The Conversation AI action allows you to ask questions, handle conditional responses, and customise the bot's personality and instructions. This feature lets you create dynamic, personalised interactions with your contacts, using advanced AI. This article covers the key highlights and how to use the feature effectively.

Key Highlights

  1. Interactive Questioning: Use this action to ask a specific question to a contact, integrating seamlessly with inbound messages.
  2. Conditional Branching: Design branches for conditional flow based on the contact's reply, allowing for tailored responses and actions.
  3. Customisation: Personalise the bot's personality and additional instructions to match your brand and communication style.
  4. Bot Training Utilisation: Use the existing Conversation AI Bot training for consistent and accurate interactions.

Setting Up the Conversation AI Action

Start by choosing a workflow trigger and configuring any actions you want before the Conversation AI action. Next, select the "Conversation AI" action from the list of available workflow actions.

Prompt – Personality and Additional Instructions

Enable the "Advanced Bot Configuration" toggle to access and customise the bot's "Personality" and "Additional Instructions." The prompt generated for the bot will combine:

  • The defined "Personality".
  • Any "Additional Instructions".
  • The main question for the contact.
  • Context from the bot training conducted for the Conversation AI Bot.
  • Previous conversations between the sub-account and the contact.

Question for the Contact

The primary question that the bot will ask is set up here. This question is posed along with any reply to an inbound message from the contact, if applicable.

Time Out

Specify how long the bot should wait for a response from the contact. If the contact doesn't reply in time, the workflow follows the Time Out branch automatically, so you can set up follow-up actions or alternative steps to keep the workflow moving.

Channel Selection

Select one communication channel from SMS, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, or Live Chat through which the bot will send messages to the contact.

Skip If Answered

Choose to skip asking a question if the answer already exists in the conversation history. Instead, the bot will bypass the question and direct the contact to the relevant branch or condition based on the existing response.

Bot Responses Limit

This allows users to define the maximum number of consecutive responses the bot can provide within a single interaction. This limit keeps conversations concise and prevents unnecessary back-and-forth.

Wait Time (In Seconds)

This feature allows users to customise the response time for individual bots within workflows, enabling tailored interactions for specific use cases, such as appointment booking or casual conversations.

📌NOTE: The maximum wait time is 300 seconds, with a default value of 10 seconds.

Branches and Conditions

Two standard branches are automatically created for each action, with the option to create additional branches as needed:

  • Time Out: Triggered when the contact does not reply within the specified time frame.
  • No Condition Met: Activated when the contact replies within the timeout period, but no specified condition is met.

Creating New Branches

Each new branch must have a unique name and a specific condition based on which the contact will be directed down that branch.

Once you have confirmed the configuration, select the "Save Action" button to add the action to your workflow. Remember to save the workflow to keep your changes.

Mechanism of the Conversation AI Action

Once the "Conversation AI" action is configured, here's what happens when a contact reaches it:

  1. Message Generation and Sending: The prompt is generated and the message is sent from the Conversation AI bot to the contact. If needed, context from the bot training in the Conversation AI Bot sub-account settings is used.
  2. Waiting for a Reply: The bot waits for a reply from the contact for the duration configured in the action.
  3. Time-Out Handling: If the contact doesn't reply within the specified time frame, the process follows the "Time Out" branch, allowing for follow-up actions.
  4. Condition Checking: When the contact replies within the time frame, the bot evaluates which condition is met based on the reply. If no condition is met, the contact is directed to the "No Condition Met" branch, where further actions can be specified.
  5. Conditional Branching: If a condition is met, the contact proceeds down the corresponding branch, ensuring a personalised and relevant interaction.

The Conversation AI action is a straightforward way to create meaningful, personalised interactions with your contacts. By setting up questions, conditions, and responses, you can guide conversations naturally while keeping things organised.

FAQs

Q: What is the maximum wait time for a bot response?

  • The maximum wait time is 300 seconds, and the default is 10 seconds.

Q: Can I limit the number of responses a bot provides?

  • Yes, you can configure the Bot Responses Limit to control the maximum number of consecutive responses a bot can give.

Q: What happens if the bot's configured channel isn't compatible with the contact's communication preferences?

  • Ensure the bot is assigned a proper channel (e.g., SMS, Facebook, Email, WhatsApp, or Livechat) to avoid compatibility issues.

Q: Can I customise the bot's personality and instructions?

  • Yes, use the Advanced Bot Configuration toggle to define the bot's personality and additional instructions.