Question 1

Is Agentency a chatbot platform or a help desk?

Accepted Answer

A chatbot platform. It answers from your knowledge, can run Call actions you build, and captures leads. There is no console where a person types back as the chatbot — conversations are stored so you can read and review them.

Question 2

Do I need a developer to start?

Accepted Answer

No. You can create a chatbot, upload files, and share a hosted link without writing any code. A developer is only needed for the API or a custom plugin.

Question 3

Can one chatbot handle support and sales?

Accepted Answer

It can, but it usually should not. Each chatbot owns its own knowledge and instructions, so two audiences with different material are better served by two chatbots.

Question 4

Which AI model does it use?

Accepted Answer

The Agentency AI model by default, at 1X (one credit per reply). Free always uses it; on a paid plan you can pick another model per chatbot from the AI model card, each shown with its credit multiplier.

Question 5

What can I actually do on the Free plan?

Accepted Answer

One chatbot, 50 message credits, 400 KB of knowledge, and the hosted link — enough to run a genuine pilot. The website widget, plugins, and messaging channels need a paid plan.

Question 6

Can I use Google only?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Continue with Google creates the account or links it to an existing one with the same address. Add a password later under Settings → Security so one broken login never locks you out.

Question 7

Which email address should I use?

Accepted Answer

One you check regularly. Billing receipts, security alerts, and team invitations all go there, and an invitation is tied to the exact address it was sent to.

Question 8

I was invited but registered separately. Did I break anything?

Accepted Answer

No. Sign out, reopen the invitation link, and sign in with the invited address. Anything you built in the accidental account stays there and you can switch between both from Accounts.

Question 9

Do I have to verify a phone number?

Accepted Answer

Only if your deployment asks. Some require a verified phone before parts of the dashboard unlock; others never prompt for one.

Question 10

What is the difference between draft and active?

Accepted Answer

Draft and inactive chatbots serve nobody: the hosted page returns not found and the widget refuses to load. Activate from Settings → Danger zone when you are ready for visitors.

Question 11

Does creating a chatbot spend message credits?

Accepted Answer

No. Credits are spent when the chatbot answers, including when you test it yourself.

Question 12

Can I change the template later?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A template only seeds the first setup. Switching it afterwards never deletes knowledge, conversations, or instructions.

Question 13

Why does the name matter so much?

Accepted Answer

The public address at /agent/{handle} is derived from it, so renaming the chatbot retires every link you already shared. Pick a name you can live with, or set a custom handle instead.

Question 14

How many chatbots can I have?

Accepted Answer

Free 1, Starter 2, Standard 5, Pro 10, Agency 30. Paid plans can also buy extra chatbot slots as an add-on.

Question 15

Where is Test Chatbot?

Accepted Answer

In the chatbot header, on every chatbot tab. It is a drawer rather than a page, so it opens over whatever you were looking at and there is no URL to bookmark.

Question 16

Where are API keys?

Accepted Answer

Settings → Developer, visible to the account owner only. They are also hidden while you are acting inside someone else's account.

Question 17

Why do Billing and Developer keep disappearing?

Accepted Answer

They are owner-only, and they are hidden while you work inside a teammate's account. Switch back to your own account from Accounts in the sidebar.

Question 18

What is the difference between the two Appearance pages?

Accepted Answer

The chatbot's Settings → Appearance changes what visitors see. The sidebar's Settings → Appearance changes your own dashboard theme, language, and timezone.

Question 19

How do I open Test Chatbot?

Accepted Answer

Select the Test Chatbot button in the chatbot header. It is present on every chatbot tab and slides in over the page you are on.

Question 20

Does Test Chatbot create a real conversation?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Once there is a reply to store, the thread appears under Conversations with the channel shown as Test chat, and teammates with access can read it. Do not paste secrets into it.

Question 21

Does it spend message credits?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every turn is charged at the chatbot's testing model rate — the live model's unless you picked a separate one. Testing thirty questions on the Free plan uses more than half the monthly allowance.

Question 22

Test Chatbot works but my link says not found. Why?

Accepted Answer

Test Chatbot is the owner's private door and works even on a draft chatbot. Visitors need the chatbot activated. Activate it from Settings → Danger zone.

Question 23

What should I actually ask?

Accepted Answer

Five things: something answered verbatim in one document, the same question in clumsy wording, something spanning two documents, something you have no answer for, and something off-topic.

Question 24

Do I need WhatsApp or another messaging app to go live?

Accepted Answer

No. The hosted link is enough, and it works on every plan. The website widget needs a paid plan, and messaging channels are optional and availability-dependent.

Question 25

Can I stay in draft while I test?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Test Chatbot answers for owners even on a draft chatbot. Activate only when you want real visitors.

Question 26

What is the single most-skipped step?

Accepted Answer

Testing from outside. Open the live link in a private window on a phone, signed out of everything — that is the only check that catches a snippet on a staging template or a blocked domain.

Question 27

How do I tell the three failure modes apart?

Accepted Answer

A not-found page means the chatbot is not activated. A not-ready reply means training has not finished. A missing widget bubble means a plan or allowed-domains problem.

Question 28

Should I just share my password instead?

Accepted Answer

Never. That hands over billing and API keys, makes actions untraceable, and means revoking access requires changing your own login. Invite them instead.

Question 29

What role should I pick?

Accepted Answer

The least access that still lets them do the job — widening a role later is one click. Billing always stays with the account owner regardless of role.

Question 30

Why is there no Invite button?

Accepted Answer

You are on Free, which has a single seat, or you are not the owner and lack permission to manage members, or you are currently acting inside someone else's account.

Question 31

They accepted but see no chatbots. What happened?

Accepted Answer

They are still in their own workspace. Ask them to open Accounts in the sidebar and switch into yours.

Question 32

How should I phrase a search?

Accepted Answer

By task rather than by feature name. "Upload a PDF" and "embed widget" work better than "knowledge ingestion". Two characters is the minimum.

Question 33

Can I print an article?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Articles are ordinary web pages, so your browser's print dialog and Ctrl/Cmd+F both work as normal.

Question 34

Is this the same as the blog?

Accepted Answer

No. The blog is marketing writing about ideas; the Help Center is reference material about buttons. If they disagree, trust the Help Center.

Question 35

What is the chat bubble on the marketing site?

Accepted Answer

Agentency's own Help Assistant, trained on these same articles. It is a live demo of the product — but it is Agentency's chatbot, so those conversations do not appear in your dashboard.

Getting started FAQ