Training your AI agent to respond accurately
Training your AI agent starts with providing accurate, up-to-date data sources and clear Instructions. Your data sources give the AI agent the information it needs to answer customer questions, while Instructions define how it should respond and behave.
This guide explains how to configure, test, and improve your AI agent for accurate and consistent responses.
This guide explains how to configure, test, and improve your AI agent for accurate and consistent responses.
1. Give your AI agent the right information
Your AI agent uses your connected data sources to find information relevant to each customer's question. You can provide information through:
Learn more about the available options in this article: Understanding AI Assist's Data Sources
Keep your information accurate and up to date
Review your data sources regularly and remove outdated or conflicting information. Duplicate or contradictory information can make it harder for AI Assist to identify the most relevant answer.
For example, if your website says that a product costs $50 but a Shortcut says it costs $40, update the outdated information before putting your AI agent into production.
Learn how AI Assist selects information from your data sources in this article: Understanding how AI Assist prioritizes your data sources
Organize your Knowledge Base content
If you're using your Knowledge Base as a data source, keep each article focused on a single topic. This makes it easier for AI Assist to find the information relevant to a customer's question.
You can create Knowledge Base articles from your existing website content, FAQs, and other documentation. Keep the information clear, complete, and up to date. See this article to learn more: Creating a new Knowledge Base article
Make sure your data sources are connected
Adding information to your Knowledge Base or another source does not automatically make it available to every AI agent. Check your AI agent's Knowledge settings and make sure the data sources you want it to use are connected.
If your AI agent can't find information that you know exists, use the preview to check which data sources it used. This can help you identify missing or incorrectly configured sources.
- FAQs
- Plain text
- Documents such as PDF, CSV, and TXT files
- Tables
- Shortcuts
- Knowledge Base articles
- Websites
Learn more about the available options in this article: Understanding AI Assist's Data Sources
Keep your information accurate and up to date
Review your data sources regularly and remove outdated or conflicting information. Duplicate or contradictory information can make it harder for AI Assist to identify the most relevant answer.
For example, if your website says that a product costs $50 but a Shortcut says it costs $40, update the outdated information before putting your AI agent into production.
Learn how AI Assist selects information from your data sources in this article: Understanding how AI Assist prioritizes your data sources
Organize your Knowledge Base content
If you're using your Knowledge Base as a data source, keep each article focused on a single topic. This makes it easier for AI Assist to find the information relevant to a customer's question.
You can create Knowledge Base articles from your existing website content, FAQs, and other documentation. Keep the information clear, complete, and up to date. See this article to learn more: Creating a new Knowledge Base article
Make sure your data sources are connected
Adding information to your Knowledge Base or another source does not automatically make it available to every AI agent. Check your AI agent's Knowledge settings and make sure the data sources you want it to use are connected.
If your AI agent can't find information that you know exists, use the preview to check which data sources it used. This can help you identify missing or incorrectly configured sources.
2. Use Instructions to define how your AI agent behaves
Your AI agent's Instructions define how it should communicate and behave during conversations.
Use Instructions to tell your AI agent things such as:
Instructions were previously called the Base Prompt.
For more information, see these guides:
Getting started with Instructions
Modifying your AI agent's Instructions
Write clear and specific Instructions
Use short, direct instructions and avoid conflicting rules.
For example:
If you want your AI agent to use specific wording, put the wording in quotation marks.
You can also use Instructions to restrict your AI agent from answering questions outside your business scope. See this guide to learn more: Using Instructions to restrict AI Assist's responses
Use data sources for information and Instructions for behavior
Data sources provide the information your AI agent needs to answer questions.
Instructions define how your AI agent should behave, communicate, and handle different situations.
For example, instead of writing a long Instruction containing your entire refund policy, add the refund policy to an appropriate data source and use Instructions to tell the AI agent how to explain or apply that policy.
AI Assist first searches your configured data sources for relevant information and then applies your Instructions when generating the response.
Use Instructions to tell your AI agent things such as:
- What tone and personality to use
- How to greet customers
- What information to include in responses
- When to ask follow-up questions
- Which topics it should or shouldn't answer
- When to offer a human agent
- How to collect information from potential leads
Instructions were previously called the Base Prompt.
For more information, see these guides:
Getting started with Instructions
Modifying your AI agent's Instructions
Write clear and specific Instructions
Use short, direct instructions and avoid conflicting rules.
For example:
- Maintain a friendly and professional tone.
- Keep answers short and focused.
- If you don't have enough information to answer a question, say so instead of guessing.
- If a visitor asks about enterprise pricing, offer to connect them with the Sales team.
If you want your AI agent to use specific wording, put the wording in quotation marks.
You can also use Instructions to restrict your AI agent from answering questions outside your business scope. See this guide to learn more: Using Instructions to restrict AI Assist's responses
Use data sources for information and Instructions for behavior
Data sources provide the information your AI agent needs to answer questions.
