Okay, understood.

Based on the comprehensive details provided across your five submissions, I will
now consolidate, enhance, structure, and de-duplicate the information to create a professional
Project Requirements Document (PRD).

I acknowledge your note about the potential future expansion into command, bill, stock, and delivery
management. While this PRD will focus only on the currently defined scope (the multi-channel
messaging and automation SaaS), I will keep this potential future direction in mind to ensure the
foundational architecture considerations don't preclude such expansion later, where feasible without
compromising the current goals. However, those specific expansion features (orders, stock, etc.) will
be explicitly listed as out of scope for this version.

Here is the draft Project Requirements Document:

Project Requirements Document (PRD): Unified Messaging & Automation SaaS Platform

Version: 1.0

1. Introduction

 1.1 Purpose: This document outlines the requirements for building a new Software-as-a-
Service (SaaS) application designed to centralize customer communication and automate
workflows for businesses, with an initial focus on the e-commerce sector.

 1.2 Project Goal: To create a robust, scalable, and user-friendly platform that aggregates
messages from various channels into a unified interface, enabling teams to manage
conversations efficiently, collaborate effectively, gain insights from interactions, and leverage
automation.

 1.3 Target Audience: The primary users are e-commerce businesses of varying sizes seeking
to streamline their customer support, sales communication, and engagement across multiple
platforms. Key user roles include Administrators, Agents, and potentially Managers/Team
Leads.

 1.4 Future Vision Context: While the scope of this document is focused on the messaging
and automation platform described herein, the long-term vision includes potential expansion
to integrate deeper e-commerce functionalities such as order, inventory, billing, and delivery
management. This future direction is considered context but is out of scope for the initial
product defined in this PRD.

2. Goals & Objectives

 2.1 Business Goals:

o Establish a viable SaaS business with tiered subscription revenue.

o Capture market share within the e-commerce support tools sector.

o Become a central communication hub for target clients.

 2.2 Product Goals:

o Reduce average customer response times for users.

o Improve agent productivity and efficiency.

 o Increase customer satisfaction for end-customers of the platform's users.

o Provide actionable analytics and insights into customer interactions.

o Offer a seamless and reliable user experience.

3. Scope

 3.1 In Scope (High-Level):

o Development of a multi-tenant SaaS application.

o Integration with specified communication channels (Email, Social Media, Live Chat,
etc. - detailed in Functional Requirements).

o Unified inbox for viewing and managing conversations.

o Core conversation management features (assignment, status, notes, history).

o Customer context features, including integration with e-commerce platforms for

order data retrieval.

o Team collaboration features (roles, permissions, internal communication).

o Automation capabilities (routing, tagging, basic rules, auto-responders, canned

responses).

o Analytics dashboard and reporting features.

o SaaS administration features (billing, user management, settings).

o Core non-functional requirements (security, scalability, performance, usability).

o Definition and delivery of a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) as a first phase (See
Section 9).

 3.2 Out of Scope (For this Version):

o Management of e-commerce orders, inventory, billing/invoicing, or logistics/delivery

directly within the platform (beyond fetching data for context).

o Advanced AI features like churn prediction (unless added post-MVP).

o Integrations with platforms not explicitly listed in Section 5.1 (unless added post-
MVP).

o Native mobile applications (iOS/Android) (potential future consideration).

o Full white-labeling beyond basic custom branding (potential future

consideration/add-on).

o Integration with specific internal business tools not listed (e.g., accounting software).

4. Target Audience & User Personas

 4.1 Administrator: Responsible for setting up the platform, managing integrations, handling
billing, adding/removing users, configuring global settings, and overseeing overall usage.
  4.2 Agent: Primary day-to-day user. Responsible for viewing assigned conversations,
responding to customers, managing conversation status, using productivity tools (canned
responses, notes), and meeting performance goals.

 4.3 Manager / Team Lead (Optional Role): Oversees a team of agents, assigns conversations,
monitors team performance, reviews conversations, and potentially manages team-specific
settings or reports.

5. Functional Requirements

5.1 Channel Integration Hub

* FR-001: The system shall allow authenticated integration with multiple communication channels via
APIs and/or standard protocols (IMAP/SMTP).

