AI Chat Assistant

Overview

The AI chat assistant is available throughout BlueClerk via the sparkles icon in the header. Ask questions, upload images or PDFs for analysis, and let AI search your data, create invoices, add customers, and more - all through conversational chat. The assistant now remembers your entire conversation history across sessions - conversations auto-save, auto-load when you reopen the panel, and you can stop AI responses mid-generation to edit and resend your message.

NEW: Multi-Location Business Customers - When adding business customers with multiple locations (e.g., "add North Austin PT with Cedar Park and Round Rock locations"), the AI creates ONE customer record with multiple Property records linked to it. This matches how BlueClerk's data model works: one Company = one customer, multiple addresses = multiple Properties. The AI never creates duplicate customers for the same business.

NEW: Stop Button & Text Restore - While AI is responding, a red stop button appears. Click it to cancel the response and restore your last sent message to the input box for editing and resending - perfect for when you realize you need to rephrase or add more details.

NEW: Auto-Load Last Conversation - When you open the chat panel, BlueClerk automatically loads your most recent conversation so messages don't disappear between navigations. Your context is preserved as you move around the app.

NEW: Context-Aware Brand Suggestions - The AI remembers brands you mention and applies them to follow-up requests. If you say "I need a Bodycraft treadmill and elliptical" then later say "and 45lb plates," the AI searches for Bodycraft plates first. If not found, it asks "What brand for the plates? I see [brands] in your catalog" instead of making you repeat yourself.

NEW: Platform Knowledge Integration - The AI now has deep knowledge of BlueClerk's platform embedded directly in every conversation. Ask about customer types, how items flow through invoices and accounting, how sub dispatch works, address verification rules, or invoice creation requirements - the AI knows the platform architecture and can guide you through complex workflows.

NEW: Smart Item Management - The AI enforces strict item usage on invoices and tickets. It will always search your catalog first, use itemId on every line item for proper accounting linkage, and ask you before creating new items that don't exist in your catalog. Items created through AI are basic entries (name, price, type) - income account mapping happens later in the Items page.

NEW: Address Handling - The AI now supports address2 fields for suite/unit/apartment numbers when creating customers or properties. Just mention "Suite 201" or "Unit 3B" in your command and the AI will extract it into the proper address2 field, keeping addresses clean and properly structured.

Accessing the Chat

1. Click the sparkles icon in the top-right corner of the header bar
2. The chat panel opens below the header with message history
3. Type your question or command in the input field at the bottom
4. Press Enter or click the send button (paper plane icon)

Opening Chat with a Prefilled Message

You can link directly to the chat with a pre-filled message using URL parameters:

• Format: ?chat=true&message=Your+message+here
• Example: blueclerk.com?chat=true&message=Show+me+unpaid+invoices
• The chat opens automatically with your message ready to send

What You Can Do

Ask Questions

Ask about anything in BlueClerk:

• "How do I create an invoice?"
• "What's the difference between a ticket and a job?"
• "Show me my unpaid invoices"
• "How much do we charge for HVAC tune-ups?"

Upload Images and PDFs

Upload files for AI analysis:

• Invoices - Extract line items, customer info, and totals
• Floor plans - Identify rooms and dimensions
• Equipment labels - Read model numbers and serial numbers
• Business cards - Extract contact information
• Receipts - Capture expenses for job costing

How to upload:

1. Click the paperclip icon in the chat input
2. Select your file (images or PDFs)
3. AI analyzes it automatically and responds with what it found

Create Records

Tell the AI to create things for you:

• "Create a ticket for John Smith at 123 Main St for plumbing repair"
• "Add customer Alice Johnson, 456 Oak Ave, phone 555-1234"
• "Make an invoice for ticket #1234"
• "Create an estimate for $500 HVAC tune-up for Bob at 789 Pine St"

Create Multi-Location Business Customers

When adding business customers with multiple locations, use the locations array format:

Example: "Add North Austin PT with Cedar Park location at 123 Main St and Round Rock location at 456 Oak Ave"

What happens:

• AI creates ONE Company record for "North Austin PT" (type: BUSINESS)
• Creates TWO Property records: one at 123 Main St (Cedar Park), one at 456 Oak Ave (Round Rock)
• Each property is linked to the same Company customer
• Google address verification runs on both addresses
• Existing properties at matching addresses are deduplicated automatically

Why this matters:

• One business = one customer record in your system
• Invoices, tickets, and jobs can reference either location
• Shared customer data (company name, contacts) lives in one place
• No duplicate customers cluttering your customer list

Search Your Data

Find specific records quickly:

• "Find all jobs for Alice Johnson"
• "Show me invoices sent last week"
• "Search for tickets about water heaters"
• "List all homeowner customers in Austin"

Get Pricing Information

Ask about pricing in two ways:

Your company's prices (uses your item catalog):

• "How much do WE charge for outlets?"
• "What's our price for HVAC tune-up?"
• "Show me our catalog prices for plumbing"

Market estimates (AI generates typical pricing):

• "How much does a water heater replacement cost?"
• "What's the going rate for electrical panel upgrades?"
• "Typical price for kitchen remodel?"

Multi-Turn Conversations

The assistant remembers your entire conversation:

You: "Create a ticket for Alice at 123 Main St"
AI: Creates ticket "Done! Ticket #1234 created for Alice Johnson."
You: "Now make it high priority"
AI: Updates the ticket "Updated ticket #1234 to high priority."
You: "And assign it to John"
AI: Assigns the ticket "Assigned ticket #1234 to John Doe."

No need to repeat context - the AI tracks what you're talking about.

Persistent Chat History

How Saving Works

• First message auto-creates a conversation - No manual save needed
• All messages save automatically as you chat
• Conversations auto-title from your first message (up to 80 characters)
• Last conversation auto-loads when you reopen the chat panel

Managing Conversations

1. Click "View History" in the chat panel header
2. See all past conversations sorted by most recent
3. Click any conversation to resume it
4. Click "New Chat" to start fresh

Deleting Conversations

1. Open chat history
2. Find the conversation you want to delete
3. Click the trash icon next to it
4. Conversation is permanently deleted

Stop Button & Text Restore

While AI is generating a response:

1. Red stop button appears in the chat input area
2. Click stop to cancel the AI response mid-generation
3. Your last message is restored to the input box
4. Edit and resend with more details or rephrased

Use cases:

• Realized you forgot to mention important details
• Want to rephrase your question for better results
• AI is going in the wrong direction and you want to redirect

Platform Knowledge

The AI has deep knowledge of how BlueClerk works:

Customer Types

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