> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://sitegpt.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Conversation followups

> Add interactive buttons that appear after chatbot responses to guide users through conversations

Use conversation followups to display interactive buttons after your chatbot responds to user questions. These buttons help guide users to relevant information, external links, or human support.

## What are conversation followups?

Conversation followups are clickable buttons that appear below chatbot responses. Unlike [conversation starters](/features/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:

1. **Manual followup buttons** - Custom buttons you create with specific actions
2. **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:**

```
User: "What are your pricing plans?"
Chatbot: [Explains pricing plans]

Smart followups:
- "What features are included in each plan?"
- "Do you offer annual discounts?"
- "Can I upgrade or downgrade my plan later?"
```

### Configuring smart followups

Navigate to **Settings** > **General** to configure smart follow-up questions:

1. **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

2. **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

<Note>
  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.
</Note>

## 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"

<Note>
  The escalation option is only available for conversation followups, not conversation starters.
</Note>

## Human support integration

When [human support](/features/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:

1. **Positive feedback button** - "That answered my question 👍" (customizable)
2. **Request human support button** - "Connect to an agent 👤" (customizable)

These buttons appear automatically without needing to create manual followup buttons.

### 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)

**Replace other suggestions with escalation 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:

1. Navigate to **Conversation Followups**
2. Click **Add Button**
3. Select **Escalate** as the action type
4. Configure the button label and escalation message
5. Click **Add Button**

This approach gives you more control over button placement and messaging, but requires manual configuration.

<Note>
  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.
</Note>

## Adding manual followup buttons

1. Navigate to your chatbot dashboard
2. Select **Conversation Followups** from the Customization section
3. Click **Add Button**
4. Choose the button action type:
   * **Send Message** - Sends a predefined question
   * **Open Link** - Opens an external URL
   * **Escalate** - Transfers to human support
5. 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
6. 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?")

```
Button Label: "Learn about features"
Message Text: "What features does SiteGPT offer?"
```

### Open link button

**Button Label:** Clear call-to-action (e.g., "Contact Sales")

**Link:** Full URL including https\:// (e.g., "[https://example.com/contact](https://example.com/contact)")

```
Button Label: "Schedule a demo"
Link: "https://example.com/book-demo"
```

### Escalate button

**Button Label:** Clear escalation intent (e.g., "Talk to Support")

**Escalation Message:** Confirmation message explaining what happens next

```
Button Label: "Escalate to human support"
Escalation Message: "We have escalated the conversation to human support. Please share any additional details you want to include in the support request."
```

## Managing 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

1. Click on a followup button from the list
2. Update the button label, message, or link
3. Click **Save Changes**

### Deleting followups

1. Navigate to the followup button you want to remove
2. Click **Delete**
3. Confirm the deletion

## Best practices

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="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.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Keep button labels concise">
    Use 2-4 words for button labels. Short labels are easier to scan and more likely to be clicked.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use action-oriented language">
    Start button labels with verbs: "View pricing," "Contact sales," "Learn more" rather than passive phrases.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Test escalation flows">
    Ensure your [human support](/features/human-support) is properly configured before adding escalation buttons. Test both automatic escalation buttons and manual escalation followups.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Use descriptive escalation messages">
    Clearly explain what happens when users escalate, including expected response times.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Common use cases

### Product information flow

```
Initial Question: "Tell me about your product"
Followup Buttons:
- "View pricing" (Send Message)
- "See features" (Send Message)
- "Schedule demo" (Open Link)
```

### Support escalation

```
Initial Question: "I'm having trouble with my account"
Followup Buttons:
- "Reset password" (Send Message)
- "Contact support" (Open Link)
- "Talk to agent" (Escalate)
```

### Sales qualification

```
Initial Question: "How can SiteGPT help my business?"
Followup Buttons:
- "Pricing options" (Send Message)
- "Case studies" (Open Link)
- "Talk to sales" (Escalate)
```

## 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

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="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
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Manual followup buttons not appearing">
    * Ensure you've saved the followup buttons
    * Check that your chatbot is properly embedded on your website
    * Verify the buttons are not hidden by custom CSS
    * Test in an incognito window to rule out caching issues
    * If human support is enabled with "Replace other suggestions" turned ON, manual followups will be hidden
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Escalation button not working">
    * Verify [human support](/features/human-support) is enabled
    * Check that you've configured escalation settings
    * Ensure team members have access to view escalated conversations
    * If using manual escalation buttons, verify the escalation message is configured
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Links opening incorrectly">
    * Ensure URLs include the full protocol (https\://)
    * Test links in a separate browser tab first
    * Check for typos in the URL
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="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
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related features

* [Conversation starters](/features/conversation-starters) - Buttons that appear at the start of conversations
* [Human support](/features/human-support) - Configure escalation to human agents
* [Custom responses](/features/custom-responses) - Create specific answers for exact questions
* [Chatbot instructions](/features/chatbot-instructions-personas) - Guide overall chatbot behavior