* FR-002 (MVP): Support integration with Email (IMAP/SMTP; potentially Gmail/M365 APIs).

* FR-003 (MVP): Support integration with Facebook Pages (Messenger API).

* FR-004 (MVP): Support integration with Instagram Business accounts (Messenger API for
Instagram).

* FR-005 (MVP): Support integration with Twitter/X (Direct Messages API, potentially Mentions).

* FR-006 (MVP): Provide a configurable Javascript widget for Website Live Chat embedment.

* FR-007 (Post-MVP): Support integration with WhatsApp (via official Business API).

* FR-008 (Post-MVP): Support integration with SMS Gateways (e.g., Twilio, Vonage).

* FR-009 (Post-MVP): Support integration with Telegram Bots.

* FR-010 (Future): Explore integration with Marketplaces (e.g., Shopify Inbox, Amazon, eBay -
complexity noted).

* FR-011 (Future): Explore integration with Review Platforms (e.g., Google Reviews, Trustpilot).

* FR-012 (Future): Explore integration with other Live Chat tools (e.g., fetch messages from
Intercom/Zendesk).

* FR-013 (MVP): Provide clear status indicators for connected/disconnected channels.

* FR-014 (MVP): Handle incoming messages via webhooks or polling mechanisms reliably, using
background queues for processing.

5.2 Unified Inbox & Conversation Management

* FR-020 (MVP): Display messages from all connected channels in a central, unified dashboard.

* FR-021 (MVP): Organize messages into threaded conversations linked to a customer profile.

* FR-022 (MVP): Clearly indicate the source channel (e.g., icon, label) for each message/conversation.

* FR-023 (MVP): Provide real-time updates for new messages and conversation changes (leveraging
WebSockets).
* FR-024 (MVP): Allow filtering and sorting of conversations (e.g., by channel, status, assignee, date,
read/unread, tags).
* FR-025 (MVP): Implement search functionality across conversation content and customer data.

* FR-026 (MVP): Allow users to assign conversations to specific agents or teams (if teams
implemented).

* FR-027 (MVP): Allow users to change conversation status (e.g., New/Open, Pending, In Progress,
Resolved, Closed, Spam).

* FR-028 (MVP): Display a chronological history of messages and internal actions within each
conversation thread.

* FR-029 (Post-MVP): Implement collision detection to show if another agent is viewing or actively
typing in the same conversation.

* FR-030 (Post-MVP): Allow bulk actions on conversations (e.g., assign, change status, tag, archive).

* FR-031 (Post-MVP): Allow tagging of conversations with customizable labels for organization and
reporting.

* FR-032 (Post-MVP): Allow scheduling of replies.

* FR-033 (Post-MVP): Allow setting reminders or follow-up tasks associated with conversations.

5.3 Customer Context & CRM Features

* FR-040 (MVP): Automatically create or link conversations to a customer profile based on identifiers
(email, phone, social handle).
* FR-041 (MVP): Display basic customer information (name, email, phone, social handle) associated
with the conversation.
* FR-042 (MVP): Show a basic interaction history (list of past conversations) linked to the customer
profile.
* FR-043 (Post-MVP): Integrate with e-commerce platforms (starting with Shopify, WooCommerce;
potentially Magento) via API.

* FR-044 (Post-MVP): Display relevant e-commerce data (e.g., recent order history, order status,
shipping information) directly within the conversation view for recognized customers.

* FR-045 (Post-MVP): Provide a more detailed, unified customer profile view aggregating interactions
across all channels over time.

* FR-046 (Post-MVP): Allow admins to define and add custom fields to customer profiles (e.g.,
Customer ID, Subscription Tier).

* FR-047 (Post-MVP): Allow manual merging of duplicate customer profiles.

* FR-048 (Post-MVP): Implement customer segmentation or tagging based on defined criteria or

manual input.

5.4 Team Collaboration & User Management

* FR-050 (MVP): Support multiple user accounts per tenant.

* FR-051 (MVP): Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) using a library like spatie/laravel-
permission.
* FR-052 (MVP): Define core roles: Admin (full access) and Agent (access to assigned/general queues).