Instructions define how your AI agent should behave, communicate, and handle different situations.
For example, instead of writing a long Instruction containing your entire refund policy, add the refund policy to an appropriate data source and use Instructions to tell the AI agent how to explain or apply that policy.
AI Assist first searches your configured data sources for relevant information and then applies your Instructions when generating the response.
3. Use Scenarios for specific processes
Use Scenarios when you want your AI agent to follow a specific process for a particular type of request. While Instructions define your AI agent's general behavior, Scenarios help it handle specific situations step by step.
Each AI agent can have up to 20 Scenarios. Scenarios belong to the individual AI agent and are not shared between different AI agents.
A Scenario can include:
For example, an order-tracking Scenario could ask the visitor for their order number, check the relevant information, and then provide the delivery status.
See this guide for detailed instructions: Creating Scenarios for your AI agent
Keep each Scenario focused
Create separate Scenarios for distinct topics or processes. Avoid using the same or very similar Trigger Phrases across multiple Scenarios, as this can make it harder for your AI agent to identify the correct process.
Test each Scenario using the preview before enabling it for visitors.
For example, you can create a Scenario for:
- Tracking an order
- Processing a refund request
- Scheduling an appointment
- Handling a sales inquiry
- Troubleshooting a technical issue
Each AI agent can have up to 20 Scenarios. Scenarios belong to the individual AI agent and are not shared between different AI agents.
A Scenario can include:
- Trigger Phrases that identify when the Scenario should run
- Negative Examples to prevent incorrect matches
- Instructions
- Conditions
- Knowledge sources
- Tools
- Schedules
- Escalation instructions
For example, an order-tracking Scenario could ask the visitor for their order number, check the relevant information, and then provide the delivery status.
See this guide for detailed instructions: Creating Scenarios for your AI agent
Keep each Scenario focused
Create separate Scenarios for distinct topics or processes. Avoid using the same or very similar Trigger Phrases across multiple Scenarios, as this can make it harder for your AI agent to identify the correct process.
Test each Scenario using the preview before enabling it for visitors.
4. Use Shortcuts when you need controlled responses
Shortcuts are useful when you want to provide a specific response or trigger an action.
Shortcuts are a primary data source for AI Assist. Keep your Shortcuts accurate and up to date so AI Assist can use them when generating responses.
If you need AI Assist to respond exactly the way you've written something, use a Shortcut with the relevant questions.
You can also configure how your AI agent handles Shortcut content:
See this guide to learn more: Creating and managing shortcuts
Use Shortcuts for guided conversations
You can combine Shortcuts, AI Questions, Suggested Messages, and Instructions to create predictable conversation flows.
For example, a visitor can select “Check my order” from a Suggested Message, and AI Assist can use the matching AI Question to trigger the appropriate Shortcut.
See this guide for examples: Using Suggested Message and AI Assist to create scripted chat sequences
Shortcuts are a primary data source for AI Assist. Keep your Shortcuts accurate and up to date so AI Assist can use them when generating responses.
If you need AI Assist to respond exactly the way you've written something, use a Shortcut with the relevant questions.
You can also configure how your AI agent handles Shortcut content:
- Send exactly as written — sends the Shortcut response without changes.
- Adapt only if it conflicts with your Instructions — keeps the Shortcut content unless it needs to change it to follow your Instructions.
- Rewrite in the agent's voice — adapts the Shortcut to match your AI agent's tone and style.
See this guide to learn more: Creating and managing shortcuts
Use Shortcuts for guided conversations
You can combine Shortcuts, AI Questions, Suggested Messages, and Instructions to create predictable conversation flows.
For example, a visitor can select “Check my order” from a Suggested Message, and AI Assist can use the matching AI Question to trigger the appropriate Shortcut.
See this guide for examples: Using Suggested Message and AI Assist to create scripted chat sequences
5. Configure your AI agent for specific outcomes
Your AI agent can do more than answer questions. You can configure it to collect lead information, use connected tools, or escalate conversations to your team.
Capture leads
Use Instructions to guide your AI agent through a lead-capture conversation. For example, you can tell it which information to collect based on a visitor's interests.
You can also combine Instructions with a Shortcut and the Lead Capture Form to collect structured information.
See this guide to learn more: Using Instructions for lead capture
Escalate to a human agent
For questions that require personal attention, configure your AI agent to offer or initiate a human handoff.
Note: Escalations are available for paid AI Assist plans only.
You can use Instructions to define when the AI agent should escalate and Shortcuts to control what happens during the handoff.
See these guides to learn more:
Using Instructions for escalation
Training AI Assist to transfer conversations to human agents
Capture leads
Use Instructions to guide your AI agent through a lead-capture conversation. For example, you can tell it which information to collect based on a visitor's interests.
