Church AI Agent: Conversations
Every time a donor chats with your Church AI Agent, a full transcript is saved. The Conversations page is your window into those interactions—what donors are asking, what topics they care about, where the AI excels, and where gaps exist. Think of it as reading the visitor cards from your digital welcome desk, except every card captures the entire conversation.
Why Conversations Matter
The Conversations page is not just a log. It is one of the most valuable tools for understanding your digital congregation:
- Identify Knowledge Base gaps: When multiple donors ask questions the AI cannot answer well, that is a clear signal to add a new article.
- Pastoral follow-up: When a conversation reveals someone in need—struggling financially, asking about grief support, or expressing frustration—you can reach out personally.
- Measure effectiveness: See how well the AI handles giving questions, event inquiries, and connection requests after you add new content.
- Campaign feedback: After launching a stewardship initiative or building campaign, see what donors are actually asking about it.
Church AI Agent — Conversations Guide:
Key Takeaways
- Full transcript library: Every donor-AI conversation is saved and searchable.
- Three stat cards: Quick summary of All, Active, and Expired conversation counts.
- Search and filters: Find conversations by visitor name, email, message content, status, and date range.
- Sortable columns: Click column headers to sort by message count, start date, or last activity.
- Chat-style detail view: Read the full conversation thread exactly as it happened.
- Profile links: Jump to a logged-in donor’s giving history and contact info for pastoral follow-up.
- Geographic Insights: See where your donors are chatting from with a location map and top cities breakdown.
- Pagination: Navigate through large conversation lists with page controls.
Table of Contents
- Conversation List View
- Search and Filters
- Conversation Detail View
- Geographic Insights
- Getting Started (No Conversations Yet)
- Practical Workflows
- Frequently Asked Questions
Conversation List View
The main Conversations page displays all conversations in a sortable, filterable table. At the top, three stat cards give you a quick snapshot.
Stat Cards
Three cards summarize your conversation volume:
- All Conversations: The total count of every conversation regardless of status.
- Active: Conversations where the donor recently interacted or may still be chatting.
- Expired: Conversations that have gone inactive after a period without new messages.
Click any stat card to instantly filter the table to that status. The selected card is highlighted with a border accent so you always know which filter is active.
Table Columns
Each row in the conversation table shows:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| User | The donor’s name and email if they were logged in, or “Anonymous Visitor” with a truncated session ID if not. |
| Messages | Total number of messages exchanged in the conversation (both donor and AI messages combined). Displayed as a badge. |
| Status | A pill showing “Active” (green) or “Expired” (gray). |
| Started | When the conversation began, displayed in your organization’s timezone. |
| Last Activity | When the most recent message was sent. Helps identify conversations that may need follow-up. |
Click any row to open that conversation’s full detail view.
Anonymous vs. Identified Visitors
Conversations fall into two categories:
- Identified (logged in): Shows the donor’s full name with colored initials avatar and their email address. A profile link in the detail view lets you jump directly to their user record.
- Anonymous (guest): Shows “Anonymous Visitor” with a gray user icon and a truncated session identifier. These are visitors who used the chat without logging in through your church’s member system.
Anonymous conversations are still valuable—they tell you what prospective donors and first-time visitors are asking about. If a pattern emerges (many anonymous visitors asking about service times, for example), it signals content that should be easy to find on your giving page or in your Knowledge Base.
Search and Filters
With hundreds or thousands of conversations over time, filters help you find exactly what you need.
Search Bar
Type a name, email address, or keyword to find matching conversations. The search looks across visitor names and message content. For example:
- Search “building fund” to find conversations where donors asked about your capital campaign
- Search a donor’s name to find their specific conversations
- Search “baptism” to see what donors are asking about that topic
Status Filter
A dropdown lets you filter by:
- All Status: Shows everything (default)
- Active: Conversations still in progress or recently active
- Expired: Conversations that have gone dormant
The status filter auto-submits when changed—no need to click a search button separately.
Date Range
Click the date picker to narrow conversations to a specific time period. This is especially useful for:
- Reviewing conversations after a campaign launch or event
- Weekly/monthly conversation reviews
- Comparing engagement between time periods
Filter Chips
When filters are active, they appear as removable chips below the search bar. Each chip shows what filter is applied (the search term, date range, or status). Click the X on any chip to remove that specific filter without clearing the others. A “Clear” button removes all filters at once.
Sorting
Click the Messages, Started, or Last Activity column headers to sort the table. Click the same header again to toggle between ascending and descending order. A small arrow icon indicates the current sort direction.
Default sort is by Last Activity descending (most recently active conversations first).
Conversation Detail View
Click any conversation row to open the full transcript. The detail view displays the conversation in a familiar chat layout:
- Donor messages appear on one side, AI responses on the other
- Messages are shown in chronological order, exactly as the conversation flowed
- The header shows the visitor’s name (or “Anonymous Visitor”), total message count, and conversation status
For identified donors: A sidebar panel shows their profile information with a link to their full user record. From there you can view their giving history, recurring gift schedules, payment methods, and contact details. This is invaluable when a conversation reveals someone who:
- Expressed a pastoral need (grief, prayer request, counseling)
- Had trouble completing a gift and may need a follow-up call
- Asked to speak with a real person
- Showed interest in a ministry or program (a warm lead for outreach)
What to look for when reviewing transcripts:
- Did the AI answer accurately? If not, is the correct information in your Knowledge Base?
- Did the donor complete what they intended (making a gift, finding information)?
- Were there moments of friction or confusion?
