Conversation AI

Conversation AI is an AI-powered chatbot that handles inbound conversations across SMS, web chat, Facebook Messenger, Instagram DM, and live chat. Unlike basic autoresponders, it understands context, maintains natural conversational flow, and draws answers from your custom training data. Whether you need 24/7 lead response, appointment booking, or customer support, Conversation AI provides an intelligent front-line assistant that qualifies leads, answers questions, and routes to humans when needed.

What Conversation AI Does

Conversation AI operates in three modes to match your comfort level. Off mode lets you train and test without live responses. Suggestive mode generates response drafts for your team to review and edit before sending. Auto-Pilot mode sends responses directly to contacts with no human review, delivering instant 24/7 coverage. You can switch modes at any time as confidence in your bot grows.

The bot connects to multiple channels simultaneously. Assign it to SMS, web chat, Facebook Messenger, Instagram DM, or live chat. One Primary Bot handles all inbound messages not routed through workflows. Additional workflow-specific bots handle specialized scenarios like follow-up sequences or re-engagement campaigns.

Two core intents guide bot behavior. General Support answers questions using your knowledge base, FAQs, and crawled web content. Appointment Booking qualifies contacts and shares your calendar link. If a contact already has an appointment, the bot automatically switches to General Support to avoid duplicate bookings.

Key Configuration Options

Training Sources. Build your bot’s knowledge base using three methods. The web crawler extracts content from exact URLs, path-specific directories, or entire domains (up to 4,000 URLs). Google Docs integration pulls from internal documentation (set sharing to “Anyone with the Link”). Custom Bot Responses (FAQs) define exact answers for specific questions like pricing or hours. All training is free.

Prompt Configuration. Set personality (friendly, professional, formal), define primary intent, and add up to 2,000 characters of custom instructions. Use the instructions field to specify topics the bot should avoid, information it must always include, or exact phrases to use.

Advanced Settings. Configure wait time before responding (5-20 seconds creates natural pacing), maximum message limit per conversation (8-12 is typical), and Send Bot to Sleep to disable the bot when a human takes over. The bot auto-pulls your business name from account settings for consistent branding.

Workflow Integration. The Conversation AI workflow action sends a single AI message, waits for a reply, and branches based on response. Update Conversation AI Bot and Status action automates activation, deactivation, and mode switching. The Flow Builder provides a visual interface for designing branching conversation paths.

Power Features

Feedback Loop for Continuous Improvement. Thumbs up confirms accurate responses. Thumbs down flags inaccurate ones. When you thumbs-down a response, create a new FAQ entry with the correct answer. This continuous refinement turns mediocre bots into excellent ones over time.

Bot Trial Testing. The Bot Trial tab provides a free testing environment. Send test messages, review responses, and provide feedback without consuming credits. Test common questions, edge cases, booking flows, and handoff scenarios before going live.

Multi-Channel Coverage. The bot operates identically across SMS, web chat, Messenger, Instagram DM, and live chat. Leads get consistent, intelligent responses regardless of which channel they choose.

Dynamic Intent Switching. When using the Appointment Booking intent, the bot automatically switches to General Support if the contact already has an active appointment, preventing duplicate bookings and providing a smoother experience.

Pro Tips

Start in Suggestive mode for 1-2 weeks to evaluate accuracy before switching to Auto-Pilot. Review suggested responses, provide feedback, and add FAQ entries for gaps.
Identify your 20-30 most common customer questions and add them as FAQ entries with precise answers. This ensures critical accuracy for high-frequency inquiries.
Configure 5-15 second response delays to create natural conversational pacing. Instant responses can feel jarring to customers.
Use FAQ entries for questions where precision matters: pricing, hours, service boundaries, guarantees. Let general training handle broader informational queries.
Review bot conversation logs weekly to identify patterns in unanswered questions, incorrect responses, or conversation drop-offs. Update training data based on these insights.

Common Questions

What is the difference between Suggestive and Auto-Pilot mode?

Suggestive mode generates response drafts that appear in the message composer for team review. Staff can approve, edit, or discard before sending. Auto-Pilot mode sends responses directly to contacts with no human review. Start with Suggestive to evaluate accuracy, then switch to Auto-Pilot once confident.

Which communication channels does Conversation AI support?

The bot works across SMS, Web Chat (SMS Chat), Facebook Messenger, Instagram DM, and Live Chat. Each channel must be connected in account settings before assigning it to the bot.

Is bot training free?

Yes. All training activities are free: web crawling, adding FAQ entries, Google Docs import, and Bot Trial testing. There is no cost to build and refine your bot’s knowledge base.

How many URLs can I use for web crawler training?

You can train with up to 4,000 web URLs in a single knowledge base. This includes exact URLs, path-specific directories, and domain-level crawls.

Can I have multiple bots running simultaneously?

Yes. One Primary Bot handles all inbound messages not routed through workflows. Additional workflow-specific bots operate within workflows and are triggered by workflow actions. This lets you create specialized bots for different scenarios like follow-up or re-engagement.