* FR-053 (Post-MVP): Define an optional Manager/Team Lead role with broader visibility and
assignment capabilities within their team.

* FR-054 (Post-MVP): Allow agents to add private internal notes to conversations, visible only to team
members.

* FR-055 (Post-MVP): Implement @mentions within internal notes to notify specific team members.

* FR-056 (Future): Explore basic internal chat functionality for team communication separate from
customer conversations.

5.5 Automation & Workflows

* FR-060 (MVP): Allow creation and management of Canned Responses / Quick Replies / Templates
for frequently used messages.

* FR-061 (MVP): Support dynamic placeholders (e.g., {{customer_name}}, {{agent_name}},

{{order_number}} if available) in Canned Responses.

* FR-062 (Post-MVP): Implement a basic rules engine for simple automation (e.g., IF [condition] THEN
[action]). Conditions could include message content keywords, channel, customer tags. Actions could
include assigning to team/agent, adding tags, changing status.

* FR-063 (Post-MVP): Allow configuration of basic Auto-Responders (e.g., confirmation of receipt,

out-of-office replies).
* FR-064 (Post-MVP): Implement basic Service Level Agreement (SLA) monitoring – define target
response/resolution times and visually flag conversations approaching or breaching these targets.
* FR-065 (Post-MVP): Implement automated tagging based on message content using basic keyword
matching or simple NLP.

* FR-066 (Post-MVP): Implement smart routing rules to assign conversations based on agent skills,
workload balance, language, or keywords (requires more advanced logic).

* FR-067 (Future): Integrate with external chatbot platforms (e.g., Dialogflow, Rasa) or develop a basic
internal chatbot for handling simple FAQs (e.g., order tracking lookup).

* FR-068 (Future): Implement AI-powered sentiment analysis (Positive/Neutral/Negative) to help

prioritize messages.

* FR-069 (Future): Implement AI-powered response suggestions (e.g., GPT-4 integration).

* FR-070 (Future): Explore e-commerce specific automation like abandoned cart recovery messages
(requires deeper integration).

5.6 Analytics & Reporting

* FR-080 (MVP): Provide a basic dashboard with key metrics: Total messages, Open conversations,
Resolved conversations (today/week/month).

* FR-081 (Post-MVP): Track and display core performance metrics: Average first response time,
Average resolution time, Message volume by channel/agent/tag.
* FR-082 (Post-MVP): Provide reports on agent performance (e.g., conversations handled, response
times).

* FR-083 (Post-MVP): Allow filtering reports by date range, channel, agent, tag.

* FR-084 (Post-MVP): Enable export of report data (CSV/PDF).

* FR-085 (Future): Track Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores (requires implementation of a CSAT
survey mechanism).

* FR-086 (Future): Report on sentiment analysis trends.

* FR-087 (Future): Identify trending topics or keywords based on conversation content or tags.

* FR-088 (Future): Develop a custom report builder interface.

* FR-089 (Future): Explore competitor benchmarking features (e.g., comparing review scores - data
sourcing complex).

5.7 SaaS Platform & Administration

* FR-090 (MVP): Implement a secure multi-tenant architecture ensuring strict data isolation between
clients (e.g., using database-per-tenant or single DB with tenant scoping via packages like
stancl/tenancy).

* FR-091 (MVP): Provide secure user authentication (login/password) using Laravel's built-in systems
(Fortify, Breeze, or Jetstream).
* FR-092 (MVP): Integrate with a payment provider (Stripe strongly recommended, using
laravel/cashier) to handle recurring subscriptions.
* FR-093 (MVP): Define multiple subscription tiers (e.g., Basic, Pro, Enterprise) with varying limits
(e.g., users, channels, features).
* FR-094 (MVP): Provide an admin interface for tenants to manage their subscription, view invoices,
and update payment details.

* FR-095 (MVP): Allow tenant admins to manage their users (invite, deactivate, assign roles).

* FR-096 (MVP): Allow tenant admins to connect, disconnect, and manage settings for their
integrated channels.

* FR-097 (MVP): Provide basic account settings (e.g., company name, timezone, business hours for
auto-responders).

* FR-098 (Post-MVP): Implement Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for enhanced account security.

