Section 1
What Your AI Receptionist Actually Does
Your AI Receptionist — powered by CMART™ App's Conversation AI — is a bot that handles inbound messages across your connected channels. It can answer questions, qualify leads, and book site assessments — all without you lifting a finger.
The key difference between a basic chatbot and a trained AI Receptionist is knowledge. An untrained bot gives generic, unhelpful responses. A well-trained bot sounds like a knowledgeable member of your team who knows your services, your pricing range, your service area, and your FAQs.
Suggestive Mode
The AI drafts a response and places it in your message composer for you to review, edit, and send manually. You stay in control — the AI just saves you typing time.
- Great while you're training the bot
- Lets you catch and correct mistakes
- Builds confidence before going fully automated
- Switch to Auto-Pilot when you're ready
Auto-Pilot Mode
The AI responds instantly and automatically across SMS, Web Chat, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram — 24/7, no human needed.
- Fully automated — no manual sending
- Instant response to every inbound message
- Hands leads off to you when ready to buy
- Best after thorough training and testing
Section 2 · Do This First
Prepare Your Business Brief
Before you open CMART™ App, prepare your Business Brief — a document containing everything your AI Receptionist needs to know about your solar business. The more complete and specific this document is, the better your bot performs.
You can write this in Google Docs (set to "Anyone with link can view") or as a plain text document. Once ready, you'll add the URL or paste the content directly into the bot's training section.
Section A — Your Business Identity
Section B — Your Services & Pricing
Section C — Process & Timelines
Section D — Warranties & Guarantees
Section E — Bot Boundaries (Important)
Section 3
Set Up Your Bot in CMART™ App
Navigate to Conversation AI
Click Create Bot. The Guided Form interface opens by default — this is what we'll use. It's the fastest and most reliable setup method and doesn't require writing complex prompts.
Name Your Bot & Set the Tone
Give your bot a name that feels human and approachable — not "Bot" or "AI Assistant". Something like "Sam from SunTech Solar" or "Lerato from [Business Name]". This name appears in conversations.
Set the tone using the keyword selectors. For a solar contractor we recommend: Friendly + Professional. Avoid "Formal" — it sounds cold in WhatsApp and SMS conversations.
Set the Bot's Intent
Choose the primary goal for your bot. CMART™ App offers two core intents:
- General Support / Q&A Answers questions based on your training information. Best for handling inbound FAQs.
- Appointment Booking Asks qualifying questions and then books directly into your calendar. Best for booking site assessments.
Set the Initial Message
This is the first message the bot sends when a conversation starts. Keep it warm, brief, and clear about what the bot can help with.
Train the Bot — Web Crawler
Add your website URL so the bot can crawl and learn from your existing content. Also add the Google Doc URL from your Business Brief (Section 2 above). Set the crawler to Domain-level for your website — this includes all pages.
Train the Bot — Custom FAQs
Add the solar-specific FAQs from Section 4 below — one by one. For each FAQ, enter the question exactly as a lead would ask it, and write the exact answer you want the bot to give. These custom FAQs override the bot's general AI responses for that specific question.
Configure Channels & Advanced Settings
Under Supported Channels, enable the channels where you want the bot to respond. Recommended for solar contractors: SMS, WhatsApp, and Web Chat.
Under Advanced Settings, configure:
- → Wait Time Before Responding: 5–10 seconds — creates a more natural feel
- → Maximum Message Limit: Set to 10–15 messages per conversation
- → Fallback Message: "I'm not sure about that one — let me connect you with our team. We'll be in touch shortly!"
Save and Set as Primary Bot
Click Save. If this is your first bot, designate it as the Primary Bot — this means it handles all inbound messages that aren't initiated within a specific workflow.
You can create additional specialised bots for specific workflows later (e.g. a booking-only bot triggered by a pipeline stage change).
