Setup
How to set up ai agents for on site support with ai
How to set up ai agents for on site support with ai — answered from your own docs. How Field Service Management Software teams use Chatref (ai agents, ai agents
Chatref’s AI agents turn your existing field service manuals, equipment guides, and work-order docs into an on-demand support tool. Once connected, the agent handles routine questions from technicians and customers right where they work – no coding, no gatekeeping. Here’s how to set it up in minutes.
Before you start
You need three things:
- A Chatref account (sign up at app.chatref.ai – new accounts get $50 in free credit, no credit card required)
- Your field service content, such as PDF safety guides, equipment manuals, work-order instructions, and FAQs. The agent answers only from these, so the more relevant docs you provide, the better it performs.
- A clear idea of the top questions your on-site technicians ask every day: “What’s the torque spec for this fastener?”, “Which part replaces the old pump assembly?”, “What do I do if the pressure test fails?”. This list helps you test the agent later.
If you use a dedicated Field Service Management Software platform, plan to embed the Chatref widget inside your technician portal or mobile app so the agent sits right inside the workflow.
Step-by-step setup
-
Log into Chatref and create an agent – From the app dashboard, select “Create agent.” Give it a name your team will recognise (e.g., “Field Tech Assistant”) and choose a primary colour to match your brand.
-
Upload your field service content – Add the documents you gathered: drag-and-drop PDFs, paste URLs to your online help centre or equipment micro-sites, or enter plain-text procedures. Chatref ingests everything and builds a knowledge base the agent can reference instantly. The agent’s answers stay grounded in these docs – no guessing, no web search.
-
Set the agent’s voice and boundaries – Configure the agent’s greeting and tone to match how your support team speaks. A field-service agent might open with “I can look up procedures and specs for you right now – what do you need?”. You may also define fallback messages for when the question is outside the uploaded content.
-
Decide where the agent appears – For on-site use, two deployment options work well:
- Embeddable widget – Add one line of JavaScript to your field service management software dashboard, technician mobile portal, or customer self-service page. The agent appears as a chat bubble that technicians can tap on any device.
- Direct chat link – Share a unique URL in SMS reminders or push notifications so technicians can launch the agent with a single tap, even without logging into a portal.
-
Pilot with a small group – Before rolling out to the whole field team, share the widget or link with 2–3 trusted technicians. Ask them to throw real, messy questions at the agent during their shifts and note where it stalls.
Check it works
- Test in the playground – Inside the Chatref app, open the agent’s live playground and type the questions from your list. Verify the agent pulls the right torque spec from the engine manual, the correct troubleshooting sequence from the pressure-test doc, etc. If an answer is off, note which document is missing.
- Monitor real usage – During the pilot, watch the conversation inbox. You’ll see the threads your technicians open and where the agent resolves the question versus where they might try to escalate. These early logs are gold for spotting gaps.
- Review the insights dashboard – After a few days, check the field service management software insights Chatref surfaces: top-asked topics, common phrases that triggered “not found” answers, and trends over time. This tells you exactly which procedures to write up next or which old manuals need updating.
Common issues
- Agent answers are too generic or “I don’t know” – Usually means your uploaded content is too sparse or doesn't cover the specific wording technicians use. Upload more detailed procedures, troubleshooting decision trees, and common Q&A pages. Avoid PDFs that are just scanned images with no extractable text.
- Wrong answer for a known topic – The agent might have pulled from an outdated version of a document. Remove the old file and upload the latest spec sheet or service bulletin, then retest.
- Widget not visible on mobile – Confirm the embed code is placed correctly in your field service management software template and that the widgets’ domain allow-list includes your mobile subdomain. Chatref’s widget is responsive by default, but a misplaced snippet can block rendering on smaller screens.
- Technicians ignore the agent – Often a change-management issue. Announce the agent in the team’s morning huddle, show a 30-second demo, and explain that it answers the exact questions that would normally interrupt a dispatcher. When the team sees it save a second trip to the truck, adoption jumps.
FAQ
What causes on site support with ai problems for Field Service Management Software?
Most problems come from incomplete or outdated documentation, expecting the AI to reason outside the knowledge you’ve given it, or skipping the pilot phase. Without recent, real-world content and a feedback loop, the agent will drift toward unhelpful replies and erode technician trust.
How do I improve on site support with ai for Field Service Management Software?
Use Chatref’s insights to spot which on-site questions the agent misses most often, then fill those gaps by adding the exact troubleshooting steps or equipment specs technicians ask for. Combine that with a clear handoff routine – when the agent can’t help, it should gracefully escalate to a dispatcher with the full chat history so the human picks up without repeating work.
Related guides
Put this into practice
Chatref answers your customers from your own content, day and night. Add it to your site and go live in minutes – free to start.