Chat
An overview of Spara's Chat channel and its interfaces.
The Chat channel is Spara's website AI. It engages visitors in real-time conversations, qualifies leads, surfaces relevant content, and books meetings. Unlike rule-based chatbots, Spara's Chat channel is powered by an LLM and responds naturally to whatever a visitor says.
Chat offers three interfaces:
Spara Navigator: the standard bottom-right chat widget
Spara Smartbar: a ChatGPT-style experience embedded in your marketing pages
Spara Fullscreen: a fullscreen chat experience designed to load immediately after form submissions
Most Spara customers deploy all three interfaces. Leads who engage with more than one interface share a single conversational thread.
Abilities
The Chat channel can invoke the following abilities during a live conversation. For a cross-channel overview, see Abilities.
Show Calendar
The channel can present a scheduling link to the lead. A calendar widget slides out alongside the conversation, letting the lead pick a time without leaving the page.
How it works: Calendar booking is enabled on all Chat channels by default. The channel decides when to show the calendar based on your AI Instructions and the lead's intent. You don't need to explicitly call it out; instruct it on what buying signals or requests should trigger the calendar, and it handles the rest.
Setting it up: Connect a calendar via Calendar Integrations. Calendars are uploaded as media assets and made available to the channel. Add instructions for when to show the calendar, for example:
When a lead is ready to book a meeting or asks about scheduling, show the calendar. Don't show it before you've confirmed interest.
Multiple calendars: If you have more than one calendar (e.g., different reps or meeting types), specify in instructions which calendar to use in which context.
Show Media
The channel can surface a video, image, or PDF alongside the conversation. The media panel opens to the left of the chat so the lead can view it without losing the conversation thread.
How it works: Media display is opt-in. Enable it and upload assets on the Media page. Each asset has a Name, Description, and When to Show field that the channel reads when deciding what to surface.
Setting it up: See Using Media in Chat Agents for a step-by-step walkthrough.
Send Email
The channel can send an email on behalf of your organization, for example, to follow up with a summary, send a PDF, or copy in a rep after a conversation.
How it works: It composes and sends an email using your connected email provider. You configure which email addresses are allowed recipients in the channel's settings. The lead's email address and any whitelisted addresses can be included.
Requirements: An active email connection (Gmail or Outlook) must be set up under Email. The send_email ability is not enabled by default; configure it by adding send_email to the channel's tool list and adding instructions for when and how to use it.
Previews
The Previews tab in the Chat channel editor shows how your agent resolves and renders for visitors under different starting conditions — device type (desktop, mobile, tablet) and starting page URL.
Each row in the Previews list represents a combination of starting criteria. Click a row to open a live preview of the agent on that device and page, so you can verify the correct interface loads and appears as intended before publishing.
Technical details
For technical information about how the Spara chat widget loads on your website (iframe architecture, browser storage, and cookie consent), see iFrame & Cookies.
FAQ
Can I give one Chat channel multiple calendars?
Yes. Upload each calendar as a separate asset, give them distinct names, and write instructions that specify which calendar to use for which scenario (e.g., "use the Sales calendar for prospects, the Support calendar for existing customers").
Can it show media and a calendar in the same conversation?
Yes. The channel can show both in a single conversation, for example, playing a product video early and offering the calendar once interest is confirmed.
Does sending an email create a lead record?
No. The send_email ability sends to addresses you've configured (the lead's email, whitelisted addresses). It does not create new leads or alter the lead record.
Do leads who chat on multiple widgets share the same conversation?
Yes. Leads that engage with more than one Spara interface (Navigator, Smartbar, or Fullscreen) experience a single continuous conversational thread. Context carries across widgets.
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