro builds require Free 2.0.0 or later.

03

Your Pro purchase

Download the Pro ZIP and keep your license key available from your purchase email or customer account.

Optional integrations

OpenAI or Gemini credentials are only needed for AI Rewrite mode. WooCommerce is only needed for product recommendations. The default local knowledge mode works without either.

Installation

Install and activate EngageDock AI Pro

  1. Install the Free plugin

    In WordPress Admin, open Plugins → Add New, search for “EngageDock AI”, install EngageDock AI – Smart Support Assistant, and activate it.

  2. Upload the Pro ZIP

    Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, select the Pro ZIP you downloaded, choose Install Now, then activate it.

  3. Activate your license

    Open EngageDock AI → Plan & License. Paste the license key exactly as provided, activate it, and confirm that the plan and site status show as active.

  4. Run Quick Setup

    Open EngageDock AI → Quick Setup. Add your business details, select your main contact channels, choose a response mode, and save.

Do not install two Pro editions together

If you received a standalone marketplace build that explicitly contains both Free and Pro functionality, follow the instructions included with that package. Do not run it beside the separate Free + Pro add-on edition.

Recommended path

Go live in about 10 minutes

Best first launch

Use a small, accurate knowledge base and a clear human fallback. Add more automation after real visitor questions begin appearing in Reports and AI Performance.

Navigation

Know your EngageDock workspace

The exact submenu list can vary by plan and enabled integrations. The main workspaces keep daily tasks organized:

Overview

Setup progress, key activity, recent leads, and shortcuts.

Inbox

Lead submissions, conversations, assignments, notes, and follow-up.

Assistant

Knowledge, response behavior, answer quality, and automation.

Widget

Content, channels, hours, appearance, placement, and live preview.

Reports

Interactions, AI performance, topics, unanswered questions, and trends.

Settings

License, integrations, data controls, security, and advanced options.

Customer-facing experience

Configure the widget and contact channels

Content and appearance

  • Use a short welcome message that tells visitors what they can do.
  • Choose colors with strong text contrast and preview desktop and mobile.
  • Add conversation starters for your most common visitor goals.
  • Use the premium presentation theme that best matches your site.

Visibility and channels

  • Show the widget site-wide, on the homepage, selected pages, or WooCommerce products.
  • Enable separate mobile and desktop visibility when needed.
  • Test phone and SMS links on a real phone.
  • Include the country code in WhatsApp numbers without spaces or punctuation.
After saving

Clear any WordPress cache, CDN cache, and optimization cache before deciding that a visual change did not apply.

Trusted answers

Build the Knowledge Base

The Knowledge Base is the source of truth for automated answers. Only add information that is public, current, and safe to show visitors.

Start with manual FAQs

Add direct question-and-answer pairs for business hours, services, pricing boundaries, shipping, returns, bookings, and escalation. Write one clear answer per question.

A useful answer pattern

Visitor asks

“How long does delivery take?”

Knowledge answer

“Standard delivery takes 3–5 business days within Nepal. Remote locations may take longer. Contact us with your order number for a delivery update.”

Response behavior

Choose the right AI response mode

Knowledge Base + AI Rewrite

Uses approved knowledge as context, then asks your selected provider to make the response more natural.

  • OpenAI or Gemini credentials required
  • Provider usage charges may apply
  • Test tone and fallback behavior

Provider setup checklist

  1. Create a provider key in your own OpenAI or Gemini account.
  2. Paste it only into the protected EngageDock settings field.
  3. Select a supported model and save.
  4. Run a known-answer test and an unknown-answer test.
  5. Enable rate limiting, honeypot protection, or Turnstile where appropriate.
Keep secrets out of content

Never paste API keys, passwords, private customer data, internal notes, or confidential documents into the Knowledge Base.

Lead capture

Create Smart Lead Forms

Smart Lead Forms appear when a visitor message matches selected intent keywords. They can collect a website URL, email address, project details, and preferred callback time.

  1. Create a focused form

    Use one business outcome per form, such as Request a Quote, Book a Demo, Website Review, or Product Advice.

  2. Add natural trigger phrases

    Include the words real visitors use—such as “price”, “quote”, “demo”, or “website review”—without making the list overly broad.

  3. Select only useful fields

    Collect the minimum information your team needs to follow up. Explain why you need sensitive information.

  4. Submit a test lead

    Confirm it appears in the lead inbox, notifications reach the correct address, and the follow-up process is clear.

Human support

Manage conversations and live agents

Conversation Inbox

  • Open unread conversations and review the full visitor context.
  • Assign an owner, add labels and private notes, and set follow-up timing.
  • Reply as a human when a conversation has been handed off.
  • Close resolved conversations and use retention controls for old records.

