CVA
Step-by-Step Setup 20-30 minutes

Conversation AI Setup

AI & Advanced Advanced
Need more detail? Read the full guide for config deep-dives and best practices.

Set Up Conversation AI

Conversation AI puts an intelligent chatbot on your front line to qualify leads, answer questions, and book appointments across SMS, web chat, Facebook, Instagram, and live chat. Follow these steps to configure your first bot.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, confirm the following:

  • Conversation AI enabled at Agency Settings > AI (agency admin required)
  • Sub-account access granted for Conversation AI under sub-account settings
  • User permissions set under Settings > My Staff with Conversation AI enabled
  • Communication channels connected (SMS, Facebook, Instagram, web chat, or live chat)
  • FAQ documents, website URLs, and common customer questions ready for training

Enable Conversation AI at the Agency Level

If you manage an agency, you must activate the feature before sub-accounts can access it.

  1. Navigate to Agency Settings > AI from your agency dashboard
  2. Locate the Conversation AI toggle
  3. Switch the toggle to Enabled
  4. Save your changes
  5. Return to the sub-account where you want to deploy the bot

Create Your First Bot

Build a new Conversation AI bot from scratch using the bot creation wizard.

  1. Open Settings > Conversation AI in your sub-account
  2. Click the Create Bot button in the top-right corner
  3. Select a starting template:
    • General Q&A Template for support and information
    • Appointment Booking Template for scheduling-focused bots
  4. Name your bot with a clear, descriptive label that reflects its purpose
  5. Set the bot status to Off while you configure and test it
  6. Select the communication channels the bot should monitor (SMS, Facebook, Instagram, Web Chat, Live Chat)
  7. Optionally mark this bot as the Primary Bot if it should handle all inbound conversations
  8. Click Save to create the bot

Configure the Bot’s Intent

Define what your bot should accomplish during conversations.

  1. Open your newly created bot from the Conversation AI list
  2. Navigate to the Goals or Intent configuration tab
  3. Choose your primary intent:
    • General Support and Q&A for answering questions from your knowledge base
    • Appointment Booking for scheduling-focused conversations
  4. If you selected Appointment Booking, complete these additional settings:
    • Choose which calendar the bot references for availability
    • Enable Pause after booking to prevent unnecessary follow-up messages
    • Optionally configure Transfer to employee for post-booking handoff
    • Set a Post-booking workflow to trigger after appointments are confirmed
  5. Save your intent configuration

Train Your Bot

Build the bot’s knowledge base using web content, Google Docs, and custom FAQ entries.

Web Crawler Training

  1. Navigate to the Bot Training section of your bot settings
  2. Select a domain type:
    • Exact URL for a single specific webpage
    • Path-specific URL for all pages under a directory
    • Domain-level URL for your entire website
  3. Enter the URL you want to crawl
  4. Click Get Data to initiate the crawl
  5. Review the results and select which URLs to include
  6. Confirm your selections to add them to the knowledge base

Add FAQ Entries

Create precise answers for critical questions where accuracy is essential.

  1. Navigate to the Custom Bot Responses section in Bot Training
  2. Click + Add Q&A to create a new entry
  3. Enter the question as a customer would ask it
  4. Enter the exact answer you want the bot to provide
  5. Save the entry
  6. Repeat for your 20 to 30 most common customer questions

Configure the Bot’s Personality

Define the bot’s tone, style, and behavioral guidelines.

  1. Open the Prompt section in your bot settings
  2. Select a Personality that matches your brand:
    • Friendly, Professional, or Formal
  3. Write Additional Instructions (up to 2,000 characters) to guide the bot’s behavior
  4. Include specific guidelines like:
    • Topics the bot should avoid
    • Information it should always include
    • Required phrases or disclaimers
  5. Save your prompt configuration

Adjust Advanced Settings

Fine-tune the bot’s operational behavior for a natural conversational experience.

  1. Navigate to Advanced Settings in your bot configuration
  2. Set the Wait Time Before Responding (5 to 20 seconds recommended for natural pacing)
  3. Configure the Maximum Message Limit (8 to 12 messages per conversation is a good starting point)
  4. Review the Business Name field and confirm it matches your account settings
  5. Optionally enable Send Bot to Sleep for scenarios where manual intervention is needed
  6. Save your advanced settings

Test Your Setup

Use the built-in testing tools to verify accuracy before activating the bot.

  1. Navigate to the Bot Trial tab in your bot settings
  2. Send test messages simulating common customer inquiries
  3. Review each response for accuracy and tone
  4. Use the thumbs up/down buttons to provide feedback
  5. Test edge cases and unusual phrasing
  6. If using the appointment booking intent, test the full booking flow end-to-end
  7. Make adjustments to training data, FAQs, or prompts based on test results
  8. Reset the conversation and re-test after making changes

Activate Your Bot

Once testing is complete, activate the bot for live conversations.

  1. Return to your bot’s main settings page
  2. Change the Bot Status from Off to Suggestive Mode
  3. Assign the bot to your desired communication channels
  4. If this is your primary bot, confirm the Primary Bot toggle is enabled
  5. Save your changes
  6. Monitor the bot’s first conversations closely over the next 24 to 48 hours
  7. Review suggested responses and provide thumbs up/down feedback
  8. After one to two weeks of successful suggestive mode operation, switch to Auto-Pilot Mode for full automation

Next Steps

Now that your Conversation AI bot is live, consider these enhancements:

  • Integrate the bot with workflows using the Conversation AI workflow action in Workflow Builder
  • Add workflow triggers that activate the bot at key moments (form submission, pipeline stage change)
  • Review bot conversation logs weekly to identify patterns and refine training data
  • Create specialized workflow bots for different scenarios beyond your primary bot
  • Set up post-call email notifications to keep your team informed of bot interactions
  • Read the full Conversation AI guide for advanced features and best practices
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