Google Sheets connector
Your Silux Chat bot verifies customers against Google Sheets, then answers questions about their orders and order status from your live data.
Good to know: Rows are matched on the email column after the range is fetched; keep sensitive columns out of the range.
What your bot can do with Google Sheets
Recognise and verify customers
Finds the customer in Google Sheets by the email address or mobile number they give, checks their name and one more detail, then sends a one-time code to the contact details Google Sheets holds. Nothing personal is shared until the code is entered.
Customers ask: “I want to check my account — it’s Jane Smith, jane@example.com”
Orders and order status
Reads a verified customer’s recent orders from Google Sheets — order number, date, status and total, plus tracking where Google Sheets records it.
Customers ask: “Where is my order?” · “Has my last order been sent?”
Set it up
Most businesses finish in under ten minutes. You need to be able to sign in to Google Sheets as an administrator.
Step 1 — in Google Sheets
Connect with Google and paste the spreadsheet ID from its address bar. Keep the columns in the order shown; the bot only reads rows whose email matches the customer.
Permissions (scopes) requested — read-only:
https://www.googleapis.com/auth/spreadsheets.readonlyLeast access: grant only the read permissions named above. Never use an owner or full-admin key where Google Sheets lets you create a restricted one.
Step 2 — in Silux Chat
- 1Open Dashboard → Integrations → Connectors and search for “Google Sheets”.
- 2Fill in:
Field Example Stored Spreadsheet ID (from the sheet's URL) 1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms Setting Customer range (columns A–E: ID, Name, Email, Phone, Postcode) Customers!A2:E Setting Orders range (columns A–G: Order no., Date, Status, Total, Tracking, Courier, Email) Orders!A2:G Setting - 3Press Sign in with Google Sheets. The platform makes a real, read-only call to Google Sheets with a made-up customer and shows a tick or a cross for each capability, with Google Sheets’s exact error if something is refused.
- 4If this is your first way of verifying customers it is switched on automatically; otherwise press Use to verify customers. The platform then runs its chained test (verify → code → account → orders → invoices) with the built-in test customer — no real person is contacted.
There is no key to copy. You press “Sign in with Google Sheets”, approve read-only access on Google Sheets’s own page, and are returned to your dashboard. The access token is stored encrypted and refreshed automatically before it expires.
How customer verification works
- STEP 1
Customer asks
They ask about their own account. The bot asks for their full name and their email or mobile, plus one more detail such as their postcode.
- STEP 2
Found in Google Sheets
The customer is looked up in Google Sheets by email, then mobile. The surname must match exactly and the first name must match or start with the same letter, plus one more detail.
- STEP 3
Code sent
A 6-digit code goes to the mobile Google Sheets holds (by text, when your plan has SMS) or otherwise to the email it holds. The chat never chooses where it goes.
- STEP 4
Verified
The customer types the code. It is valid for 10 minutes and five wrong attempts cancel it. The verified session lasts 30 minutes.
If the details don’t match, the customer is told only that they couldn’t be matched — never which detail was wrong. If Google Sheets can’t be reached, the bot says it can’t check accounts right now rather than “no account found”. The bot is blocked in code from reading orders, invoices or bookings until verification succeeds. Full details: Customer identity verification & OTP.
What the bot can and cannot see
Can see (after verification)
- Record ID
- Name
- Email address
- Phone / mobile
- Postcode
- Order number
- Order date
- Status
- Total
- Tracking number
- Courier
Only these standard fields are mapped from Google Sheets’s responses. Everything else in the response is discarded before the bot sees it.
Never sees
- passwords, security answers or login details
- records belonging to anyone other than the verified customer
- anything outside the fields listed alongside
Security
Sign-in tokens encrypted at rest
Credentials are stored encrypted, shown only masked after saving, and destroyed — not just hidden — when you disconnect.
Read-only look-ups
Every capability is a look-up. The connector cannot create, change or delete anything in Google Sheets.
