faq

everything you ask before you start.

heysteff is an AI platform for customer support and sales across WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Gmail and Shopify; Steff is the AI agent that runs it. Here are the 30 questions we get most before people sign up, organized by topic: product, channels, pricing, implementation, security, and how the human team and the AI work together.

Product & scope

Does Steff replace my support team?

No. Steff handles 70-90% of the repetitive queries and frees your team for the cases that move the needle: VIP customers, serious complaints, big sales. You decide what always escalates and what doesn't.

Is heysteff the same as a rule-based chatbot?

No. heysteff is an AI agent that reasons with the customer's real context (orders, stock, history) and uses tools, not a decision tree with fixed answers. It replies in natural language, in your brand's tone, and only escalates to a human when it should.

Is heysteff a Shopify App Store app?

The main heysteff agent connects to your store via direct OAuth, without going through the Shopify App Store. heysteff Reviews, the reviews module, is a separate app published on the Shopify App Store, apart from the core agent.

Does heysteff work outside LATAM or in English?

Yes. heysteff is multilingual and multi-country: it serves businesses in LATAM, the United States and Europe, and the agent replies in whatever language the customer writes in.

Can heysteff qualify leads?

Yes. heysteff connects with Facebook Lead Ads, triggers automatic qualification flows and organizes leads into a funnel inside the same workspace.

Channels & WhatsApp

Do you provide the WhatsApp Business API number?

Yes. We help you get your verified WhatsApp Business API number without friction. We also work with numbers you already have on another provider (Twilio, 360dialog, etc.).

What's the difference between the Cloud API and an unofficial number (Baileys)?

The Cloud API is Meta's official route: it requires verifying your number as WhatsApp Business API. The unofficial number connects through Baileys, a library that emulates a WhatsApp Web session — useful if you already have a number in use and don't want to migrate it right away. heysteff supports both connection paths.

Can heysteff send WhatsApp or email campaigns?

Yes. The Pro plan includes unlimited outbound campaigns, same as Max; the Starter plan doesn't include them. WhatsApp campaigns outside the 24-hour window use templates (HSM) approved by Meta.

Does heysteff have an email template editor?

Yes, from the Pro plan onward. It's a block editor with your own branding, AI-generated text in certain slots, and a mandatory one-click unsubscribe link on every send.

What native integrations does heysteff have beyond WhatsApp?

Native integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, TiendaNube, HubSpot and Defontana, plus Instagram DM, Facebook Messenger and Gmail as messaging channels.

Pricing & plans

How much does heysteff cost and how is it billed?

You're billed per resolved conversation, not per message or per user. There's a Free plan (50 conversations/month, no card) and paid plans from 149 USD/month (Starter), 299 (Pro) and 549 (Max), each with more channels, users and tools included.

What happens if I exceed the conversations included in my plan?

You pay overage per additional conversation: 0.5 USD on Starter, 0.4 USD on Pro and 0.3 USD on Max. The overage is billed with your cycle; the service isn't cut off abruptly.

Is there a discount for annual billing?

Yes, 20% off if you pay for the plan annually instead of monthly.

What happens when I hit the Free plan cap?

The Free plan includes 50 conversations a month on 1 channel; when you hit the cap, the service pauses until the next cycle or until you upgrade to a paid plan. Nothing is charged automatically and no card is required to try it.

Can I cancel whenever I want?

Yes. There's no minimum commitment and no setup fee (0 USD); you cancel whenever you want from your account.

Implementation

How do I connect my store if I use an unusual system?

As long as your system exposes an HTTP API (or can receive webhooks), heysteff connects. There are native integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, TiendaNube, HubSpot and Defontana, and a tool builder for everything else.

How long does implementation take?

The Starter plan is live the same day. Pro, between 3 and 7 days depending on integrations. Max depends on scope: on average 2-3 weeks with dedicated onboarding.

Can I migrate from another tool like ManyChat?

Yes. A typical migration means recreating your knowledge base and escalation rules in heysteff and reconnecting your channels (WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger); there's no automatic import of flows from another platform.

Can I build custom tools or integrations?

Yes, with the tool builder over HTTP API and webhooks. The number of custom tools included depends on the plan: 3 on Starter, 10 on Pro and unlimited on Max.

Does heysteff book appointments and sync with Google Calendar?

Yes. The agent books, reschedules and cancels appointments inside the same conversation, with Google Calendar sync and calendars configurable by plan.

Security & data

Is my data secure?

Yes. Servers in the region you choose, encryption in transit and at rest, and we don't train global models with your data. We follow GDPR best practices and Chilean data-protection law.

Does heysteff have roles, permissions and an audit log?

Yes. You can define roles and permissions per workspace user, and every relevant action, including plan-limit blocks, is recorded in an audit log.

How long do you retain my data?

Data retention is configurable per workspace; once the configured period expires, the associated messages and media files are purged automatically.

How do you isolate data between workspaces, and can I use heysteff for several brands?

heysteff is multi-tenant: each workspace (brand, store or country) has its data completely isolated at the database level. You can run several brands or stores from one account, each with its own agent, channels and configuration.

Can I choose which region my data is hosted in?

Yes, you choose the region of your servers. heysteff serves businesses in LATAM, the United States and Europe.

Humans & AI

How seriously can I pause the bot?

Very seriously. You can pause it per conversation, per channel, per workspace or globally. And if someone on your team replies from the native Instagram or Messenger app, Steff detects the "echo" and pauses itself so it doesn't step on the human reply.

How does heysteff detect that a human already replied (echo)?

The system recognizes when an outbound message comes from the channel's native app (for example, WhatsApp or Instagram from a phone) instead of heysteff, and automatically pauses the bot in that conversation so it doesn't send a duplicate or contradictory reply.

Can I choose which AI model my agent uses?

Yes. You can choose the LLM provider per workspace among Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek and OpenRouter, based on what you prioritize: cost, speed or response quality.

Does the agent understand audio and images?

Yes. It transcribes voice notes (speech-to-text) and has vision: it reads images and payment receipts your customers send, so it can respond with real context.

What is heysteff's MCP server?

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard created by Anthropic. heysteff's MCP server lets you configure your workspace, agent, flows, tools and channels from your own AI, in addition to doing it from the dashboard.

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