Smokeball connector
Your Silux Chat bot verifies customers against Smokeball, then answers questions about their support tickets and cases from your live data.
Good to know: UK auth host shown; US uses auth.smokeball.com and AU auth.smokeball.com.au. Invoices are per matter (a second lookup), so they aren't wired.
What your bot can do with Smokeball
Recognise and verify customers
Finds the customer in Smokeball 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 Smokeball 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”
Support tickets and cases
Reads the verified customer’s tickets, cases or tasks in Smokeball — subject, status and when each was last updated.
Customers ask: “Is there any update on my case?” · “Has my request been closed?”
Set it up
Most businesses finish in under ten minutes. You need to be able to sign in to Smokeball as an administrator.
Step 1 — in Smokeball
Request API access from Smokeball to get a client ID/secret and API key, then connect with Smokeball (OAuth). Use the API host for your region.
Permissions (scopes) requested — read-only:
contacts/readmatters/readLeast access: grant only the read permissions named above. Never use an owner or full-admin key where Smokeball lets you create a restricted one.
Step 2 — in Silux Chat
- 1Open Dashboard → Integrations → Connectors and search for “Smokeball”.
- 2Fill in:
Field Example Stored Smokeball region API host api.smokeball.co.uk Setting - 3Press Sign in with Smokeball. The platform makes a real, read-only call to Smokeball with a made-up customer and shows a tick or a cross for each capability, with Smokeball’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 Smokeball”, approve read-only access on Smokeball’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 Smokeball
The customer is looked up in Smokeball 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 Smokeball 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 Smokeball 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
- Subject
- Status
- Opened
Only these standard fields are mapped from Smokeball’s responses. Everything else in the response is discarded before the bot sees it.
Never sees
- case notes, documents or correspondence
- anything covered by legal privilege
- 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 Smokeball.
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 Smokeball’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 Smokeball endpoints this connector reads, relative to https://{api_host}. Values in braces come from the settings you enter.
| Capability | Request | Standard fields returned |
|---|---|---|
| Recognise and verify customers | GET/contacts | id, name, email, phone, postcode |
| Support tickets and cases | GET/matters | id, subject, status, opened |
Test level: Documented-API tested. Each capability is run automatically against Smokeball’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 Smokeball again. |
| “That Smokeball region API host doesn’t look right” | Enter it in the form shown, e.g. api.smokeball.co.uk — without https:// or a trailing slash. |
| “Silux Chat’s Smokeball app is not registered yet” | Our sign-in app with Smokeball 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 Smokeball record, and that the surname matches. |
| A capability shows a cross but others work | That permission wasn’t granted in Smokeball, or your Smokeball plan doesn’t include that part of the API. Grant it and press Test. |
| “the vendor kept rate-limiting the request” | Smokeball returned “too many requests” three times in a row. The platform already waits and retries automatically (up to 10 seconds, as Smokeball asks); if it persists, ask Smokeball about your API quota. |
| Results are empty for a verified customer | The records exist under a different email or customer record in Smokeball, or none are recent. Check the customer’s record in Smokeball directly. |
Full error reference: Troubleshooting & error reference.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Smokeball connection read-only?
Yes. Every request Silux Chat makes to Smokeball is a look-up; none creates, changes or deletes anything in Smokeball. Give the key or sign-in read-only permissions wherever Smokeball offers them.
Do I need a developer to connect Smokeball?
No. You sign in with Smokeball in Dashboard → Integrations → Connectors and press “Sign in with Smokeball”. The platform makes a real call to Smokeball straight away and shows exactly which features work.
How does the bot know it is really my customer?
It finds the customer in Smokeball 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 Smokeball — 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 Smokeball 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 Smokeball connector been tested?
It is Documented-API tested: every capability is run automatically against Smokeball’s documented example responses and must produce the standard fields. When you connect, it is tested again with a real call to your own Smokeball 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.