Create an outbound keyword question if you want to match the keywords in a chatbot user's question differently if they ask it in response to a specific passage.
When a passage has outbound questions, the chatbot checks those questions first before trying to match inbound questions from other passages. For example, the chatbot has:
- A fee overview passage with an inbound question of 'what are the fees'.
- A sign-up passage for a specific service.
- A passage about the service fees.
If the chatbot user says 'what are the fees' in response to the sign-up passage, they probably mean the fees for the service, not our fees in general. We can use an outbound question to start the service fee passage instead of the fee overview one. This only affects how the chatbot matches that question after that specific passage:
| Passage without outbound question | Passage with outbound question of "what are the fees?" |
|---|---|
|
Chatbot user asks "what are the fees?"
|
Chatbot user asks "what are the fees?"
|
|
Chatbot user asks "how do I apply?"
|
Chatbot user asks "how do I apply?"
|
Use outbound questions sparingly
If the chatbot should usually start this passage when the chatbot user's response matches the keywords, create an inbound keyword question. You can use child conversations and question context levels if you need to match the same keywords to different passages in different situations.
Most of your questions should be inbound so that your chatbot can freely respond to your chatbot users and adapt as they change topics. Use outbound questions only when you need the chatbot to match a question differently when the chatbot user responds to a specific passage.
If you want to match the chatbot user's intent rather than a defined keyword phrase, create an NLP question.
To create an outbound keyword question:
- Click Create in the left navigation, then click Convesations.
- Click the conversation with the passage you want to add a question to.
- Click the passage you want to add the question to.
Outbound questions can only be added to passages, not logic. - Click Outbound Questions.
- Click + Question.
- Click the menu on the new question.
- Click Convert to Keywords.
- Click the edit icon next to the New Question title.
- Type a descriptive name for the question.
- Type the first keyword or phrase you want to match in the field.
- Type Enter or click + to add a new keyword or phrase.
- If you want to weight the question, select a weight from the dropdown above the training phrases.
- If you want to add a word limit to the question, click the A dropdown and select the maximum number of words that can match this question.
The default limit is three words. Select the infinity symbol ∞ to remove the limit. - Select the Conversation of the passage or logic that will answer this question.
- Select the Passage or logic that will answer this question.
A preview of the passage is displayed. You can also open the passage in a new tab. - Click Save.
You must publish these changes before they'll appear in your live chatbot.