* FR-099 (Post-MVP): Allow basic branding customization (upload logo, set primary color).

* FR-100 (Future): Offer custom domain/subdomain support for tenants.

* FR-101 (Future/Add-on): Offer more extensive white-labeling options.

* FR-102 (Future): Provide a REST API for clients to access their data programmatically (using Laravel
Sanctum/Passport for auth).

* FR-103 (Future): Implement outgoing webhooks to notify external systems of events.

6. Non-Functional Requirements

 6.1 Performance & Scalability:

o NFR-001: System should provide acceptable response times for user interactions (<2s
for most operations).

o NFR-002: Real-time updates (new messages, presence) should appear with minimal
delay (<5s).

o NFR-003: Utilize background queues (e.g., Laravel Horizon/Queues with

Redis/Database) extensively for processing incoming messages, sending notifications,
running reports, and other asynchronous tasks.

o NFR-004: Implement caching strategies (e.g., Redis) for frequently accessed data
(settings, user profiles, counts).

o NFR-005: Optimize database queries and ensure proper indexing.

o NFR-006: Architecture should support horizontal scaling (e.g., using containerization -

Docker/Kubernetes) to handle increasing load.

o NFR-007: Consider high-performance PHP runtimes (e.g., Laravel Octane with

Swoole/OpenSwoole).

o NFR-008 (Future): Explore database sharding strategies for very large tenants if
necessary.

 6.2 Security & Compliance:

o NFR-010 (MVP): Enforce HTTPS for all communication.

o NFR-011 (MVP): Securely store sensitive credentials (API keys, passwords) using
encryption and best practices.

o NFR-012 (MVP): Implement protection against common web vulnerabilities (XSS,

CSRF, SQL Injection - leveraging Laravel's built-in protections).

o NFR-013 (MVP): Adhere to RBAC strictly for data access.

o NFR-014 (Post-MVP): Encrypt sensitive customer data at rest and in transit where
feasible.

o NFR-015 (Post-MVP): Provide tools to assist clients with GDPR/CCPA compliance

(e.g., data export, data deletion requests).

o NFR-016 (Post-MVP): Implement comprehensive audit logs (e.g., using spatie/laravel-

activitylog) tracking significant user actions (logins, data changes, integration
changes, message sending).

 6.3 Usability & User Experience (UI/UX):

o NFR-020 (MVP): Provide a clean, intuitive, and modern user interface.

o NFR-021 (MVP): Ensure the application is responsive and usable across common
desktop browser sizes.
 o NFR-022 (MVP): Provide clear visual feedback for user actions.

o NFR-023 (Post-MVP): Implement keyboard shortcuts for common actions to improve

efficiency for power users.

o NFR-024 (MVP): Provide clear onboarding steps or a setup wizard for new tenants to
connect channels and invite users.

o NFR-025 (MVP): Include access to help documentation or a knowledge base within

the application.

o NFR-026 (MVP): Offer clear channels for users to obtain customer support (e.g.,
email, ticket system, potentially chat).

 6.4 Reliability & Availability:

o NFR-030: Aim for high availability (e.g., >99.9% uptime) through redundant
infrastructure and robust error handling.

o NFR-031: Implement comprehensive monitoring and alerting for system health and
errors.

o NFR-032: Ensure reliable message fetching and sending, with mechanisms to handle
temporary API failures or rate limits from third-party platforms.

o NFR-033: Implement regular data backups.

 6.5 Maintainability:

o NFR-040: Adhere to clean code principles and established design patterns.

o NFR-041: Write automated tests (unit, integration, potentially E2E) to ensure code
quality and prevent regressions.

o NFR-042: Document code and architecture adequately.

7. Design & UI/UX Considerations

 The interface should prioritize clarity and efficiency, minimizing clicks for common tasks.

 Use visual cues (icons, colors) effectively to differentiate channels, statuses, etc.
 Consider a frontend stack like Inertia.js + Vue.js/React for a responsive Single Page
Application (SPA) feel, or Livewire for potentially simpler UIs initially.

 The design should allow for basic custom branding (logo, primary color) as a minimum (Post-
MVP).

