This guide shows you how FrontDesk AI uses your live availability to handle 24/7 bookings, confirmations, and client requests in Phorest Chat.
Feature in Testing
This feature is currently in testing but will be available very soon.
In this Article
What is FrontDesk AI?
FrontDesk AI is a 24/7 assistant that works within Phorest Chat. It handles the busy, repetitive messages that take up your staff's time, so they can focus on clients who are there in-person.
What it can do
- Book new appointments based on live availability
- Reschedule existing appointments
- Cancel appointments, while abiding by your cancellation policy.
- Confirm appointments when clients reply to reminders
- Recognize existing clients and past services, including "same as last time" requests
- Provide information about services by using the service descriptions.
How it works for your team
The AI is there to support your staff, not replace them. It handles the easy stuff and automatically hands the conversation over to a team member if a request is too complex or unique. It also follows your specific rules for bookings and cancellations; if a client tries to cancel at the last minute, the AI will try to reschedule them instead to make sure you don't lose out on a booking.
Who Can Chat with the AI?
When enabled, the AI will respond to any contact from your client list.
For SMS messages, the AI will only reply to clients who have already received a message from your business, whether it's marketing or appointment notifications.
For WhatsApp messages, the AI will respond to clients even if they haven't received a message from your business before.
Testing & Enabling FrontDesk AI
To enable or test FrontDesk AI, open your Phorest Chat window, then select AI. Next, choose whether you want to turn it On or put it in Test Mode.
Using Test Mode
Test mode lets you select testers from your client list. Once a tester is added, FrontDesk AI will only engage in chat conversations with those tester clients. We suggest starting by adding yourself as a client in your system, then marking yourself as a tester to explore Test Mode and familiarize yourself with the AI.
Any bookings or changes made during Test Mode will be real and will update your Appointments calendar. Please remember to delete or revert any Test Mode changes if needed.
How Does it Work?
When a client sends a message, FrontDesk AI understands the request and responds based on real availability, services, staff schedules, and the client's history.
If a request cannot be handled or a client asks to speak to a person, the conversation is immediately handed back to staff.
AI Hand-Off to a Person
FrontDesk AI hands off a conversation when:
- A client indicates they want to talk to a human
- The AI notices signs of frustration
- The AI isn't confident it can handle a request
In these cases, the AI will pause automatically and pass the conversation to your team for follow-up. The conversation will be highlighted in red, and a red notification badge will appear in the Chat button in your Phorest sidebar menu.
When the AI is paused, you'll see a notification in the chat where it stopped.
Data from 3,000 interactions shows an 87% success rate, where the AI resolved the enquiry on its own. The remaining 13% were passed on to staff for further assistance.
Renaming the AI
By default, your FrontDesk AI is named Ivy AI, but you can change it if you'd like.
When AI is enabled, a staff member named Ivy AI is automatically created. To rename it, go to Manager > Staff Members, click the Ivy AI staff member to edit the name, then click Save to apply the change.
Only the First Name is used. FrontDesk AI will always mention that it is 'AI' to help manage client expectations, build trust and transparency, and comply with any legal requirements related to AI that might apply in your or the client's location.
Supported Channels
FrontDesk AI currently works via Two-Way SMS and WhatsApp.