Configuring suggestions

Suggestions give your customers a way to try something else when the current exchange with the assistant isn't delivering what they expect. A question mark icon is displayed in the web chat that customers can click at any time to see other topics that might be of interest or, if configured, to request support. Customers can click a suggested topic to submit it as input or click the X icon to close the suggestions list.

If customers select a suggestion and the response is not helpful, they can open the suggestions list again to try a different suggestion. The input generated by the first choice is submitted and recorded as part of the conversation. However, any contextual information that is generated by the initial suggestion is reset when the subsequent suggestion is submitted.

The suggestions are shown automatically in situations where the customer might otherwise become frustrated. For example, if a customer uses different wording to ask the same question multiple times in succession, and the same action is triggered each time, then related topic suggestions are shown in addition to the triggered action's response. The suggestions that are offered give the customer a quick way to get the conversation back on track.

The suggestions list is populated with actions that are relevant in some way to the matched action. The actions are ones that the AI model considered to be possible alternatives, but that didn't meet the high confidence threshold that is required for an action to be listed as a disambiguation option. Any action can be shown as a suggestion, unless its Ask clarifying question setting is set to Off. For more information about the Ask clarifying question setting, see Asking clarifying questions.

To configure suggestions, complete the following steps:

1. Open the Suggestions tab.

   Suggestions are enabled automatically for new web chat integrations. If you don't want to use suggestions, toggle the switch to Off.

2. In the Include a connection to support section, specify when you want an option to connect with support to be included in the list of suggestions. You can specify Always, Never, or After one failed attempt.

   After one failed attempt: Adds the option to the list only if the customer reached a node with an anything_else condition in the previous conversation turn or reaches the same action for a second time in succession.

3. In the Option label field, type the text of the message that requests help from support. This message is shown as the label for the support option, which is included in the Suggestions window under the circumstances you specified in the previous step. If the customer clicks this option, the same message is sent to the assistant.

   The message you specify should trigger an action that gives customers a way to connect with support. By default, the message Connect with agent is used. If your web chat is integrated with a contact center platform, this message initiates a transfer to a human agent. (For more information about integrating with a contact center, see Adding contact center support.)

   If your web chat is not integrated with a contact center, specify a message that helps your customers reach whatever form of support you do offer. If you offer a toll-free support line, you might add Get the support line phone number. Or if you offer an online support request form, you might add Open a support ticket.

   Whether you use the default support message or add your own, make sure your action is designed to recognize the message and respond to it appropriately.