GrowthExpert AI
Internal Team Guide  ·  ~2 min read  ·  growthexpertai.com
Onboarding · Bot Rules

Manual Chat Control
& Bot Rules

How and when to take manual control of an AI-driven conversation, what happens to the bot when you do, and how to hand the conversation back.

15steps
5sections
18hauto re-activation window
Default state
AI Bot — ON
During manual takeover
AI Bot — OFF

Overview

When to take manual control

The AI chatbot is ON by default for most contacts and communication channels. It goes OFF only when a staff member or manager takes manual control of the conversation.

Manual takeover is typically needed for one of three reasons:

a

Client requests human contact

The client asks to stop talking to the bot and connect personally with a sales staff member.

b

The bot made a mistake

A quick fix is needed for incorrect information or an error the bot gave the client.

c

The issue is too complex

The client's question is too complicated or sensitive for the AI to handle.

💡
Inside the app vs. outside the app

Replying directly inside the GEAI application immediately switches the bot OFF and hands control to you. Replying from Instagram DMs or any other channel outside the GEAI app does NOT switch the bot off — it will keep responding and may duplicate or contradict your reply.

How To

Reply Manually Inside the App

1

Open the conversation

Go to your Conversations tab and open the client conversation you need to reply to.

Conversations tab
Conversations tab — select the client thread
2

Reply within the app

Click the 'Type a message' field. Make sure you're replying via the same communication channel the client used, then reply within the app.

Type a message field
Type your reply in the same channel the client used
3

Send your reply

Type your manual reply and click Send.

Send button
Send the manual reply
⏱️
Auto-reactivation

After a manual intervention, the bot automatically switches back ON after an 18-hour window — no action needed unless you want it back sooner (see switching it on manually below).

Good to Know

Identifying Bot vs. Human Messages

Bot messages usually show a (?) icon or a robot logo, while human replies show the sender's initials on their profile icon.

Bot icon on a message
Bot icon on an automated reply
Human initials on a message
Human reply, shown with the sender's initials

Real Examples

Example Scenarios for Switching the Bot OFF

aClient requests human contact
“Connect me with my sales rep, please”
Client requesting a sales rep
Real example — client asking to be connected with their sales rep
bThe bot made a mistake

The bot should have replied in Chinese, but a human agent had to take over the conversation to correct it.

Language correction example
Real example — a language correction handled by a human agent
cClient issues are complex

The customer's question is too complicated or sensitive for the AI to handle on its own.

How To

Manually Switch the AI Bot ON

To reactivate the bot manually and bypass the automatic 18-hour window, follow these steps:

1

Open contact details

Inside the Client Conversations tab, go to the top right corner and click the profile picture to open the contact details.

Contact details panel
Contact details panel
2

Toggle AI OFF

In the top left, find the 'AI BOT' option. Switch it from AI ON to AI OFF if that's what you need.

AI BOT toggle
AI BOT toggle — switching to AI OFF
3

Toggle AI back ON

After replying to the lead, switch the bot back on by clicking 'AI ON'.

AI ON toggle
Switching the bot back on after your manual reply