Quick Start Guide
Get CivicBot up and running for your city in under 30 minutes. Follow these steps in order.
Sign Up for a Free Trial
Go to civicbot.centricitygis.com/civicbot-onboarding.html and complete the signup form. You'll receive a welcome email with a link to set your password. Your 30-day free trial starts immediately at the Professional plan level â no credit card required.
Log In to Your Admin Panel
Go to app.civicbot.centricitygis.com and log in with your email and password. You'll land on the Submissions page â your central dashboard for all service requests.
Configure Your Settings
Click Settings in the left sidebar. At minimum, configure: your city name, primary color, notification email(s), and your delivery method (Email or Cityworks). Upload your city logo for branded branding in the widget.
Set Up Your SR Types
Click SR Templates. If you're using Cityworks, click Sync from Cityworks to pull your templates. If you're using email delivery, add your service request types manually (e.g., "Pothole Report," "Street Light Outage"). These are the options residents see in the chat widget.
Embed the Widget on Your Website
Click Embed Code in the sidebar. Copy the <script> tag and paste it into your city website's HTML just before the closing </body> tag. Or use the Standalone Page link â a ready-to-share URL that works without any website changes.
Submit a Test Request
Open your widget URL and submit a test service request. Verify it appears in your Submissions log and arrives in your notification email (or Cityworks, if configured). You're live! đ
Your Account
Understanding your CivicBot account and how to manage access.
Each city has one admin account associated with the email address used at signup. Your account controls all settings, submission data, and billing for your city's CivicBot instance.
Forgot Your Password?
Click Forgot Password on the login page. Enter your email and you'll receive a reset link within a few minutes. Check your spam folder if it doesn't arrive.
Changing Your Email or Password
Contact info@centricitygis.com to update your account email. Password resets can be done from the login page at any time.
it@yourcity.gov) rather than a personal email so account access isn't tied to one employee.Submissions
The Submissions page is your central log of all service requests submitted through CivicBot.
Dashboard Stats
đ This Month
Total submissions received in the current calendar month.
đ Total Submissions
All-time submission count for your city.
đ§ Delivery Methods
Breakdown of Email vs. Cityworks submissions.
đ Monthly Usage
Usage bar showing how much of your plan limit you've used this month.
Filtering & Searching
Use the search bar to find submissions by confirmation number, SR type, address, or submitter name. Use the date range filter to narrow results by time period. Quick filter buttons (All / Email / Cityworks) let you filter by delivery method.
Managing Submissions
| Feature | How to Use |
|---|---|
| â Mark Complete | Click the checkbox in the Done column to mark a submission resolved. For tracking purposes only â does not update Cityworks. |
| đ Internal Notes | Click the Notes field on any row to add internal comments visible only to admin staff. |
| đĨ Export CSV | Click Export CSV to download all visible submissions as a spreadsheet. |
| đ¨ Print / PDF | Click Print / PDF to open a print-friendly view of the current submission list. |
| đ View Detail | Click a confirmation number to see full submission details including description, photo, and contact info. |
SR Templates
Service Request Templates define the issue types residents can report. These appear as options in your CivicBot chat widget.
Email Delivery Cities
Add your SR types manually â one per line. Use plain language that residents will understand. Examples: "Pothole Report," "Abandoned Vehicle," "Graffiti Removal," "Street Light Outage." Click Save SR Types when done.
Cityworks / Trimble Cities
Sync from Cityworks
Click Sync from Cityworks to pull all templates marked "For Public Site" from your Cityworks instance. This keeps your CivicBot options in sync with your work order system.
Select Templates
Check the box next to each template you want to show in the widget. Uncheck templates that shouldn't be resident-facing (e.g., internal staff templates).
Add Aliases (Optional)
Cityworks template codes can be technical (e.g., "STREET-POT-001"). Add a plain-language alias like "Pothole Report" so residents see friendly names. The alias is shown in the widget; the Cityworks code is used when creating the SR.
Save
Click Save Templates. Changes appear in the widget immediately (may take up to 5 minutes due to caching).
Settings
Configure your city's branding, delivery method, notifications, and integrations.
Branding
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| City Name | Displayed in the widget header and email notifications. |
| Primary Color | Accent color used in the widget (hex code, e.g. #1E40AF). |
| City Logo | Upload a PNG or JPG logo. Appears in the widget header, chat bubble, and admin panel. |
| Greeting Message | The first message residents see when they open the widget. |
Notifications
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Notification Emails | Comma-separated list of email addresses that receive SR notifications. Multiple staff members can be notified. |
| Submitter Confirmation | Toggle to send residents a confirmation email after submission (requires resident email address). |
Delivery Method
Choose between Email Delivery (SRs delivered via email) or Cityworks/Trimble (SRs created directly in your work order system). See the Cityworks section for Cityworks-specific settings.
Embed Code
Two ways to deploy CivicBot for your residents â embedded widget or standalone page.
Option 1 â Embed on Your Website
Copy the embed code from the Embed Code page and paste it into your city website's HTML just before the closing </body> tag. The widget will appear as a chat bubble in the bottom-right corner of every page.
Works with any CMS: WordPress, Drupal, Squarespace, Joomla, or custom-built websites. Ask your IT department or web vendor to add it â it's a one-minute change.
