AI Chatbot

Two-in-one chatbot for WordPress sites. Includes guided decision trees + optional AI messaging.

Transform your website into an interactive communication hub with Varia Suite AI Chatbot. This powerful WordPress plugin combines guided conversation flows with optional AI-powered messaging to create personalized user experiences that drive engagement and conversions.

Core Features:

Dual Conversation Modes:

Guided Flow-Based Chat: Build intuitive decision trees with customizable buttons that guide users through predefined pathways—perfect for FAQs, product recommendations, and customer support workflows.

AI-Powered Conversations: Enable free-text messaging powered by OpenAI (GPT-3.5 Turbo or GPT-4o) for natural, intelligent responses when users need more flexibility

Custom Knowledge Base Training

Build a personalized knowledge base using your own business info, and frequently asked questions, so your AI delivers accurate, company-specific answers.

Multi-Channel Integrations

Connect to WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, email, SMS, calendars, and more; turning your chatbot into a central hub for all customer communications.

Condition-Based Actions and Triggers

Respond to user intent by detecting keywords, phrases, or behaviors and executing predefined actions such as sending a specific message or triggering an integration.

Complete Visual Customization

Control every design element: upload custom icons, choose from 15+ fonts, customize 20+ colors, and create branded welcome messages.

Smart Human Handoff

Automatically detects when users need human support or when AI can’t answer, then captures contact details and sends full chat transcripts to your team via email.

ALL FEATURES

Starts At

$59.99/ month
  • Plans available for:
  • 1 Site
  • 3 Sites
  • 5 Sites
  • 10 Sites
  • 50 Sites
See all plans

Welcome! In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to install and configure your intelligent chatbot from start to finish. By the end, you’ll have a fully functional AI assistant on your website that can answer questions, capture leads, and connect visitors with your business.

Time needed: 30-45 minutes
Skill level: Beginner-friendly

Let’s get started!

Step-by-Step Installation

1. Download the plugin from Freemius

First, log into your Freemius account where you purchased the plugin. You’ll see your dashboard with all your products. Find “Varia Suite AI Chatbot” in your list and click the blue Download button. A ZIP file will download to your computer – don’t unzip it! You’ll upload it as-is.

Varia Suite AI Chatbot uses Freemius for secure license management and updates.

2. Go to your WordPress site

Open a new browser tab and log into your WordPress admin area. This is usually yourwebsite.com/wp-admin. Enter your username and password.

3. Upload the plugin

In your WordPress left sidebar, hover over Plugins and click Add New. At the top of the page, you’ll see a gray button that says Upload Plugin – click it.

Now click Choose File and find that ZIP file you just downloaded. Select it and click Open, then click Install Now. WordPress will upload and install the plugin for you. This takes about 30 seconds.

4. Activate it

When the installation finishes, you’ll see a success message. Click the Activate Plugin link. Your screen will refresh.

License Activation

First-Time Activation

When you first activate the plugin, you’ll see the Freemius welcome screen:

  1. Activate Your License:
    • Enter your license key from your purchase email
    • Click “Activate License”
    • Your premium features will be unlocked immediately

Finding Your License Key

If you purchased the plugin, your license key was sent to your email:

  1. Check your email for subject: “Varia Suite AI Chatbot – License Key”
  2. Look for a key format like: XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX
  3. Copy the entire key (no spaces)

Lost your key?

  • Check your spam/junk folder
  • Contact Varia Suite support with your purchase email
  • Log into your Varia Suite account dashboard

Managing Your License

Access license management anytime:

  1. Go to Varia AI Chatbot in WordPress admin
  2. Hover over the menu item
  3. Click Account (or look in plugin settings)

5. Find your new chatbot settings

Look at your WordPress left sidebar. You should now see a new menu item called “Varia AI Chatbot”. If you see this, congratulations – you’ve successfully installed the plugin!

Hover over it and you’ll see four options:

  • Integrations
  • AI Assistant
  • Flow Builder
  • Design

Now let’s configure each one.