HTTPS only
Calls go to the vendor’s HTTPS address, redirects are not followed, and private network addresses are refused.
Injection-safe
Values a customer types are cleaned before they are placed in Google Sheets’s search, and URL-encoded in addresses.
Other customers filtered out
A row that names a different customer’s email is dropped, whatever the vendor’s search returned.
Checked daily
Connections are re-tested every day, and the owner is emailed if a working connection starts failing.
More: Security & data protection.
Technical details
For developers and IT teams: the Google Sheets endpoints this connector reads, relative to https://sheets.googleapis.com/v4/spreadsheets/{spreadsheet_id}. Values in braces come from the settings you enter.
| Capability | Request | Standard fields returned |
|---|---|---|
| Recognise and verify customers | GET/values/{customer_range} | id, name, email, phone, postcode |
| Orders and order status | GET/values/{orders_range} | order_number, placed, status, total, tracking, courier, email |
Test level: Documented-API tested. Each capability is run automatically against Google Sheets’s documented example responses and must produce the standard fields; your own connection is then tested with a real call when you connect. The bot receives these through the standard Account Connect endpoints, exactly as if you had built them yourself.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| “the vendor refused the credentials (401)” or (403) | The sign-in was revoked or has expired, or it lacks a read permission this connector needs. Sign in with Google Sheets again. |
| “That Spreadsheet ID (from the sheet's URL) doesn’t look right” | Enter it in the form shown, e.g. 1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgvE2upms — without https:// or a trailing slash. |
| “Silux Chat’s Google Sheets app is not registered yet” | Our sign-in app with Google Sheets isn’t available yet; our team is notified automatically. Email support@siluxcall.co.uk for timing or alternatives. |
| Customers are “not matched” although they exist | Customers are looked up by email or mobile, not postcode. Check the customer’s email or mobile is saved on their Google Sheets record, and that the surname matches. |
| A capability shows a cross but others work | That permission wasn’t granted in Google Sheets, or your Google Sheets plan doesn’t include that part of the API. Grant it and press Test. |
| “the vendor kept rate-limiting the request” | Google Sheets returned “too many requests” three times in a row. The platform already waits and retries automatically (up to 10 seconds, as Google Sheets asks); if it persists, ask Google Sheets about your API quota. |
| Results are empty for a verified customer | The records exist under a different email or customer record in Google Sheets, or none are recent. Check the customer’s record in Google Sheets directly. |
Full error reference: Troubleshooting & error reference.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Google Sheets connection read-only?
Yes. Every request Silux Chat makes to Google Sheets is a look-up; none creates, changes or deletes anything in Google Sheets. Give the key or sign-in read-only permissions wherever Google Sheets offers them.
Do I need a developer to connect Google Sheets?
No. You sign in with Google Sheets in Dashboard → Integrations → Connectors and press “Sign in with Google Sheets”. The platform makes a real call to Google Sheets straight away and shows exactly which features work.
How does the bot know it is really my customer?
It finds the customer in Google Sheets by the email or mobile they give, checks their name and one more detail, then sends a one-time code to the mobile or email held in Google Sheets — never to one typed in the chat. The code lasts 10 minutes, five wrong attempts cancel it, and a verified session lasts 30 minutes.
What happens if my Google Sheets key is revoked or expires?
The bot tells customers it can’t check their account right now — it never pretends there are “no orders”. Connections are re-tested daily and the account owner is emailed when a working connection starts failing. Reconnect it in Dashboard → Integrations → Connectors.
How has the Google Sheets connector been tested?
It is Documented-API tested: every capability is run automatically against Google Sheets’s documented example responses and must produce the standard fields. When you connect, it is tested again with a real call to your own Google Sheets account before your bot uses it.
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Need help with your integration?
Our integration team can review your endpoints, help you choose the right connector and check a test run with you. Tell us which system you use and what you would like the bot to answer.