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TABLE OF CONTENTS


Action

The bot builder allows you to set up dialogs and connect them to another, anywhere in the workflow. You can configure actions for the bot to perform before or after a dialog. These actions are of the following types:

  • Dynamic actions
    • Set property: Add or update attributes of conversations or user profile
    • Trigger API: Trigger APIs to fetch, update, or post data remotely
    • Trigger JS function: Trigger any JS functions for your bot to make use of
    • Transfer to answers: Transfer the conversation from the bot flow to answers

  • Agent handover
    • Assign to group: Assign the conversation to an agent group

    • Make available for assignment: Makes the bot conversation available for your agents to pick up
  • Conversation actions
    • Start a new conversation: This action will enable you to end the current conversation and start a new one
    • Stop conversation: Break the sequential processing of dialogs within a flow
    • Resolve conversation: Mark conversations as resolved when a customer's questions are resolved

  • Widget Actions
    • Open URL: Open URLs when the bot launcher is clicked. You can choose to open in a new tab.
    • Auto-open chat widget: Open the chat widget when the page loads. You can also set a time delay for the bot widget to wait before loading
    • Show proactive message: Show a message on the bot launcher before it’s clicked
    • Event on widget open: Send an event to the backend so that any actions or dialogs are triggered only after the widget is opened
    • Add a delay in response: Create a pause before the bot moves to the next response or dialog.
    • Hide widget: Hide the widget
    • Minimize widget: Minimize the widget
    • Send private customer message: Send a private message to the backend on behalf of your customer

Learn more about actions


Answers

You can enable your chatbot to understand the intent of your customers in a chatbot conversation. Set up questions and variants and map them to an answer or a chatbot flow so the bot can detect the intent and direct the customers to the right answer. 

Learn more about intent-based flows


API library

Configure and manage APIs used in the bot conversation. Navigate to Flows > Configure > API library to configure them. Once APIs are configured here, they can be triggered using the actions tab in dialog configuration. 

Learn more about the API library


Bot 

An automated conversational agent that converses with customers based on a set of conditions that you have defined. The bot is also empowered to perform actions to give it the function of a human support agent. Also referred to as chatbot.


Bot activities

Select a set of logs for conversations that a bot has had. You can filter based on errors for debugging.


Bot version

As you make changes or improvements to your bot, you can save them as versions. You can choose to publish a version to start offering customer service and/or create a draft version to make additional changes for the next release while the current version is actively being used. Older versions can be archived so that change management is seamless.

Learn more about bots in Freshchat


Conditions

A condition defines how the bot should progress in a conversation. It can be based on dialog inputs, API responses, default and custom properties, placeholders, or function outputs. You can configure conditions for each dialog in the bot builder. For example: After Dialog A is executed, proceed to Dialog B OR if Button C is clicked in Dialog A then proceed to Dialog D. 

Learn more about using conditions in the bot builder


Conversations

The conversations page will have all the conversations that a particular chatbot has had with the customer. You can apply the filters on this page to view just the list of conversations you need.

Learn more about Conversations in the bot builder.


Custom properties

When the customer is logged in from your portal or website, you might want to fetch some customer information (like their order ID, date of birth, email address), This information can be used in the bot conversation to offer a better customer service experience. The properties for such information may not be readily available. In this case, you can add your own properties from Flows > Configure > Custom properties.

Learn more about custom properties.


Dialog

These are the building blocks of a bot conversation. You can configure messages, set up conditions, get user input, and set up actions within dialogs.


Flow

A set of dialogs grouped together create a flow. Within a flow, dialogs are sequentially connected to each other by default.


Functions

The bot builder provides you with commonly used functions for your daily operations, such as fetching current dates, separating strings by a delimiter, manipulating date and time, etc. These functions can act as placeholders and take care of populating values for fields dynamically.


You can insert them into any dialog by clicking the + button > Functions > pick the function that you need to use. For example, you can use the split function to split an email and extract the customer's username.

  • The function can be picked from the dropdown


  • The input value can be from a dialog, API response, or a custom property.


  • The output value can be used in a dialog, API, etc. 

Learn more about using functions in the bot builder.


Getting responses from your customers

You can configure each dialog to receive a response from your customer. You will need to specify what response type you require for each dialog. Checking the Get user response box allows you to configure answer types. The response types are grouped together as follows:


Input options

  • Alphanumeric input
  • Articles
  • Button
  • Carousel
  • Custom
  • Date
  • Dropdown
  • Feedback
  • File & image
  • Number
  • Text field
  • Time


Customer details

  • Email
  • Language
  • Name
  • Phone number


You can also choose to set up aliases for buttons, dropdowns, and carousels. While the display text is shown to your customers, your internal systems can process the alias value.


Multilingual chatbots

When you have a global customer base, a bot talking to your customers in a language they best understand will improve your customer support and CSAT rating. You can access the multilingual options of your bot under Flows > Configure > Multilingual. Download the bot script in your primary language, update the script with translations to the new language you're looking to offer support in, and upload the translated bot script.

Learn more about supporting your customers in multiple languages.


Preview

The preview option allows you to test the bot based on the current configuration. 


Quick actions

They are options shown to the customer to choose from during the bot conversation. You can choose between the three different quick actions:


  • Predefined buttons: Choose this option if the defined quick action is to be a button in the flow. This button can show up for all dialogs in the bot conversation by default. by selecting the checkbox below
  • Widget menu: Choose this option if the defined quick action is to show up as part of the widget menu in the bot widget header.
  • Slash commands: Choose this option if the defined quick action is triggered by a / command in the input box. 


Slash commands and widget menu options can be defined globally but are not customizable for every conversation while preset buttons can be defined globally and are customizable for every conversation.

Learn more about quick actions.