After activation and license setup, you’ll see the “Varia AI Chatbot” menu in your WordPress admin sidebar.

Step 1: Access the Plugin Settings

Navigate to Varia AI Chatbot in your WordPress admin menu. You’ll see 4 main tabs:

  • Integrations – Connect WhatsApp, Email, Social Media, etc.
  • AI Assistant – Configure OpenAI API key, knowledge base and actions/triggers.
  • Flow Builder – Create decision-tree conversation flows
  • Design – Customize appearance

Step 2: Choose Your Chatbot Mode

You have two options:

Option A: Flow-Based Only (No API key required)

  • Use the Flow Builder to create button-driven conversations
  • Perfect for FAQs, appointment booking, lead capture
  • No external API needed

Option B: AI-Powered (OpenAI API required)

  • Natural language conversations powered by GPT
  • Can combine with flow-based interactions
  • Requires OpenAI API key

Configuration Guides

🔗 Tab 1: Integrations

Connect your business communication channels:

WhatsApp Integration

  1. Check 📱 WhatsApp
  2. Enter your phone number with country code (e.g., 14155552671)
    • No + or spaces
    • Include country code
  3. Click Save Integrations

How it works: When users click a WhatsApp-enabled button, they’ll be redirected to chat with you via WhatsApp Web/App

Email Integration

  1. Check 📧 Email
  2. Enter destination email (defaults to WordPress admin email)
  3. Click Save Integrations

How it works: Users can submit contact forms via the chat that email directly to you

Calendar/Booking Integration

  1. Check 📅 Calendar/Booking
  2. Paste your Calendly, Google Calendar, or booking link
  3. Click Save Integrations

Popular services:

  • Calendly: https://calendly.com/your-username
  • Google Calendar: Your Google appointment schedule link
  • Acuity Scheduling, Cal.com, etc.

Social Media Integrations

Configure any of these:

  • Facebook Page – Your Facebook page URL
  • Instagram – Your Instagram handle
  • Telegram – Your Telegram username (without @)
  • LinkedIn – Your LinkedIn company page URL
  • Custom Link – Any URL with custom label

Advanced: SMS via Twilio

  1. Check 💬 SMS (Twilio)
  2. Enter your:
    • Account SID
    • Auth Token
    • Twilio Phone Number
  3. Get these from your Twilio Console

🤖 Tab 2: AI Assistant

Getting Your OpenAI API Key

  1. Create OpenAI Account
  2. Generate API Key
    • Click your profile icon → View API Keys
    • Click Create new secret key
    • Copy the key (starts with sk-)
    • Important: Save this somewhere safe – you can’t view it again!
  3. Add Billing Method
    • Go to Settings → Billing
    • Add a payment method
    • Set usage limits (recommended: $10-20/month for most sites)
  4. Paste into Plugin
    • In AI Assistant tab
    • Paste your API key in OpenAI API Key field
    • Select model

Configure System Persona

Tell the AI how to behave. Be specific based on your business’ needs (for example):

You are a helpful customer service assistant for [Your Company Name]. 
You help customers with questions about our products/services, 
provide information, and guide them to book appointments. 
Be friendly, professional, and concise.

Knowledge Base Training

Method 1: Custom Training Text

  • Paste company info, product details, policies
  • Max 5,000 characters
  • Best for: Core business information

Method 2: Q&A Pairs

  • Add up to 15 question-answer pairs
  • Click + Add Q&A Pair
  • Example:
    • Q: “What are your business hours?”
    • A: “We’re open Monday-Friday 9am-5pm EST”

Method 3: Website URL Training

  • Add up to 5 URLs from your website
  • Plugin automatically scrapes and trains on content
  • Click 🔄 Refresh URL Cache to update if you have added fresh content to the respective web links
  • Best for: About pages, service pages, pricing pages

Human Handoff Feature

Enable users to request human support:

  1. Check Enable “Speak to a Human” Option
  2. When enabled, the AI will offer to connect users with your team when:
    • User explicitly asks to speak with someone
  3. User fills out contact form → emails you directly (including the full chat transcript so you have all the context needed to assist them)

Inactivity Timeout Settings

The Inactivity Timeout setting allows you to define a period of user inactivity (in seconds) after which the chatbot sends an initial timeout message. If no response is received after this message, the chatbot then ends the conversation automatically after a period of time (in seconds) that you also specify within the settings. During a chat, the inactivity timer resets whenever the user sends a message, ensuring the timeout sequence only runs when the chat is truly inactive.