8. Technical Considerations

 Primary Backend Framework: Laravel (latest stable version, e.g., 10+). PHP 8.2+.

 Database: PostgreSQL (preferred for JSONB support) or MySQL.

 Real-time Communication: Laravel Echo with WebSockets (Pusher, Soketi, or Laravel Reverb).

 Queuing System: Laravel Queues with Redis (preferred) or Database driver.

 Caching: Redis (preferred).

  API Authentication: Laravel Sanctum (for SPA/mobile auth) or Passport (for external API
clients).

 Multi-Tenancy Implementation: Package like stancl/tenancy is recommended.

 Billing: laravel/cashier (Stripe recommended).

 Permissions: spatie/laravel-permission.

 Audit Logging: spatie/laravel-activitylog.

 Hosting: Cloud-based platform suitable for scaling (e.g., AWS ECS/EKS, Laravel Forge/Vapor,
Google Cloud Run).
 Design Approach: API-first design is recommended to facilitate potential future clients (e.g.,
mobile app, third-party integrations).

9. Release Criteria / Phasing (MVP)

 The initial release will be a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) focused on validating the core
value proposition.

 MVP Scope: Includes features marked with (MVP) in Section 5 and corresponding core Non-
Functional Requirements (Security, Basic Scalability, Usability, SaaS foundation). Specifically:

o Core Channel Integrations: Email, Facebook Pages, Instagram, Twitter, Website Live
Chat Widget.

o Unified Inbox: Viewing, basic filtering/sorting, search.

o Conversation Management: Threading, assignment, status changes, history view,

basic customer profile link.

o User Roles: Admin & Agent roles via RBAC.

o Real-time: Basic new message notifications and inbox updates.

o SaaS Foundation: Multi-tenancy, Authentication, Subscription Management

(Stripe/Cashier), Basic Tenant Settings (channel connect/disconnect, user
management).

o Essential NFRs: Foundational security, basic performance/queue setup, usability for

core features, reliable message handling, basic onboarding/support info.

 Post-MVP Phases: Subsequent releases will iteratively add features marked (Post-MVP) and
(Future) based on user feedback and business priorities, focusing on:

o Phase 2: Agent Productivity (Canned Responses, Notes, Mentions, Collision Detect,

Tags), Enhanced Customer Context (E-commerce Integrations), Basic Automation
(Rules, Auto-Responders), Enhanced Reporting.

o Phase 3 & Beyond: More integrations (WhatsApp, SMS, Marketplaces), Advanced

Automation/AI (Chatbots, Sentiment), Advanced Features (Mobile App, API Access,
White-Labeling), further scalability and performance enhancements.

10. Future Considerations

Items marked (Future) or explicitly listed below represent potential features beyond the initial MVP
and subsequent iterations, subject to further validation and prioritization:

 Native Mobile App (iOS/Android) or Progressive Web App (PWA).

 Advanced AI features (Churn Prediction, Proactive Suggestions).

 Deeper E-commerce Automation (Abandoned Cart, Inventory-based replies).

 Client API Access.

 Full White-Labeling Capabilities.

 Integration with CRM/Helpdesk platforms (HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho).

 Integration with communication platforms like Slack or Telegram for internal notifications.

 Advanced custom report builder.

11. Open Issues/Questions

 (Placeholder - To be filled during detailed design and development)

o Specific third-party API rate limits and handling strategies.

o Detailed requirements for the Javascript live chat widget customization.

o Final decision on specific AI service providers (if pursued).

o Exact definition and limitations of subscription tiers.

12. Glossary

 MVP: Minimum Viable Product

 PRD: Project Requirements Document

 RBAC: Role-Based Access Control

 SaaS: Software-as-a-Service

 SLA: Service Level Agreement

 SPA: Single Page Application

 Tenant: An individual client company/organization using the SaaS platform.

 UI/UX: User Interface / User Experience

 WebSocket: A communication protocol providing full-duplex communication channels over a

single TCP connection.

This document provides a comprehensive overview based on your inputs. It defines the scope,
features, technical considerations, and phasing for the Unified Messaging & Automation SaaS
Platform. Please review it carefully. We can refine or adjust details as needed before proceeding to
design and development planning.