Respond.io

Connect your Respond.io workspace to Cevro for automated AI support across WhatsApp, Telegram, and more

This guide walks you through connecting your Respond.io workspace to Cevro so the AI agent can handle support conversations automatically across all your Respond.io channels (WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, etc.).

Your Customer Success Manager will handle the initial Cevro-side configuration (API token, webhook setup, bot user creation). This guide covers what your team needs to set up on the Respond.io side.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure:

• You have admin access to your Respond.io workspace
• Your CSM has confirmed the Cevro-side integration is ready
• You know which channels (WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.) should be AI-powered

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Step 1: Generate an API Access Token

Cevro needs an API token to send messages and manage conversations on your behalf.

1. Go to Settings > API

   In your Respond.io workspace, navigate to Settings > Integrations > API.

2. Generate a new token

   Click “Generate Token” and copy the token.

   Send this token to your CSM securely — they’ll configure it in Cevro.

Keep your API token secure. Don’t share it in public channels or commit it to code repositories. If compromised, regenerate it immediately and notify your CSM.

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Step 2: Create a Bot User for Cevro

Cevro needs a dedicated user in Respond.io to send messages and manage conversations.

1. Go to Settings > Users

   Navigate to Settings > Workspace Settings > Users.

2. Create a new user

   Add a new user (e.g., “Cevro Bot” or “AI Agent”).

3. Note the User ID

   After creating the user, view their profile. The User ID is visible in the URL (e.g., app.respond.io/space/183120/... — the ID is 183120).

   Send this ID to your CSM.

The bot user ID is how Cevro identifies “its own” messages vs. human agent messages. Make sure this user is dedicated to Cevro — don’t use a real agent’s account.

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Step 3: Configure the Webhook

Respond.io needs to forward incoming messages to Cevro for processing.

1. Go to Settings > Integrations > Webhooks

   Navigate to Settings > Integrations > Webhooks in Respond.io.

2. Add a new webhook

   Click “Add Webhook” and configure:

   • URL: Your CSM will provide the webhook endpoint URL
   • Events: Subscribe to message.received (required)
3. Save and enable

   Save the webhook configuration and ensure it’s enabled.

You may also subscribe to conversation.opened for analytics purposes, but the core AI processing only requires message.received.

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Step 4: Set Up the Escalation Workflow

When the AI needs to transfer a conversation to a human agent, it uses Respond.io’s workflow system with a tag-based trigger. You need to create a workflow that routes tagged conversations to your human team.

1. Go to Workflows

   Navigate to Workflows in your Respond.io workspace.

2. Create a new workflow

   Create a workflow with the following configuration:

   • Trigger: Contact tagged with chatform-delegated
   • Action 1: Assign to your human support team or queue
   • Action 2: Remove the chatform-delegated tag
3. Enable the workflow

   Save and activate the workflow.

The tag removal step is critical. Your workflow MUST remove the chatform-delegated tag after routing to a human agent. Without this step:

• The tag persists on the contact indefinitely
• When the player returns for a new conversation, the system may incorrectly treat it as an active escalation
• This can cause messages to be silently ignored instead of being handled by the AI

If you see players reporting that the AI “stopped responding,” check whether the escalation workflow is removing the tag correctly.

How Escalation Works

The escalation flow is fully automated:

1. The AI determines a conversation needs a human agent
2. Cevro applies the chatform-delegated tag to the contact
3. Your Respond.io workflow triggers and routes to your human team
4. The workflow removes the tag
5. A human agent picks up the conversation

If no human agent picks up within the configured timeout, Cevro sends a “no agents available” message and closes the conversation gracefully.

Multiple escalation attempts: By default, Cevro retries the escalation up to 6 times with increasing delays. This handles cases where your Respond.io workflow takes a few seconds to process. You can adjust this with your CSM.

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Step 5: Pass Player Identity (Authentication)

For the AI to access player account information (balances, bonuses, transaction history), it needs to know who the player is.

Using Contact Custom Fields

The most common approach is to store the player’s identifier in a Respond.io contact custom field:

1. Create a custom field in Respond.io (e.g., user_id or player_id)
2. When a player starts a conversation, your system populates this field via the Respond.io API or a workflow
3. Cevro reads this field and authenticates the player automatically

The specific field name and authentication method depend on your platform integration. Your CSM will configure the field mapping during setup.

Channel Limitations

Not all Respond.io channels support authentication equally:

Channel	Auth Support	Notes
WhatsApp	Full	Player identity passed via contact fields
Web Chat	Full	Can pass identity from your website
Telegram	Limited	Identity must be set via contact fields or workflows
Facebook Messenger	Limited	Identity must be set via contact fields or workflows

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Step 6: Test the Integration

1. Send a test message

   Open any connected channel (WhatsApp, web chat, etc.) and send a message to your support number/account.

2. Verify AI response

   Check that the Cevro AI agent responds within a few seconds.

3. Test escalation

   Ask to speak with a human agent. Verify the conversation is transferred to your human team via the escalation workflow.

4. Test authentication

   If player authentication is configured, send a message from an authenticated contact and ask about account-specific information (e.g., “What’s my balance?”).

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Troubleshooting

Issue	Possible Cause	Solution
AI doesn’t respond to messages	Webhook not configured or inactive	Verify webhook is enabled in Respond.io Settings > Integrations > Webhooks
Messages fail to send	API token invalid or expired	Regenerate the API token and send the new one to your CSM
Escalation doesn’t work	chatform-delegated tag not triggering workflow	Check that your workflow trigger matches the exact tag name chatform-delegated
Player stuck after escalation	Workflow not removing the tag	Add a “Remove Tag: chatform-delegated” step to your escalation workflow
AI ignores returning players	Stale escalation flag from previous conversation	This self-heals automatically after 5 minutes. If widespread, contact your CSM
Player not authenticated	Contact custom field not populated	Verify the player’s contact record has the correct identifier field
Conversations assigned to wrong agent	Bot user ID misconfigured	Confirm the bot user ID matches the Cevro-dedicated user in Respond.io

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Summary Checklist

RESPOND.IO SETUP (Your Team)
[ ] API access token generated and sent to CSM
[ ] Bot user created (dedicated to Cevro)
[ ] Bot user ID sent to CSM
[ ] Webhook configured pointing to Cevro endpoint
[ ] Subscribed to message.received events
[ ] Escalation workflow created with chatform-delegated tag trigger
[ ] Escalation workflow removes the tag after routing
[ ] Player identity field configured (if using authentication)

CEVRO SETUP (Your CSM)
[ ] API token configured in Cevro
[ ] Bot user ID configured
[ ] Webhook endpoint provided
[ ] Authentication field mapping configured
[ ] Brands created and automation enabled

Need Help?

Contact your Customer Success Manager for assistance with setup or troubleshooting.