Conditional Actions & Triggers

Create smart automated responses (for example):

Example 1: Pricing Inquiry

  1. Click + Add New Action
  2. Name: “Pricing Information”
  3. Trigger Type: Keyword
  4. Trigger Value: pricing|cost|price|how much
  5. Action: Redirect to URL
  6. URL: https://yoursite.com/pricing
  7. Pre-message: “Let me show you our pricing options!”

Example 2: Book Appointment

  1. Name: “Appointment Booking”
  2. Trigger Type: Phrase
  3. Trigger Value: book appointment|schedule call|talk to sales
  4. Action: Trigger Integration → Calendar
  5. Pre-message: “Great! Let me open our booking calendar for you.”

Available Actions:

  • Send Message – Simple text response
  • Redirect to URL – Send to specific web page
  • Trigger Integration – Open WhatsApp, Calendar, etc.
  • Run Flow Step – Jump to specific conversation flow

(Includes a pre-action delay, allowing you to control how long after a message the selected action is triggered.)

🔧 Tab 3: Flow Builder

Create button-driven conversation paths.

Creating Your First Flow

Example: Service Selection Flow

  1. Click + Add New Step
  2. Enter Step ID: welcome
  3. Bot Message: Hi! What can I help you with today?
  4. Click + Add Button
    • Button Text: Book a Service
    • Target Step ID: book_service
    • Integration: calendar
  5. Add another button:
    • Button Text: Ask a Question
    • Target Step ID: questions
  6. Click Save Flow Builder

Step 2: Create Follow-up Steps

  1. Click + Add New Step
  2. Step ID: questions
  3. Message: What would you like to know about?
  4. Add buttons for different topics

Best Practices

  • Use clear Step IDs (e.g.): welcome, pricing_info, book_appointment
  • Keep messages concise: 1-2 sentences per message
  • Limit button choices: 3-5 options per step works best
  • Test the flow: Always test before going live

Drag & Drop Reordering

  • Drag steps: Grab the ☰ icon to reorder steps
  • Drag buttons: Reorder buttons within each step by dragging them with your cursor
  • Useful for organizing your flow logically

Local Drafts

  • Click 💾 Save Draft to save work locally (browser storage)
  • Click 📂 Restore Draft to load saved work
  • Useful when making big changes

🎨 Tab 4: Design

Customize your chatbot’s appearance to match your brand.

Quick Customization

Bot Identity

  • Bot Name: Your assistant’s name (e.g., “Sarah”, “Support Bot”)
  • Launcher Icon: Upload your logo or avatar (70x70px recommended)
  • Header Icon: Shows in chat header (40x40px recommended)

Typography

  • Font Family: Choose from 15+ fonts or use system default
  • Font Size: 12-20px (14px recommended)

Welcome Message

  • Check Show Floating Welcome Message
  • Text: Your greeting (e.g., “Hi! How can I help you today?”)
  • Delay: Seconds before message appears (3 recommended)

Color Customization

Use the color pickers to match your brand:

Header Colors

  • Header Background
  • Header Text

Message Bubbles

  • Bot Bubble Background & Text
  • User Bubble Background & Text

Buttons

  • Button Background, Text, Border
  • Hover Background & Text
  • Back Button Colors

Chat Interface

  • Chat Background
  • Input Field Colors
  • Send Button Colors

Launcher

  • Launcher Background
  • Icon Color

Tip: Use a color scheme that matches your website for brand consistency.

