AI Chat Tools

Overview

The AI chat assistant can now perform actions for you through natural language. Instead of clicking through forms, just tell the AI what you want - "create a ticket for Alice at 123 Main St for pipe repair" - and it handles the work. The AI automatically searches customers, finds items from your catalog, geocodes addresses, and creates complete records with proper accounting linkage.

NEW: SQL-side ranking for searchItems - When you ask the AI to find items in your catalog (like "TKO 9SC-LED Stair Climber"), it now uses database-level hit-count ranking instead of returning the first 1000 items by ID. This ensures the AI finds exact matches even in large catalogs (5000+ items) where the target item might be past the cutoff. Searches are fast (sub-100ms) and return the top 50 best matches by relevance score.

CRITICAL: Multi-step tool calls now work with extended timeout - The per-call timeout has been raised from 60s to 180s to handle multi-step workflows like searching items multiple times against uncapped catalogs. The 60s limit was hit mid-conversation when the AI tried to search 5+ different items to build an invoice. With Vercel route maxDuration at 300s, we still have headroom for complex multi-turn operations.

What AI Can Do

Create Tickets

Tell the AI to create a ticket and it will:

• Search for the customer by name
• Find or verify the property address (with Google Maps geocoding)
• Search your catalog for matching items
• Create the ticket with all details linked properly

Examples:

• "Create a ticket for Alice at 123 Main St for pipe repair"
• "Add a ticket for John Smith, leaky faucet in master bath, schedule for Tuesday at 2pm"
• "New ticket for 456 Oak Ave, HVAC tune-up needed"

Create Jobs

Schedule work with specific dates, times, and assignments:

Examples:

• "Create a job for Bob at 789 Elm, water heater replacement, Thursday 9am, assign to Mike"
• "Schedule John's outlet installation for next Monday at 10am"
• "Job for Sarah, drywall repair, tomorrow afternoon"

Create Invoices

Build invoices with line items from your catalog:

Examples:

• "Create an invoice for Alice: 2 outlets at $150 each, 1 panel upgrade $800"
• "Invoice Bob for the water heater job we finished today"
• "Bill Sarah for drywall repair, 3 hours labor and materials"

Create Estimates

Generate quotes for customers:

Examples:

• "Create an estimate for John: kitchen remodel, cabinets $5000, countertops $3000, labor $2000"
• "Quote Alice for bathroom renovation"
• "Estimate for Bob: new HVAC system installed"

Search Customers

Find existing customers by name:

Examples:

• "Find Alice"
• "Search for customers named Smith"
• "Show me all Johns"

Search Jobs

Find past or scheduled work:

Examples:

• "Show me Alice's completed jobs"
• "Find all jobs scheduled for next week"
• "Search for HVAC jobs in the last month"

Find Items

Search your catalog for services and products:

Examples:

• "Find outlet installation in my catalog"
• "Search for water heater items"
• "Show me all HVAC services"

How Item Search Works

SQL-Side Ranking

When you ask the AI to find items:

1. AI sends your search query to the database (e.g., "TKO 9SC-LED Stair Climber")
2. Database searches three fields - name, SKU, and manufacturer
3. Results are ranked by hit count - items matching all three fields rank highest
4. Top 50 matches returned - sorted by relevance score, then by name
5. Fast execution - sub-100ms query time even with 5000+ items

Why Ranking Matters

In large catalogs (3000+ items), the old approach fetched the first 1000 items by ID and searched them in-memory. If your target item (like "TKO 9SC-LED Stair Climber") was item #3500, it never appeared in results.

With SQL-side ranking, exact matches always appear first regardless of their ID or position in the catalog. The query calculates a relevance score for each item and returns the top 50 matches.

Relevance Score Calculation

Items are scored based on how many fields match your search:

• 3 points: Match in name, SKU, AND manufacturer
• 2 points: Match in any two fields
• 1 point: Match in one field
• Ties broken by name (alphabetical)

This ensures the most relevant items appear at the top of the results.

Tips for Using AI Tools

Be Specific

The more details you provide, the better the AI can help:

• Include customer names, addresses, and contact info
• Mention specific dates and times for scheduling
• List line items with quantities and prices for invoices

Use Natural Language

You don't need to use special commands or syntax:

• "Create a ticket for..." works just as well as "New ticket..."
• "Schedule a job..." is the same as "Create job..."
• Speak naturally - the AI understands context

Check the Results

The AI will show you what it created:

• Review the ticket, job, invoice, or estimate before finalizing
• Edit any details that need adjustment
• Confirm customer and item matches are correct

Multi-Step Workflows

The AI can handle complex requests that require multiple tool calls:

• "Find Alice, create a ticket for her at 123 Main St, schedule it for Tuesday at 2pm, and create an invoice with 2 outlets"
• The AI will execute each step in sequence with proper dependencies

Questions

Q: What if the AI can't find a customer? A: The AI will ask you to provide more details or create a new customer record.

Q: What if an item doesn't exist in my catalog? A: The AI will notify you and suggest adding the item to your catalog first.

Q: Can the AI schedule jobs for specific team members? A: Yes, just mention the team member's name in your request: "assign to Mike" or "schedule with Sarah."

Q: What if my catalog has 5000+ items? A: The SQL-side ranking ensures exact matches appear first, regardless of catalog size. Searches stay fast (sub-100ms).

Q: Does the AI remember my previous searches? A: Yes, within the same conversation. If you search for "outlets" and later say "add 2 of those," the AI knows you mean outlets.

Q: What happens if I hit the 180-second timeout? A: The system will return the results collected so far and notify you. Break complex requests into smaller steps if this happens.