> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Use the AI Assistant > Open the AI Assistant, ask a clear question, review the answer, and use links to continue your work. ## What you will accomplish You will open the AI Assistant, ask a question by voice or keyboard, read the answer carefully, and know what to do next—including when to start a new chat or open a dashboard page. ## When to use this guide Use this guide for everyday assistant sessions on the **dashboard**: lookups, schedule questions, parking checks, and follow-up questions about the same customer or vehicle. For questions from a **team iMessage group chat**, see [Use the AI Assistant from iMessage](/docs/ai-assistant/use-the-ai-assistant-from-imessage). To let **Claude** (or Cursor) look up the same records outside the dashboard, an admin follows [Connect Claude to your facility](/docs/ai-assistant/connect-claude-to-your-facility). That is a different page from this sidebar tool. If the assistant shows **proposal cards** with **Confirm All**, switch to [Review AI proposals](/docs/ai-assistant/review-ai-proposals) before you save anything. ## Before you start * Sign in with a staff account (not a customer portal login). * Confirm you have permission for the area you are asking about. * Have one useful detail ready: customer name, vehicle, date, spot number, or invoice number. * Start **New Chat** when the topic is new (see [Manage your assistant chats](/docs/ai-assistant/manage-your-assistant-chats)). ## Open the AI Assistant From any dashboard page, click **AI Assistant** in the left sidebar. You can also bookmark [AI Assistant](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/agent). **Expected result:** The page title says **Agent**. **New Chat** appears at the top of the left sidebar. On the **start screen** ([AI Assistant](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/agent) with no messages yet): * **Microphone orb** — tap the large round button and speak. Your browser may ask for microphone permission the first time. The helper text says **Tap to start talking**. * **Type a message...** — use the text box at the bottom of the screen anytime. This is the safest choice for names, email addresses, and VINs. Inside an **active chat**, a small **keyboard** icon appears with the tooltip **Type instead** when you are in voice mode. Click it to switch to typing. **Expected result:** You see suggested questions such as **What's on the schedule today?** and **How many spots are available?** Agent start screen with microphone orb, suggestion chips, and Type a message field at the bottom *The start screen always shows **Type a message...** at the bottom. **Type instead** is the keyboard icon you see after a chat has started.* **Suggested questions use your facility's data** The blue suggestion chips on the start screen (such as **What's on the schedule today?**) are shortcuts. The third chip may say a sample name such as **Look up Bob Schaaf's cars**. That name may not be in your [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts) list—type a real customer such as **Alex Morgan** instead. Contacts list showing demo customers including Alex Morgan that staff can look up in the AI Assistant *Open [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts) if you are not sure of a name. Type that exact name in the assistant so the lookup matches a real customer.* ## Ask one clear question Clear questions help the assistant find the right record the first time. If the bottom of the screen shows a large microphone, click the small **keyboard** icon to the left. The tooltip says **Type instead**. On the **start screen** (before any messages), skip this step—just type in **Type a message...** at the bottom. Type or paste your question, then press **Enter** or tap the send arrow. **Why this matters:** Spelling counts for customer names, email addresses, and license plates. Active Agent chat with keyboard icon for Type instead and text input at the bottom *Use the keyboard icon (**Type instead**) inside a chat when you need exact spelling. On the start screen, type directly in **Type a message...*** Use this simple pattern: 1. Say what you need. 2. Add the most specific name, date, or number you know. 3. Say what should happen next, if there is a next step. **Good examples:** * Look up Alex Morgan's cars. * What's on the schedule today? * How many parking spots are available? * Where is the 2017 Lamborghini Huracan parked? * Draft a short pickup reminder for Sam Rivera, but do not send it yet. **Avoid vague examples:** * Find the car. * What's going on tomorrow? * Tell the customer. Those requests often miss the detail the assistant needs. **Expected result:** The assistant opens a conversation and shows your question at the top of the chat. ## Read the answer before you act AI Assistant showing vehicle results for a customer lookup *Compare names, years, and models to the customer's request before you open a link or confirm work.* Check: * **Customer name** — is it the person you meant? * **Vehicle** — year, make, model, color, VIN, or plate. * **Date and time** — especially for “tomorrow” or “next week.” * **Parking spot** — matches your floor plan. * **Money** — invoice or quote amounts need extra care. **Helpful habit** When the answer affects a customer or vehicle, open the record in [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts) or [Cars](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/cars) and compare before you continue. ## Follow up in the same chat You can ask another question about the **same** customer or task: * Show me Alex's other cars. * Does that car have an appointment this week? * Take me to the car page. **Expected result:** The assistant uses context from the same thread. ## Start a new chat when the topic changes Click **New Chat** in the left sidebar when you switch to a different customer, vehicle, or unrelated task. **Expected result:** The old conversation stays in your history, but the assistant will not mix up two customers in one thread. ## When the assistant offers to open a page After some answers, a bar may appear at the bottom of the chat: * A short countdown (for example, **Navigating 5s**) * **Go now** — open the page right away * **Cancel** — stay in the chat AI Assistant showing a navigation bar with Go now and Cancel buttons *Use Go now when you are ready to open the page. Use Cancel if you only needed the answer in the chat.