- Did the AI appropriately offer to connect the donor with staff when needed?
Geographic Insights
When location data is available, a Geographic Insights section appears above the conversation table. It includes two panels:
- Conversation Locations (map): A visual heatmap showing where your donors are chatting from, covering the last 30 days.
- Top Locations (list): A ranked list of cities/regions with bar indicators showing relative volume. Also shows “Mapped” (total conversations with location data) and “Unique” (distinct locations) counts.
Why this matters:
- Multi-campus churches: See which campus areas generate the most digital engagement
- Online-only supporters: Identify donors who have relocated but continue giving—they may appreciate a personal check-in
- Outreach planning: Geographic concentration might inform where to focus community events or marketing
- Anomaly detection: A sudden spike from an unexpected location could indicate sharing on social media or a viral moment
Geographic data relies on the donor’s browser sharing location information. Not all conversations will have location data, especially on mobile devices or with privacy-focused browsers.
Getting Started (No Conversations Yet)
If your Church AI Agent was recently enabled or has not yet received visitors, the Conversations page shows a friendly empty state with a message: “No Conversations Yet — Conversations will appear here once visitors start chatting with the AI assistant on your giving pages.”
A “Check Settings” button links to the Settings page so you can verify the assistant is enabled. Once enabled, conversations will begin appearing as donors visit your giving page and interact with the chat widget.
Tips for generating your first conversations:
- Make sure the assistant is Enabled on the Settings page
- Add at least a few Knowledge Base articles so the AI has content to draw from
- Visit your own giving page and test the chat yourself—your test conversation will appear here
- Mention the chat assistant in your bulletin, emails, or social media to encourage donor engagement
Practical Workflows
Weekly Review (10 minutes)
- Open Conversations and set the date range to the past 7 days.
- Scan conversation counts. Is engagement growing, steady, or declining?
- Read 3-5 conversations, prioritizing ones with high message counts (which often indicate a donor who needed extended help).
- Note any questions the AI struggled with. Add a Knowledge Base article if needed.
- Flag any conversations that need pastoral follow-up.
Post-Campaign Review
- Set the date range to the campaign period (e.g., the week after announcing your building campaign).
- Search for campaign keywords (“building fund,” “campaign,” “pledge”).
- Review how donors responded. Were they enthusiastic? Confused? Did they ask questions your campaign messaging didn’t answer?
- Use findings to refine your Knowledge Base articles and Skills for the next push.
Identifying KB Gaps
- Sort by Last Activity and look for recent conversations.
- Look for conversations where the AI says “I don’t have information about that” or provides generic responses.
- Note the topic. Does a Knowledge Base article exist for it? If not, create one.
- If an article exists but the AI still struggled, the article may need more detail or clearer language.
Pastoral Follow-Up
- Filter to Active conversations or search for emotional keywords (“pray,” “help,” “struggling,” “talk to someone”).
- Open conversations from identified donors.
- Click the profile link to access their contact information.
- Reach out with a personal call, email, or card. Reference their need without quoting the chat verbatim.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long are conversations stored?
Conversations are retained indefinitely. You can always go back and review past transcripts, even from months or years ago.
Can I delete a conversation?
Individual conversation deletion is not currently available through the admin panel. If you have a specific need to remove a conversation (such as one containing sensitive content), contact OnlineGiving.org support.
What does “Active” vs. “Expired” mean?
Active means the donor recently sent a message or the conversation is still considered in-progress. Expired means no messages were sent for a period and the conversation is considered complete. The transition happens automatically—you do not need to manually close conversations.
Can I respond to a donor from the Conversations page?
The Conversations page is read-only—it is for reviewing transcripts, not for sending messages. To follow up with a donor, use the profile link to get their contact information and reach out through your normal pastoral care channels (phone, email, in-person visit).
Why do some conversations show “Anonymous Visitor”?
These are visitors who used the chat without being logged in through your church’s member system. They may be first-time visitors, guests browsing your giving page, or regular members who did not sign in before chatting. The AI still helps them with general questions and guest donations, but personal data (giving history, recurring gifts) is not available for anonymous users.
How do I know if a conversation needs pastoral follow-up?
Look for conversations where the donor expressed a personal need (prayer request, grief, financial difficulty), asked to speak with a real person, or seemed frustrated. High message counts can also indicate a donor who struggled to get what they needed. Use the profile link to reach out personally.
Can I export conversation data?
Conversation export is not currently available through the admin panel. For data needs or reporting, contact OnlineGiving.org support.
Why don’t I see the Geographic Insights panel?
The Geographic Insights panel only appears when location data is available from recent conversations (last 30 days). If no conversations have location data—which can happen with privacy-focused browsers, VPN users, or mobile devices that block location sharing—the panel will not display. This is normal and does not affect the AI’s functionality.
What happens if a donor asks for something sensitive in the chat?
The AI has built-in guardrails to handle sensitive topics appropriately. It will not provide medical, legal, or financial advice. For pastoral needs, it suggests the donor contact your church directly. If you see a concerning conversation, use the profile link (for identified donors) to follow up personally through your care team.
How often should I review conversations?
For the first few weeks after enabling the Church AI Agent, review conversations daily or every other day to quickly identify gaps and build confidence in the AI’s responses. Once things stabilize, a weekly 10-minute review is sufficient for most churches. After major events or campaign launches, review conversations from that period promptly.
If you have questions about conversation data, transcripts, or follow-up workflows, contact OnlineGiving.org support at support@onlinegiving.org.