Section 4 · Reference
Solar FAQ Training Library
Add these FAQs to your bot's Custom Bot Responses training. Customise every answer with your actual business details — service area, pricing ranges, brands, and warranties.
| Question (as lead asks it) | Suggested Answer |
|---|---|
| How much does solar cost? | Solar systems vary depending on size and equipment. Entry-level residential systems typically start from R80,000. Hybrid systems with battery backup range from R150,000 to R300,000+. We'll give you an exact quote after a free site assessment — no obligation. Would you like to book one? |
| Do you service [area]? | Yes! We service [list your areas]. If you're not sure whether we cover your area, just drop your suburb in the chat and I'll confirm for you. |
| How long does a solar installation take? | A typical residential solar installation takes 1–2 days from start to finish. Larger commercial systems may take 3–5 days. We'll give you a timeline specific to your system when we do your assessment. |
| What happens during a site assessment? | A free site assessment takes about 30–45 minutes. Our assessor evaluates your roof orientation, shading, and current electricity usage to recommend the right system size for your needs. There's no obligation — it's just the best way to give you an accurate quote. |
| Do you offer battery storage? | Yes — we offer hybrid systems that combine solar panels with battery storage. This means you stay powered during load shedding even when the grid is down. Battery solutions are included in our site assessment recommendation. |
| How long will it take before solar pays itself off? | Most residential systems pay themselves off within 4–7 years, depending on your electricity usage and system size. After that, your electricity is essentially free for 20+ years. We'll include a savings estimate in your quote. |
| What warranties do you offer? | Solar panels come with a 25-year performance warranty from the manufacturer. Inverters carry a 5–10 year warranty depending on the brand. Batteries carry a 5-year warranty. We also warranty all our installation workmanship for 5 years. |
| Are you registered / accredited? | Yes — [Business Name] is [SAPVIA-registered / NERSA-compliant / describe your certifications]. All our installations include a Certificate of Compliance (COC) as required by South African electrical regulations. |
| Can I still use municipal electricity with solar? | Yes. With a grid-tied or hybrid system, you stay connected to the municipal grid. You use your solar power first, and the grid tops you up when needed. With load shedding, a battery backup keeps you running when the grid goes down. |
| What deposit do you require? | We require a 50% deposit to confirm your installation date and order your equipment. The balance is due on completion and sign-off. We accept EFT payment. |
| How do I get a quote? | The best way is to book a free site assessment — it takes about 30–45 minutes and gives us everything we need to give you an accurate, itemised quote. Would you like me to book one for you? |
| I want to speak to a person / Can I call you? | Of course! You can reach us on [Phone Number] during business hours (Mon–Fri, 8am–5pm). Alternatively, I can flag your message and one of our team will call you back within a few hours. Which would you prefer? |
| Do you do commercial / business solar? | Yes — we install solar systems for commercial properties, warehouses, farms, and office buildings. Commercial systems are sized to your specific load requirements. Book a site assessment and we'll design the right solution for your business. |
| What brands do you use? | We work with leading, Tier-1 brands including [Brand A], [Brand B], and [Brand C]. We'll recommend the best combination based on your budget and requirements at your site assessment. |
| Is solar worth it in South Africa? | Absolutely — especially with ongoing load shedding and electricity tariff increases averaging 10–15% per year. Most homeowners save R1,000–R2,500 per month on their electricity bill, and the system pays itself off within a few years. Would you like to find out what your savings could look like? |
Section 5
Test Your Bot Before Going Live
CMART™ App has a built-in Bot Trial environment where you can have a full conversation with your bot at no cost before enabling it on live channels. Use it extensively before switching on Auto-Pilot.
Here's how a good test conversation with a solar contractor bot should look:
Run through at least 20 different test questions — including edge cases the bot might struggle with. For every response that's wrong or unhelpful, click the thumbs-down button. This automatically creates a new FAQ entry in your training that you can write the correct answer for.
Section 6 · Your Action Steps
Your Implementation Checklist
Work through these before declaring your AI Receptionist ready for clients.
0 of 10 completed
- I've created my Business Brief document covering all 5 sections (A–E)
- My Google Doc is set to "Anyone with link can view"
- I've created a new bot in AI Agents → Conversation AI using the Guided Form
- I've named my bot, set the tone (Friendly + Professional), and written the initial message
- I've set the intent to General Support and added Appointment Booking as a secondary goal
- I've added my website URL and Business Brief URL to the Web Crawler training
- I've added at least 10 solar FAQs as Custom Bot Responses
- I've enabled SMS and WhatsApp as supported channels
- I've run 20+ test conversations in Bot Trial and corrected any wrong answers
- I've set the bot to Suggestive Mode and monitored it for 1–2 weeks before considering Auto-Pilot