Option 2 â Standalone Page
The standalone URL is a ready-to-use page that works without any website changes. Share it directly with residents, link to it from your city website, or use it as the destination for a QR code posted in city facilities.
Billing
Manage your CivicBot subscription, payment method, and plan.
Trial Period
Your 30-day free trial runs at the Professional plan level. No charge until the trial ends. At trial end, your account pauses until you add a payment method and choose a plan.
Choosing a Plan
From the Billing page, use the Monthly / Annual toggle to see pricing for both billing periods. Annual plans save approximately 17% compared to monthly. Click Select Plan on any plan card to switch.
Upgrade vs. Downgrade Rules
- Upgrades: Available any time. Charged immediately on a prorated basis for the remainder of your term.
- Monthly downgrades: Allowed any time â takes effect at next billing date.
- Annual downgrades: Not permitted mid-term. Available at your renewal date.
Payment & Invoices
Click Manage Billing & Payment to open your Stripe customer portal. From there you can add or update your payment method, view invoice history, and download receipts. Payment information is handled securely by Stripe â CivicBot never stores card numbers.
Cityworks / Trimble Unity Integration
CivicBot integrates directly with Cityworks AMS and Trimble Unity Maintain to create service requests automatically.
Prerequisites
- A dedicated API user account in Cityworks (e.g.,
CWAPI) with permissions to create SRs, add comments, and add attachments - Your Cityworks base URL (e.g.,
https://cityworks.yourcity.gov/cityworks) - Your State Plane Zone WKID (coordinate system code for your city)
Finding Your WKID
Your WKID is a number that identifies your city's State Plane coordinate zone. It's required for GPS coordinates to appear in the correct location in Cityworks.
- Ask your GIS department â they will know immediately
- Check your Cityworks configuration settings
- Common California zones: Northern CA = 26941, Central Valley = 26942, Southern CA = 26945
- Email info@centricitygis.com â we can look it up for you
Configuration Steps
Enter Credentials
In Settings, enter your Cityworks Base URL, API username, and password. Click Test Connection to verify CivicBot can reach your Cityworks instance.
Set State Plane Zone
Select your state and enter your WKID. This is required â without it, map coordinates will be incorrect.
Sync SR Templates
Go to SR Templates and click Sync from Cityworks. Select which templates to show in the widget and add aliases if needed.
Save and Test
Save your settings and submit a test request through the widget. Verify the SR appears in Cityworks with the correct location, description, and attachment.
Email Delivery
For cities without a work order system, CivicBot delivers service requests as formatted HTML emails to your staff.
What the Email Contains
- Confirmation number (CB-YYYY-XXXXX format)
- Service request type and description
- Geocoded address and map link
- Submitter name, phone, and email (if provided)
- Photo attachment (if uploaded)
- Submission timestamp
Setting Up Notification Emails
Go to Settings â Notification Emails. Enter one or more email addresses separated by commas. All listed addresses receive every SR notification.
311@yourcity.gov or publicworks@yourcity.gov rather than individual staff emails â this ensures coverage when staff are out.Geofencing
Geofencing prevents residents from submitting service requests for addresses outside your city's jurisdiction.
How It Works
When a resident enters an address, CivicBot geocodes it and checks whether it falls within your city's incorporated boundaries using U.S. Census Bureau geographic data. If the address is outside your city limits, the resident sees a customizable warning message and is prevented from submitting.
Enabling Geofencing
Enable the Toggle
In Settings, turn on the Geofencing toggle.
Enter Your City Name
Type your city name exactly as it appears in official records (e.g., "City of Antioch" not just "Antioch").
Click Verify City Location
This anchors your city's boundary using Census data. The Verify step is required â geofencing will not activate without it.
Customize the Message
Edit the message residents see when their address is outside city limits. The default message is professional and helpful, but you can customize it to include local contact information.
Widget Flow
Understanding what residents experience when they use CivicBot.
Step-by-Step Resident Flow
Open the Widget
Resident clicks the chat bubble on your city website. The widget opens with your city's greeting message and branding.
Photo or Select Issue Type
Resident can optionally upload a photo first (AI will suggest an SR type) or browse the list of SR types directly.
Describe the Issue
Resident types a description of the problem. They can provide as much or as little detail as they want.
Provide Location
Resident enters the address or uses GPS. CivicBot geocodes the address and confirms it's within city limits (if geofencing is enabled).
Contact Info (Optional)
Resident optionally provides name, phone, and email. All fields are optional â anonymous submissions are allowed.
Review & Submit
Resident sees a summary of their request and confirms. The SR is submitted, a confirmation number is shown, and (if enabled) a confirmation email is sent.
AI Photo Analysis
CivicBot uses AI to analyze resident photos and automatically suggest the most relevant service request type.
How It Works
When a resident uploads a photo, CivicBot sends it to Anthropic's Claude AI. The AI analyzes the image and compares it against your configured SR types, returning the top 3 matches with confidence scores. The resident can accept the top suggestion or choose a different SR type.
Benefits
- Faster submission â residents don't need to browse a long list of SR types
- Better categorization â AI often identifies issues more accurately than self-reporting
- Higher photo attachment rate â residents are prompted to add photos early in the flow
- Photos are automatically attached to Cityworks SRs or included in email notifications