Action Buttons

Action buttons are pre-defined quick-reply shortcuts shown to customers on the webchat welcome screen before they start typing. They let customers jump directly into a topic — such as scheduling a service appointment or browsing inventory — with a single tap.

How Action Buttons Work

When a customer clicks an action button, the widget sends a message to the AI on their behalf. The button can either:

• Send a message — The bot receives the text and continues the conversation as if the customer had typed it themselves
• Trigger an API event — An event is dispatched to your website JavaScript for custom handling

The AI then responds in the same way it would to any customer message.

Configuring Action Buttons

Action buttons are managed in the DealerAI portal under Settings → Webchat → Action Buttons. You can add, reorder, and remove buttons without touching any website code.

Each button has two required fields:

Example configuration

Dynamic Action Buttons via Active Messages

If you have configured Active Messages, the action buttons shown in the welcome screen can be overridden by the matching active message rule. This lets you tailor the button set to the page the customer is currently browsing.

For example, when a customer is on a vehicle detail page:

• Default buttons: Browse Inventory, Book a Service, Contact Sales
• Active message override buttons: More about this vehicle, Test Drive, Finance Calculator

Active messages are evaluated in real time when the widget loads, so the correct buttons appear automatically without any extra code.

Action Button API Events

For advanced use cases, a button can dispatch a custom API event to your JavaScript instead of (or in addition to) sending a message:

{
  "title": "Get a Quote",
  "api": {
    "event": "api.event",
    "payload": {
      "message": "price-enquiry-clicked"
    }
  }
}

Your website can listen for this event using the window.DealerAI.addListener SDK method:

window.DealerAI.addListener('price-enquiry-clicked', function (data) {
  // Open your own quote form, track the click, etc.
  myQuoteModal.open();
});

Appearance

Action buttons appear as pill-shaped tap targets in the welcome screen, below the welcome message. They inherit the widget's primary accent colour for their border and text on the light theme, and switch to white text on the dark theme.

On mobile, buttons stack vertically for easier tapping. On desktop, they flow horizontally and wrap to multiple rows when needed.

DDC Chat Buttons

If your website is powered by a DDC (Digital Dealer) platform, DealerAI can inject a native Chat Now button directly into DDC vehicle listing cards. When a customer clicks this button, the webchat widget opens and automatically sends the relevant VIN and an optional hint message to the AI.

This integration is configured under Settings → Webchat → Custom Features → DDC Chat Button. You can customise the button label and the hint message sent to the AI when the button is clicked.