You can also combine Instructions with a Shortcut and the Lead Capture Form to collect structured information.
See this guide to learn more: Using Instructions for lead capture
Escalate to a human agent
For questions that require personal attention, configure your AI agent to offer or initiate a human handoff.
Note: Escalations are available for paid AI Assist plans only.
You can use Instructions to define when the AI agent should escalate and Shortcuts to control what happens during the handoff.
See these guides to learn more:
Using Instructions for escalation
Training AI Assist to transfer conversations to human agents
6. Test your AI agent before going live
Use the preview widget to test your AI agent before allowing it to respond to customers.
Test a variety of questions, including:
Testing does not use your AI Assist message credits.
When testing a response, click the Data Sources icon to see which sources AI Assist used to generate the answer. This can help you identify outdated, incomplete, or conflicting information.
If the response is incorrect, update the relevant data source or Instructions and test again.
For more troubleshooting guidance, see this guide: Fixing incorrect responses delivered by AI Assist
Test how your Instructions affect responses
Test both expected and unexpected questions to see how your Instructions affect your AI agent's responses.
Check whether your AI agent:
Start with simple Instructions and refine them gradually. Long or conflicting Instructions can lead to inconsistent results.
Test a variety of questions, including:
- Common customer questions
- Questions about your products or services
- Questions that require information from different data sources
- Questions that should trigger a Scenario
- Questions that should trigger a Shortcut
- Questions outside your business scope
- Questions that should result in an escalation
Testing does not use your AI Assist message credits.
When testing a response, click the Data Sources icon to see which sources AI Assist used to generate the answer. This can help you identify outdated, incomplete, or conflicting information.
If the response is incorrect, update the relevant data source or Instructions and test again.
For more troubleshooting guidance, see this guide: Fixing incorrect responses delivered by AI Assist
Test how your Instructions affect responses
Test both expected and unexpected questions to see how your Instructions affect your AI agent's responses.
Check whether your AI agent:
- Follows your desired tone
- Provides the right information
- Asks the right follow-up questions
- Stays within the topics you support
- Uses Shortcuts and other configured actions correctly
- Follows your Scenarios when their Trigger Phrases match
Start with simple Instructions and refine them gradually. Long or conflicting Instructions can lead to inconsistent results.
7. Turn on your AI agent when you're ready
Once you've tested your AI agent and are satisfied with its responses, enable it from the Agents page.
If you're using Live Chat, you can also delay your AI agent's initial response to give your team time to join a conversation themselves. See this guide to learn more: Getting chat notifications even when AI Assist is active
You can also enable notifications when your AI agent joins a conversation. See this guide to learn more: Getting notified when your AI agent joins a chat
If you're using Live Chat, you can also delay your AI agent's initial response to give your team time to join a conversation themselves. See this guide to learn more: Getting chat notifications even when AI Assist is active
You can also enable notifications when your AI agent joins a conversation. See this guide to learn more: Getting notified when your AI agent joins a chat
8. Review conversations and improve your AI agent
Training your AI agent is an ongoing process. After it goes live, review conversations regularly to identify incorrect answers, missing information, workflows that need improvement, and opportunities to make responses more useful.
When you identify an issue:
When you identify an issue:
- Review the AI agent's response.
- Check the Data Sources used for the response.
- Look for outdated, incomplete, or conflicting information.
- Update the relevant data source, Instruction, Scenario, or Shortcut.
- Test the same question again in the preview.
- Monitor future conversations to confirm the change works as expected.
Important considerations
- Keep your AI agent's information current
Your AI agent can only provide reliable answers when the information available to it is accurate and up to date. Review your Knowledge Base, documents, website content, FAQs, Shortcuts, and other data sources whenever your products, services, pricing, policies, or processes change.
- Don't overload your Instructions
Use Instructions for behavior and decision-making rather than storing large amounts of business information in them. Keep individual rules clear, specific, and easy to test.
- Use the right tool for the job
Think of your AI agent configuration as several layers:
- Data sources provide the information.
- Instructions define how the AI agent behaves.
- Scenarios define specific processes for particular situations.
- Shortcuts provide controlled responses and actions.
- Tools and integrations let the AI agent access external information or perform actions.
- Escalation provides a path to human support when AI Assist should not handle the conversation.
Using these together gives you more control than relying on any single feature.
- Protect customer information
Avoid adding sensitive personal information to your data sources or Instructions unless you have an appropriate process for handling it securely. For more information, see this guide: How AI Assist uses your data securely
- Start small and expand
You don't need to configure every possible workflow before launching your AI agent. Start with your most common customer questions, test the responses, and gradually add more data sources, Instructions, Scenarios, and workflows as you identify opportunities to improve the experience.
Related guides
If you have feedback about this article, or if you need more help:
- Click the green live chat icon
- Schedule a call with us
- Visit our community