Page Visibility

The Page Visibility feature lets you control exactly where the chatbot appears on your website. You can choose to display the chatbot on all pages, limit it to specific selected pages (include mode), or hide it from selected pages

1. Verify Visibility

  1. Open your website in a new browser tab
  2. Look for the chatbot launcher in the bottom-right corner
  3. It should appear on all pages automatically

2. Test Flow Navigation

  1. Click the launcher to open chat
  2. Test each button to ensure proper navigation
  3. Use the ← Back button to verify history works
  4. Click ↺ Restart to test reset functionality

3. Test AI Responses (if enabled)

  1. Type a question in the chat input
  2. Verify AI responds appropriately
  3. Test with questions from your knowledge base
  4. Try triggering conditional actions
  5. Test keyword triggers – type the trigger word/phrase and verify the action fires
  6. Test different match types (contains, exact, starts with, ends with) Verify actions with delays wait the correct amount before executing
  7. Test redirect actions open the correct URL
  8. Test integration triggers launch the right integration
  9. If no API key has been entered the chat input will not be visible on the frontend for typing.

4. Test Integrations

  1. Click a WhatsApp button → Should open WhatsApp
  2. Click a Calendar button → Should open booking link
  3. Submit email form → Check inbox
  4. Click a Facebook button → Should open your Facebook page in new tab
  5. Click an Instagram button → Should redirect to instagram.com/[your_handle]
  6. Click a Telegram button → Should open Telegram chat with your username
  7. Click a LinkedIn button → Should open your LinkedIn company/profile page
  8. Click a Custom Link button → Should open the URL you configured
  9. SMS Integration (requires Twilio credentials):
    • Configure Twilio SID, Auth Token, and From Number in Integrations tab
    • Create a flow button with SMS integration
    • Click the button and it should send SMS via Twilio API
    • Check the phone number for received message
    • Note: SMS is the only integration that requires third-party API credentials. All others just need the checkbox enabled and the URL/handle filled in.

5. Test the Human Handoff Feature

  1. Open the chatbot on your website and start a conversation with the AI assistant
  2. Type a message that would trigger the handoff, such as “I want to speak to a human” or “Can I talk to someone on your team?”
  3. The AI should respond with a message offering to connect you with the team and display two buttons: “👤 Speak to a Human” and “💬 Continue with Assistant”
  4. Click the “👤 Speak to a Human” button to open the contact form
  5. Fill in your name, email address, and optionally add a message describing what you need help with
  6. Click “Send Request” to submit the form
  7. You should see a confirmation message: “Your request has been sent! We’ll get back to you shortly at [your email]”
  8. Check the admin email address (WordPress admin email by default) for the support request notification
  9. The email will include the user’s contact information, their message, and the complete chat transcript showing the conversation history

6. Test Inactivity Timeout

  1. Leave the chat idle for the configured warning delay time you set
  2. Verify the warning message appears
  3. Continue being idle and verify the chat closes with the timeout message
  4. Verify chat input is disabled after timeout
  5. Test that activity resets the timer

7. Draft Save/Restore:

  1. Make changes and click “Save Draft”
  2. Make changes and click “Restore Draft” to verify it loads the draft you saved previously
  3. Test across all tabs (Flow Builder, AI Assistant, Integrations, Design)

8. Test on Mobile

  1. Open site on mobile device
  2. Verify launcher appears correctly
  3. Test chat functionality
  4. Ensure responsive design works

Chatbot Not Appearing

Check:

  • Plugin is activated (Plugins → Installed Plugins)
  • No JavaScript errors (Browser Console: F12)
  • Theme doesn’t conflict with wp_footer() hook
  • Try disabling other plugins temporarily

AI Not Responding

Common Issues:

  1. Invalid API Key
    • Verify key starts with sk-
    • Check for extra spaces
    • Generate new key in OpenAI dashboard
  2. API Quota Exceeded
    • Check OpenAI billing dashboard
    • Add payment method or increase limit
  3. Rate Limiting
    • OpenAI has usage limits
    • Wait a few minutes and try again

Common Error Messages:

  • “‘I’m having trouble connecting right now. Please try again in a moment” → OpenAI servers slow; try again
  • “Right now, I can assist you more effectively with the menu options” → API key not configured

