What are conversation followups?
Conversation followups are clickable buttons that appear below chatbot responses. Unlike conversation starters that appear at the beginning of a chat, followups appear after the chatbot provides an answer, helping users continue the conversation or take specific actions. SiteGPT offers two types of conversation followups:- Manual followup buttons - Custom buttons you create with specific actions
- Smart follow-up questions - AI-generated contextual questions based on the conversation
Smart follow-up questions
Smart follow-up questions are AI-generated contextual suggestions that appear after each chatbot response. These questions help users explore related topics and get more detailed information without having to think of what to ask next.How smart followups work
After the chatbot responds to a user’s question, the AI analyzes the conversation context and generates relevant follow-up questions automatically. These questions are tailored to the specific response and help users dive deeper into the topic. Example:Configuring smart followups
Navigate to Settings > General to configure smart follow-up questions:-
Enable/Disable smart followups
- Toggle “Disable smart follow up questions” to turn the feature on or off
- When disabled, only manual followup buttons will appear
-
Number of questions
- Choose how many smart follow-up questions to display (1-5)
- Default: 3 questions
- Fewer questions reduce clutter; more questions provide more exploration options
Smart follow-up questions are generated in real-time based on conversation context. The AI considers the chatbot’s response, user’s question, and overall conversation flow to suggest relevant next questions.
Manual followup buttons
Manual followup buttons are custom buttons you create with specific actions. These buttons appear alongside or instead of smart follow-up questions, depending on your configuration.Types of manual followup buttons
Send message
Automatically sends a predefined message when clicked, prompting the chatbot to respond with relevant information. Use cases:- “Tell me more about pricing”
- “How does this feature work?”
- “Show me examples”
Open link
Opens an external URL in a new tab when clicked, directing users to specific pages on your website. Use cases:- “Contact us” → Opens contact form
- “View documentation” → Opens help center
- “Schedule a demo” → Opens booking page
Escalate to human support
Transfers the conversation to a human agent when clicked, useful for complex inquiries that require personal assistance. Use cases:- “Talk to a human”
- “Escalate to support”
- “Request callback”
The escalation option is only available for conversation followups, not conversation starters.
Human support integration
When human support is enabled, SiteGPT automatically adds escalation buttons to conversation followups. This provides users with an easy way to request human assistance.Automatic escalation buttons
When you enable human support in Leads > Human Support, two buttons are automatically added after each chatbot response:- Positive feedback button - “That answered my question 👍” (customizable)
- Request human support button - “Connect to an agent 👤” (customizable)
Human support followup options
In Leads > Human Support, you can configure how escalation buttons interact with other followups: Show escalation buttons after responses- When enabled: Escalation buttons appear after each chatbot response
- When disabled: Users can only request human support through conversation (no buttons)
- When enabled: Escalation buttons replace all other suggestions (smart followups and manual followup buttons)
- When disabled: Escalation buttons appear alongside smart followups and manual followup buttons
Adding escalation via manual followups
You can also add escalation buttons through manual conversation followups:- Navigate to Conversation Followups
- Click Add Button
- Select Escalate as the action type
- Configure the button label and escalation message
- Click Add Button
If human support is enabled with “Show escalation buttons” turned on, you don’t need to create manual escalation followup buttons - they’re added automatically.
Adding manual followup buttons
- Navigate to your chatbot dashboard
- Select Conversation Followups from the Customization section
- Click Add Button
- Choose the button action type:
- Send Message - Sends a predefined question
- Open Link - Opens an external URL
- Escalate - Transfers to human support
- Configure the button:
- Button Label: The text displayed on the button
- Message Text: (For Send Message) The question to send
- Link: (For Open Link) The URL to open
- Escalation Message: (For Escalate) Confirmation message shown to user
- Click Add Button
Configuring button types
Send message button
Button Label: Short, action-oriented text (e.g., “Pricing Details”) Message Text: The complete question the chatbot will answer (e.g., “What is the pricing of SiteGPT?”)Open link button
Button Label: Clear call-to-action (e.g., “Contact Sales”) Link: Full URL including https:// (e.g., “https://example.com/contact”)Escalate button
Button Label: Clear escalation intent (e.g., “Talk to Support”) Escalation Message: Confirmation message explaining what happens nextManaging followup buttons
Viewing all followups
Navigate to Conversation Followups to see all configured buttons. Each button displays:- Button label
- Action type (Message, Link, or Escalation)
- Preview of the message or link
Editing followups
- Click on a followup button from the list
- Update the button label, message, or link
- Click Save Changes
Deleting followups
- Navigate to the followup button you want to remove
- Click Delete
- Confirm the deletion
Best practices
Balance smart and manual followups
Balance smart and manual followups
Use smart follow-up questions for general exploration and manual buttons for specific actions (like scheduling demos or contacting sales). Consider disabling smart followups if you have many manual buttons to avoid overwhelming users.
Keep button labels concise
Keep button labels concise
Use action-oriented language
Use action-oriented language
Start button labels with verbs: “View pricing,” “Contact sales,” “Learn more” rather than passive phrases.
Limit the number of followups
Limit the number of followups
Display 3-5 total followup options (smart + manual combined). Too many options can overwhelm users and reduce engagement. Adjust the smart followup count accordingly.
Match followups to common questions
Match followups to common questions
Analyze your chat history to identify frequently asked follow-up questions and create manual buttons for them if smart followups aren’t covering them well.
Test escalation flows
Test escalation flows
Ensure your human support is properly configured before adding escalation buttons. Test both automatic escalation buttons and manual escalation followups.
Use descriptive escalation messages
Use descriptive escalation messages
Clearly explain what happens when users escalate, including expected response times.
Monitor smart followup quality
Monitor smart followup quality
Review conversations to see if smart follow-up questions are relevant and helpful. If they’re not adding value, consider reducing the count or disabling them.
Common use cases
Product information flow
Support escalation
Sales qualification
Difference from conversation starters
Feature | Conversation Starters | Conversation Followups |
---|---|---|
When displayed | At the start of conversation | After chatbot responses |
Purpose | Initiate conversation | Continue conversation |
AI-generated options | No | Yes (smart followups) |
Escalation option | No | Yes |
Typical use | Common questions | Next steps, related topics |
Context-aware | No | Yes (smart followups adapt to conversation) |
Troubleshooting
Smart follow-up questions not appearing
Smart follow-up questions not appearing
- Check Settings > General to ensure “Disable smart follow up questions” is turned OFF
- Verify the “Number of smart follow up questions” is set to at least 1
- If human support is enabled with “Replace other suggestions” turned ON, smart followups will be hidden
- Smart followups may not appear if the conversation context is insufficient
Manual followup buttons not appearing
Manual followup buttons not appearing
Too many followup options showing
Too many followup options showing
- Reduce the smart followup count in Settings > General
- Remove unnecessary manual followup buttons
- Enable “Replace other suggestions” in human support settings to show only escalation buttons
Escalation button not working
Escalation button not working
Links opening incorrectly
Links opening incorrectly
- Ensure URLs include the full protocol (https://)
- Test links in a separate browser tab first
- Check for typos in the URL
Smart followups not relevant to conversation
Smart followups not relevant to conversation
- Smart followups are AI-generated and may occasionally be off-topic
- Consider reducing the smart followup count to show only the most relevant questions
- Add manual followup buttons for critical actions you want to ensure are always available
Related features
- Conversation starters - Buttons that appear at the start of conversations
- Human support - Configure escalation to human agents
- Custom responses - Create specific answers for exact questions
- Chatbot instructions - Guide overall chatbot behavior