Live Agents

  • Create or authorize an agent account from EngageDock AI → Live Agents.
  • Keep administrator access separate from agent access.
  • Enable live-agent handoff in Assistant settings.
  • Test an agent request from an incognito visitor session.
Design a clear handoff

Tell visitors when a human is joining, what information has already been shared, and when they can expect a response.

On-the-go replies

Install the mobile agent app

Authorized agents can use the lightweight Progressive Web App at:

https://your-site.com/edai-agent/

iPhone or iPad

  1. Open the URL in Safari.
  2. Tap Share.
  3. Choose Add to Home Screen.
  4. Open the new icon and sign in with the authorized agent account.

Android

  1. Open the URL in Chrome.
  2. Open the browser menu.
  3. Choose Install app or Add to Home screen.
  4. Open it and sign in with the authorized agent account.
If the app URL returns 404

Visit Settings → Permalinks in WordPress and click Save Changes once, then try the agent URL again.

Commerce

Configure WooCommerce assistance

When WooCommerce is active, EngageDock can use public catalog information to answer buyer questions and recommend eligible products.

  1. Open EngageDock AI → Commerce and premium themes.
  2. Enable the WooCommerce Smart Assistant.
  3. Choose how many products may be recommended and configure supported offers.
  4. Add only existing, active coupon codes you are comfortable showing publicly.
  5. Test availability, shipping, pricing, comparison, and product-choice questions.
Catalog safety

Only published, catalog-visible products are eligible. Private customer, order, and account details should be handled through verified support workflows—not exposed in public chat.

Improve over time

Use analytics, AI Performance, and Growth Tools

1

Review

Check interactions, lead conversions, common topics, unanswered questions, and escalations.

2

Improve

Add missing approved answers, refine triggers, and create saved replies for repeated agent work.

3

Retest

Ask the same question in a private session and verify the new answer and handoff path.

Use weekly digests and scheduled reports as prompts for review—not as a replacement for checking important customer conversations.

Responsible operation

Privacy, security, and data handling

  • Publish a privacy notice: explain what the widget collects, why you collect it, retention, and any external AI provider you enable.
  • Collect less: ask only for information required for support or follow-up.
  • Restrict access: give agents only the role and capabilities they need; remove inactive agents promptly.
  • Protect provider keys: store them only in plugin settings and rotate them if exposure is suspected.
  • Set retention: configure conversation retention to match your legal and operational needs.
  • Back up first: make a database and file backup before upgrades or destructive cleanup.
Deactivation is not deletion

Deactivating the plugin normally preserves settings and customer data. Review the delete-data/uninstall option before deleting the plugin if you intend to remove stored data.

Maintenance

Keep the license and plugins up to date

  1. Back up production

    Create a fresh backup before updating Free or Pro.

  2. Update the Free plugin first

    Install the compatible Free update, then update Pro. Do not leave only one part updated for an extended period.

  3. Confirm license status

    After migration or domain changes, open Plan & License and revalidate or reactivate as needed.

  4. Run a smoke test

    Check the widget, one known answer, lead submission, live handoff, and any WooCommerce workflow you use.

Use your customer account to access purchases and available downloads.

Fix common issues

Troubleshooting

The widget does not appear
  1. Confirm both Free and Pro are active.
  2. Check Widget visibility, selected pages, and mobile/desktop toggles.
  3. Verify the current page is not excluded.
  4. Clear WordPress, optimization, server, and CDN caches.
  5. Temporarily disable script delay/defer rules for EngageDock assets and retest.
The license will not activate
  1. Copy the key without leading or trailing spaces.
  2. Confirm the site uses HTTPS and can make outbound HTTPS requests.
  3. Check whether your plan's site limit has been reached.
  4. Deactivate the old domain from your account after a migration, then retry.
  5. Send the exact error and site URL to support—never publish the full key.
AI answers are missing or inaccurate
  1. Ask whether the answer exists in Knowledge Base.
  2. Review imported content and remove conflicting or outdated text.
  3. Test Knowledge Base Only before testing AI Rewrite.
  4. Check provider credentials, model, quota, and error response.
  5. Add a clear fallback and human escalation path.
The mobile agent app returns 404

Open Settings → Permalinks and click Save Changes. Then open /edai-agent/ again. Also confirm Pro and live-agent support are active.

Changes do not appear on the live site

Save the settings again, clear all cache layers, then test in a private browser window. If an optimization plugin combines or delays JavaScript, exclude EngageDock scripts during diagnosis.

Pro features disappeared after an update

Confirm the Free and Pro plugins are both active and compatible, then open Plan & License to verify the license. Do not install a standalone marketplace edition beside the add-on edition.

Still need help?

Send a support request we can solve quickly.

Include the issue, the steps that reproduce it, your WordPress and PHP versions, Free and Pro versions, and a screenshot of the exact message. Never send passwords or API keys.