URL Training Not Working

  1. Click 🔄 Refresh URL Cache button
  2. Verify URLs are publicly accessible (not password-protected)
  3. Check URLs don’t block bots in robots.txt

Integrations Not Triggering

WhatsApp:

  • Verify phone number format (country code, no spaces)
  • Example: 14155552671 not +1 (415) 555-2671

Calendar:

  • Ensure link is publicly accessible
  • Test link directly in browser

Email:

  • Check WordPress email is working (test with password reset)
  • Check spam folder
  • Consider SMTP plugin for reliability

Styling Issues

  1. Clear browser cache (Ctrl+F5 / Cmd+Shift+R)
  2. Check for theme CSS conflicts
  3. Inspect element (F12) to see applied styles

Freemius License Issues

“Cannot Connect to Freemius Server”

  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify your hosting allows outbound HTTPS connections
  • Check if firewall is blocking api.freemius.com
  • Contact your host if issue persists

License Shows as Inactive After Renewal

  1. Go to Varia AI Chatbot → Account
  2. Click Sync License
  3. Wait 24 hours for automatic sync
  4. Contact support if still inactive

“This Plugin Requires a Valid License” or Features Not Working

  • Enter and activate your license key from your purchase email
  • Check license hasn’t expired (renew if needed)
  • Verify site URL matches licensed domain
  • If you moved the site, deactivate from old site first
  • Contact support if you lost your license key

Getting Help

  1. Check Documentation: Review this guide first
  2. WordPress Forums: Search for similar issues
  3. Plugin Support: contact@variasuite.com
  4. OpenAI Status: status.openai.com

Data Handling

  • Conversations: Stored in browser localStorage
  • Email submissions: Sent via WordPress email system
  • AI conversations: Processed by OpenAI (see their privacy policy)
  • Transcripts: Downloadable by users, not stored on server
  • License data: Managed securely by Freemius (encrypted, GDPR compliant)

API Key Security

  • Never share your OpenAI API key
  • API key is stored in WordPress database (not visible in frontend code)
  • Rotate keys periodically for security
  • Set usage limits to prevent abuse

Freemius Security

  • All license communication encrypted (SSL/TLS)
  • No payment data stored in your WordPress database
  • Payments processed through secure PCI-compliant gateways
  • License keys are hashed and validated server-side

Q: Do I need a license to use the plugin? A: Yes, Varia Suite AI Chatbot is a premium plugin that requires a valid license to use. Your license key is sent to your email after purchase.

Q: What is Freemius? A: Freemius is a secure licensing and payment platform used by thousands of WordPress plugins. It handles license validation, updates, and payments securely.

Q: How many sites can I use my license on? A: The Standard License allows use on 1 site.

Q: How much does OpenAI cost? A: GPT-3.5 Turbo costs about $0.002 per 1,000 tokens (~750 words). Most sites spend $5-20/month.

Q: Can I use this without OpenAI? A: Yes! The flow-based chatbot works without AI. Just skip the AI Assistant tab.

Q: Does it work with my theme? A: Yes, it’s compatible with all standard WordPress themes.

Q: Can I have multiple chatbots? A: Currently, one chatbot per site. Use conditional actions for different behaviors.

Q: Will it slow down my site? A: No, the plugin is lightweight and loads asynchronously.

Q: Can users download their chat history? A: Yes, there’s a download button in the chat header.

Q: How do I update the plugin? A: Through WordPress admin → Plugins → Updates (when available).

Q: Can I customize the launcher icon? A: Yes, in Design tab → Launcher Icon (upload custom image).

Q: Does it work on mobile? A: Yes, fully responsive and mobile-optimized.

Thank you for choosing Varia Suite AI Chatbot!
We’re excited to help you engage with your visitors more effectively. If you have any questions or feedback, we’d love to hear from you.
Happy chatting! 🚀 ~ from Your Business’ Best Friend!

Last Updated: January 2026
Plugin Version: 2.0.0

Your Business’ Best Friend

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