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A custom response is a question and answer that you write yourself. Use custom responses for questions where the answer must be right every time, such as prices, policies, and your most common questions. How custom responses work:
  • Matched by meaning. The chatbot matches the visitor’s question to your question by meaning, not by exact words. One custom response for “How much does it cost?” also covers “What’s the price?”.
  • Searched separately. The chatbot searches your custom responses on their own, apart from your website pages and files. A large website cannot push them out.
  • Preferred, not copied. The chatbot is told to prefer a matching custom response over your other content. It can still reword the answer or combine it with other information.
If you need the exact wording every time, see Get the exact wording.

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Before you start

  • Role: Manager or higher. See Team members.
  • Plan: any plan.
  • Have the question in the words a visitor uses, and the answer you want the chatbot to give.

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Add a custom response

1

Open Custom Responses

In your chatbot’s sidebar, select Custom Responses > Add Custom Response.
2

Write the question

In Question, write the question the way a visitor asks it.
3

Write the answer

In Answer, write the answer you want the chatbot to give. You can use Markdown, for example for links and lists.
4

Save

Select Add Custom Response.
The new custom response shows in the Custom Responses list. Its status shows when training is complete.

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Add a custom response from a conversation

Use this when you find a wrong answer in a real conversation.
1

Open the conversation

In your chatbot’s sidebar, select Chat History and open the conversation.
2

Select the edit link

Under the wrong answer, select Incorrect? Modify bot’s answer!
3

Write the correct answer

In New Bot Answer, replace the text with the correct answer. The visitor’s question is used as the question.
4

Save

Select Save.
The custom response shows in the list with the type Added from Chat History. This option is not available in HIPAA workspaces. For the full process, see Fix a wrong answer.

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Add a custom response from Analytics

On the Analytics page, questions have an Add to Q&A button:
  • In Unanswered questions, Add to Q&A opens the Update Bot’s Answer window for that message. Write the answer in New Bot Answer and select Save. This works the same as adding a custom response from a conversation.
  • In Frequently asked questions, Add to Q&A opens Add Custom Response with the question filled in. Write the answer and select Add Custom Response.
Unanswered questions needs the Growth plan or above. Frequently asked questions needs the Scale plan or above. See Plans and limits and Analytics.

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Edit or delete a custom response

1

Open the custom response

In Custom Responses, select the custom response.
2

Edit or delete it

Select Edit, change the answer, and select Save Changes. You can change the question only on custom responses that you added manually. To remove it, select Delete and confirm.
To find custom responses by how they were created, open Filter in the list. By default, all types are selected. Under Type, clear the types that you do not want to see, for example Manually Added or Added from Chat History.

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Get the exact wording

The chatbot prefers a custom response, but it can reword it. If the wording must not change, for example for legal text, add a rule to your instructions:
Example instruction
This makes exact wording more likely. It is not a guarantee. Test the question after you save.

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Tips

  • Write one topic per custom response. A short, clear pair matches better than one long pair that covers many topics.
  • Write the question the way visitors ask it, not the way your team says it.
  • Review your custom responses when your prices, policies, or products change. Custom responses do not update themselves.
  • For background information that the chatbot can use in many answers, use a text snippet or a page on your website instead.

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Check that it works

Open the chat button in the corner of your dashboard and start a new conversation. Ask the question in two or three different ways. The chatbot gives the answer from your custom response.