Chat Settings
Chat Settings controls how Saifa AI responds to customers during and outside business hours, and defines the rules for when AI should hand off a conversation to a human agent. These are the core settings that shape your customer service workflow.
The page has two tabs:
Response Strategy
How messages are handled during and outside business hours
Escalation Rules
When and how AI hands off to a human agent
Click Save at the bottom right after making any changes.
Response Strategy
Path: Chat Settings → Response Strategy
Choose how your inbox behaves when a customer sends a message — both during business hours and after hours.
Business Hours Response
Defines how incoming messages are handled when your team is online.
Choose one of three modes:
Unassign Messages are not assigned to any agent automatically. They sit in the Unassigned queue until an agent manually picks them up.
Best for: teams that prefer to self-select conversations rather than have them routed automatically.
Human All incoming messages are routed directly to human agents for personalized, hands-on support. AI does not reply automatically during business hours.
Best for: businesses where every customer interaction requires a human touch, and automated replies are not appropriate during operating hours.
AI Saifa AI automatically responds to customer inquiries first, ensuring instant replies and consistent support. Human agents can step in at any time.
Best for: businesses that want to maximize response speed and reduce agent workload during busy hours. AI handles routine questions while agents focus on complex cases.
After-Hours Response
Defines how incoming messages are handled when your team is offline — outside the business hours you have configured.
Choose one of three modes:
Queue Only Messages are collected but no reply is sent. Your team handles all responses when they come back online the next business day.
Best for: businesses that do not offer after-hours support and prefer customers to wait for a human reply rather than receive an automated message.
Auto Reply Only A simple automated message is sent to the customer about business hours — for example, letting them know when your team will be available. No AI interaction takes place beyond this fixed message.
Best for: businesses that want to acknowledge customers after hours without using AI, and do not provide after-hours support.
AI Full Service AI manages all customer inquiries outside business hours with full capability — searching your Knowledge Base and responding to questions just as it would during operating hours.
Best for: businesses that want 24/7 coverage without staffing overnight. Ideal when your customer base spans multiple time zones or you sell on always-on platforms like Lazada and TikTok Shop.
Recommended Combinations
Human
Queue Only
Small team, fully manual, business hours only
Human
Auto Reply Only
Manual during hours, polite acknowledgement after
Human
AI Full Service
Human-first during hours, AI covers overnight
AI
AI Full Service
Maximum automation, 24/7 AI coverage
Unassign
Queue Only
Team self-selects chats, no after-hours service
🏷️ AI Disclosure
Optionally inform customers when a response is generated by AI.
AI Disclosure adds a footer message to AI replies, helping businesses maintain transparency and build trust with customers.
How it works
Enable AI Disclosure in settings
Add a custom footer message (e.g., “Replied by AI assistant”)
The message will automatically appear in all AI-generated responses
Customization options
Use preset messages or create your own
Combine with business hours messaging (e.g., human support availability)
Preview how the message appears before enabling
Why it matters
Builds transparency with customers
Sets clear expectations between AI and human support
Helps align with compliance or brand guidelines
💡 AI Disclosure gives you control over how your AI communicates—openly and responsibly.
Escalation Rules
Path: Chat Settings → Escalation Rules
Escalation Rules define the conditions under which Saifa AI stops handling a conversation and passes it to a human agent. Configure these to ensure customers always reach a person when AI cannot adequately help them.
Max Repeat Question
Set how many times AI will attempt to answer the same or similar question before escalating to a human agent.
1 Time
AI escalates immediately after one failed attempt
3 Times (Recommended)
AI tries up to 3 times before handing off
5 Times
AI makes more attempts before escalating
If a customer keeps asking the same question and AI cannot provide a satisfactory answer, this setting prevents the customer from being stuck in an unhelpful loop. After reaching the maximum, the conversation is escalated to a human agent automatically.
💡 Recommended setting: 3 Times — enough for AI to try different angles, but not so many that a frustrated customer has to wait too long for a human.
Unanswered Question
Defines what happens when a customer asks something that is completely outside your Knowledge Base — a question AI has no answer for at all.
Let AI Answer (default) AI automatically generates and sends a response based on its best understanding, even if the question is not in the Knowledge Base. AI will attempt to be helpful using general reasoning.
Use this if you want zero unanswered messages and are comfortable with AI generating responses beyond your trained data.
Assign to Human The question is flagged and assigned to a human agent for manual review and response. AI does not reply.
Use this if accuracy is critical and you never want AI to answer outside its trained knowledge — for example, in businesses where incorrect information could cause problems (medical, legal, financial queries).
Priority Customer Rules
Toggle this setting on to route VIP and priority customers directly to human agents, bypassing AI entirely.
When enabled, any customer tagged as VIP or marked as a priority contact in your system will always be connected to a human agent — regardless of the Business Hours Response setting you have configured.
💡 Use this to ensure your most important customers always receive personal attention. Combine it with Labels in the inbox to identify and tag VIP customers as you go.
To enable:
Go to Settings → AI → Chat Settings → Escalation Rules
Toggle Priority Customer Rules on
Click Save
🚨 Auto Escalation Case
Automatically route conversations to human agents when AI detects sensitive or high-priority situations.
Saifa AI allows you to define keywords or phrases that trigger immediate escalation—ensuring critical conversations are handled by your team without delay.
How it works
Define keywords such as:
refund,cancel,complaint,managerWhen a customer message matches these triggers, the conversation is instantly escalated
AI stops responding and hands over control to a human agent
Why it matters
Prevents AI from handling sensitive cases incorrectly
Improves customer trust and satisfaction
Ensures faster resolution for urgent issues
💡 Use Auto Escalation to keep AI efficient—while humans handle what truly matters.
Tips
Start with Human + Queue Only if you're new to Saifa AI — it gives you full control before introducing automation.
Move to AI + AI Full Service once your Knowledge Base is well-trained — this is the most efficient setup for high-volume inboxes.
Keep Max Repeat Question at 3 — it's the right balance between giving AI a fair chance and not keeping customers waiting.
Enable Priority Customer Rules early — tag your VIP customers in the inbox as you identify them, so they always receive the personal service they expect.
Use Assign to Human for Unanswered Questions if your business handles sensitive topics where an incorrect AI response could cause harm or confusion.
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