Use case
Onboarding automation that answers, not just guides
Product tours assume users follow the path you drew. Chatref lets them ask the real question – 'where do I paste the API key', 'how do I invite my team' – and answers from the docs you already wrote.
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Onboarding automation uses software to help new users reach first value faster, typically by guiding them through setup, answering activation questions, and surfacing the right documentation at the right moment. Chatref approaches onboarding as an ask-the-product problem rather than a guide-the-product problem: the chatbot is trained on your setup guides, installation docs, admin handbook, and API references, and answers whatever a new user types using answers drawn from your own content. You configure a welcome message and optional quick-reply suggestions so the first screen shows common starter questions. Each chatbot can have its own system prompt and special instructions so it behaves like a patient onboarding guide that knows your product voice. Custom form actions collect setup information (team size, use case, integrations needed) inside the chat and deliver the data to any webhook. Sessions persist for up to ten years, so a conversation that starts on the signup page continues when the user lands on the dashboard. Supported in 10 languages with human handoff when a new user needs a real person. Pay-as-you-go pricing: $50 free credit on signup, 1 to 5 credits per answer, unlimited chatbots, unlimited team seats.
No tours to maintain · answers from your own docs · $50 free credit
At a glance
The short version.
24/7
Setup help on demand
10
Languages supported
<3s
Typical first reply
$50
Free credit on signup
- Chatref answers setup questions with responses grounded in your actual docs, so the bot stays accurate as your product and help center change.
- Each chatbot has a configurable welcome message, persistent greeting option, and quick-reply suggestions to guide new users toward the common starter questions.
- System prompts and special instructions let you shape the bot into an onboarding guide that speaks in your voice and enforces your activation priorities.
- Custom form actions capture onboarding details – team size, use case, integrations – inside the chat and deliver the payload to any webhook you connect.
- Sessions persist across pages and visits, so a conversation that starts on the signup screen continues on the dashboard without asking the user to start over.
The problem
Why onboarding drops off even when the product is good
Most activation work assumes users will follow a linear tour, read the docs, or wait on a support reply. The users who drop off are the ones who asked a very specific question at 9 PM and got nothing back.
Tours break when the UI moves
Tooltip-based onboarding targets specific on-screen elements. A layout change, a rename, a feature flag, and the tour stops pointing at the right button. Maintaining it becomes a job.
Docs are technically correct, practically useless
The answer is somewhere in the help center, in 14 articles across three versions. A new user does not have the vocabulary to search well and will not read three articles to configure one integration.
Setup questions hit support off-hours
A prospect signs up at 8 PM, hits an SSO blocker, and the earliest reply lands in their inbox 14 hours later. By then, they have tried a competitor or forgotten what they were trying to do.
How it works
From signup to activated in one conversation
Train on your setup content
Upload setup guides, admin handbooks, integration docs, and API references. Crawl your help center. Chatref learns from everything so the bot can answer from it.
Shape the onboarding persona
Write a system prompt that turns the bot into a patient onboarding guide, add special instructions for the common stumbles, configure a welcome message and quick-reply suggestions for the first message.
Embed in-app and on setup pages
Drop the widget script on your dashboard, welcome page, and docs. The session persists across pages so a question started at signup continues after the user lands on the app.
Capture, escalate, continue
Use custom form actions to collect team size, integrations, or invite lists inside the chat and post them to a webhook. When a user needs a real person, human handoff flips the conversation and notifies the agent owner.
In detail
The details.
What you get
- Welcome message and suggested prompts. Configure the opening line and a list of quick-reply suggestions so a new user sees the common starter questions the moment the widget opens. No blank chat staring back at them.
- Answer in the user's language. Ten languages supported out of the box with a smart fallback that handles typos and mixed-language queries. International signups get setup help without a second deployment.
- Handoff when a human has to step in. When a user asks for a real person – or the bot detects the need – Chatref captures their email, flags the conversation for handoff, and notifies the agent owner. Full conversation context is preserved.
Compare
Chatref vs tour-based onboarding tools
Most onboarding platforms are UI overlays – tours, tooltips, checklists – that require engineering to instrument and maintenance when your app changes. Chatref answers questions from your docs and stays accurate as the product evolves.
| Feature | ChatrefOur pick | Appcues | Userpilot | Intercom Fin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onboarding model | Answer-first | Product tours | Tours + checklists | AI + messenger |
| Maintenance when UI changes | None | Re-target selectors | Re-target selectors | Low |
| Engineering setup | One script tag | SDK install | SDK install | Intercom install |
| Trained on your docs | ||||
| Custom form capture in chat | ||||
| Multilingual out of the box | 10 languages | Add-on | Add-on | 45+ |
| Pricing | Pay per answer | Monthly tiers | Monthly tiers | $0.99/outcome + seat |
| Seat fees | Per MAU | Per MAU | $29+/seat |
How is chatbot onboarding different from a product tour?
A product tour guides the user down a path you drew in advance. A Chatref chatbot answers whatever the user actually asks. Tours break when your UI changes; a chatbot trained on docs stays accurate because it reads your content, not your screen layout.
Can the chatbot act like an onboarding guide, not a generic help bot?
Yes. Each chatbot has its own system prompt and special instructions, so you can tell it to behave as a patient onboarding assistant for new users, prioritize activation steps, and redirect off-topic questions. You also configure the welcome message and quick-reply suggestions the user sees first.
Can I capture setup information during the onboarding chat?
Yes. Custom form actions let the bot present a form inside the conversation to collect team size, primary use case, requested integrations, or anything else you configure. Submissions are stored and delivered to your webhook, so the data flows into whichever system owns onboarding in your stack.
Does the conversation persist if the user navigates to a new page?
Yes. Sessions are long-lived and tied to the user's browser, so a chat that starts on the signup page continues on the dashboard and the help center. New users do not have to re-explain their question every time they move.
What happens when a new user needs a real person?
The bot detects intent-to-handoff phrases or can be asked directly. It captures the user's email, marks the conversation for handoff, and notifies the agent owner so a human can pick up with full context. Nothing is lost in translation.
Does Chatref do product tours, tooltips, or element highlighting?
No. Chatref is a chat-based assistant trained on your docs. If you want step-by-step UI overlays, pair Chatref with a dedicated tour tool – Chatref handles the Q&A layer that tours cannot, and tours handle the guided clicks that chatbots cannot.
How much does onboarding automation with Chatref cost?
Pay-as-you-go. Every account starts with $50 free credit, tops up from $10 minimum, and spends 1 to 5 credits per answer depending on length. There are no seat fees, no MAU tiers, no plan gates – unlimited chatbots and every feature unlocked from day one.
Explore
Keep exploring.
Train a Chatref onboarding guide on your own docs
Upload setup guides, crawl your help center, shape the bot's voice, and embed on your signup and dashboard pages. $50 free credit, no credit card.