* The bar usually names the page, such as a customer or car record. **Go now** opens the dashboard page. **Cancel** keeps you in the assistant. **Why this matters:** The assistant does not open pages without your choice—unless the countdown reaches zero, in which case it may open the page automatically. Use **Cancel** when you only needed a quick answer for a phone call. **Expected result:** When you choose **Go now**, you reach the correct dashboard page. When you choose **Cancel**, you stay in the chat. ## Stop a long answer If the assistant is still writing and you need to stop: While the assistant is generating, you may see animated dots below your message. A **stop** button (small square icon) appears near the bottom input area. The answer stops generating. You can send a clearer follow-up message. AI Assistant chat showing animated thinking dots with a stop button near the bottom input area *Wait a few seconds for normal questions. Use the stop button if you sent the wrong name and want to try again in the same chat.* **Speech recognition errors** If voice input fails, your browser may have blocked the microphone. That is normal on shared computers. Type in the **Type a message...** box instead—you do not need the microphone to use the assistant. ## Draft a customer message (do not send yet) You can ask the assistant to **word** a text or email while you stay in control of sending. Open [AI Assistant](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/agent) and click **New Chat** so the message is not mixed with another customer. Example: **Draft a short pickup reminder for Alex Morgan for Friday at 2pm. Do not send it yet.** **Why this matters:** Saying **do not send** keeps the assistant in draft mode. You review the words before anything goes to the customer. The assistant shows subject and body text in the conversation. Read every line aloud if you can. **Expected result:** A complete draft appears in the chat—not in [Inbox](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/inbox) yet. When the wording looks right, open [Inbox](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/inbox), find the customer's thread, paste or retype the message, and send from there. **Expected result:** The customer receives only what your team approved in Inbox—not an automatic send from the assistant. Agent chat showing a drafted pickup reminder message for Alex Morgan that staff can copy into Inbox *The assistant writes the words in the chat. Your team copies or retypes them in [Inbox](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/inbox) before anything is sent.* **Sending always happens in Inbox** The AI Assistant helps you write. **Inbox** is where your team actually sends texts and emails to customers. See [Send a text message from Inbox](/docs/inbox/send-a-text-message-from-inbox) and [Send an email from Inbox](/docs/inbox/send-an-email-from-inbox). ## If the assistant asks for more information The assistant may ask for an email, VIN, exact date, or vehicle model. Type the missing information in the same chat. Open the related dashboard page if you are unsure. ## Troubleshooting ### I do not see AI Assistant in the sidebar You must be signed in as staff. Customer portal logins do not include the staff sidebar. ### The microphone does not work Click **Type instead**, or allow microphone access in your browser settings. Some shared computers block the mic for privacy. Full help: [Fix voice and microphone problems](/docs/ai-assistant/fix-voice-and-microphone-problems). ### The answer found the wrong person or car Do not continue. Reply with the full name, email, VIN, or license plate. Or search in [Contacts](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/contacts) or [Cars](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/cars). ### The assistant says it does not have permission Ask a team admin to update your role in [Settings > Team](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/dashboard/settings/team). See [Who can use the AI Assistant](/docs/ai-assistant/who-can-use-the-ai-assistant) and [When the assistant cannot help](/docs/ai-assistant/when-the-assistant-cannot-help). ### The answer looks incomplete Open the record in the dashboard. The assistant helps you move faster; the record page is the official source. ### The page opened before I was ready That can happen if you tapped **Go now** during navigation. Use your browser **Back** button to return to the assistant, or open [AI Assistant](https://www.carstoragesoftware.com/agent) again from the sidebar. ## What to do next * [Who can use the AI Assistant](/docs/ai-assistant/who-can-use-the-ai-assistant) — if access or permissions are unclear. * [Ask about schedule, parking, and records](/docs/ai-assistant/ask-about-schedule-parking-and-records) for common lookup questions. * [Use the assistant during a customer call](/docs/ai-assistant/use-the-assistant-during-a-customer-call) for phone workflows. * [From AI draft to customer message](/docs/ai-assistant/from-ai-draft-to-customer-message) when you need to send a draft from Inbox. * [Prepare work with the AI Assistant](/docs/ai-assistant/prepare-work-with-the-ai-assistant) when you need proposal cards for new records. * [When the assistant cannot help](/docs/ai-assistant/when-the-assistant-cannot-help) for errors and safe fallbacks. * [Review AI proposals](/docs/ai-assistant/review-ai-proposals) before you select **Confirm All**. * [Connect Claude to your facility](/docs/ai-assistant/connect-claude-to-your-facility) if you want the same lookups inside Claude. ## Related topics - [AI Assistant overview](/docs/ai-assistant/overview.md) - [Who can use the AI Assistant](/docs/ai-assistant/who-can-use-the-ai-assistant.md) - [Use the AI Assistant from iMessage](/docs/ai-assistant/use-the-ai-assistant-from-imessage.md) - [Use the AI Assistant in iMessage](/docs/ai-assistant/use-the-ai-assistant-in-imessage.md) - [Prepare work with the AI Assistant](/docs/ai-assistant/prepare-work-with-the-ai-assistant.md) This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.