Creating answers for common customer questions in AI agents for messaging (Legacy)

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This article describes functionality available only to customers who had a drafted or published AI agent as of February 2, 2025. For information about equivalent functionality in the AI agents - Advanced add-on, see Building dialogues for AI agents - Advanced.

After you’ve created an AI agent for messaging and configured its standard responses, you can create answers that determine how it responds to customer questions. Each answer addresses a single question your customers might ask. Answers are comprised of steps that determine how the AI agent responds to customer input.

Note: Answers are no longer the recommended way to define how an AI agent responds to a customer's question. Instead, you should use generative replies, which use your own trusted help center content to deliver concise, AI-generated replies directly within a conversation, all without requiring you to create or maintain answer flows.

This article contains the following sections:

• Creating an answer
• Adding and removing steps in an answer

Creating an answer

You can build your own answer from scratch or use a pre-built answer template:

• Creating your own answer
• Creating an answer from a template

Creating your own answer

You can build an answer from scratch, starting with an empty answer flow. Answers are comprised of steps that determine how the AI agent responds to customer input. An answer can have multiple steps or a single step, but each answer must have at least one step. When the AI agent matches a customer’s query to an answer, the AI agent displays the behavior defined by the steps in the answer.

An AI agent for messaging can include up to 2,000 steps and 500 answers.

To create an answer for your AI agent

1. In Admin Center, click AI in the sidebar, then select AI agents > AI agents.
2. Click Manage AI agents for messaging.
3. Click the name of the AI agent you want to edit.
4. Click the Answers tab, then click Create answer.
5. Click Build your own answer, then click Next.

   

6. Enter the Answer name, then click Next.

   The name should be a brief, clear description of the issue addressed by the answer. For example, “Password reset,” “Request a refund,” or “Talk to a human."

7. Enter Training phrases in the available fields, then click Add phrase if you need to add more.

   Training phrases teach the AI agent how to interpret questions so it can match the most relevant answer. You can add up to 100 additional phrases. See best practices for training phrases.

   Alternatively, if you have an intent model assigned to your account, you might see up to three AI-powered suggested intents to use instead of training phrases. You can select one or more intents. If none of the intents work, click Train the AI agent yourself to add training phrases.

   

8. Click Next.

   The answer opens in bot builder where you can build out the AI agent’s response.

9. Click Add step to create the first step in the answer.

   Each answer needs at least one step only.

10. Under Choose step in the configuration panel, select a step type, then enter options to Configure the step.

    For information on the available step types, see Understanding answer step types. Click Preview to view the step as a user.

11. Add additional steps to the answer as needed.

    For more information, see Adding and removing steps in an answer.

12. Click Done when you’re finished.

    The answer appears as Ready to publish status.

At this point, you can click Create answer to create another answer or you can click Publish AI agent to make your new answer available in the AI agent. Before new or edited answers are available to customers, you must publish the AI agent they’re attached to. When you publish the AI agent, all answers in the Ready to publish state are published.

Creating an answer from a template

You can choose from a number of templates to use as a starting point for an answer. These templates provide examples of common answer topics and construction. While each template has a complete answer framework, most will require you to add information before you publish.

To create an answer from a template

1. In Admin Center, click AI in the sidebar, then select AI agents > AI agents.
2. Click Manage AI agents for messaging.
3. Click the name of the AI agent you want to edit.
4. Click the Answers tab, then click Create answer.
5. Click the answer template you want to use, then click Next.

   The answer opens in bot builder.

6. Update the Name and Training phrases for the answer, if you'd like.

   

7. Click each step in the answer and make changes as needed.

   It's a good idea to check each step in the answer to make sure it is complete and has been personalized for your business.

8. Click Done when you are finished.

   Or, if you are just viewing the answer structure without making any changes, you can click your browser's Back button to return to the Create answer page.

At this point, you can click Create answer to create another answer or you can click Publish AI agent to make your new answer available in the AI agent. Before new or edited answers are available to customers, you must publish the AI agent they’re attached to. When you publish the AI agent, all answers in the Ready to publish state are published.

Adding and removing steps in an answer

When using bot builder to create an answer, you might do any of the following to build your answer:

• Insert new steps in answer
• Copy and paste steps in an answer
• Checking answer step usage and limit
• Remove steps from an answer

Inserting new steps to an answer

In addition to copying and pasting steps into an answer, you can also insert a step between two existing steps in an answer.

When you add a branching step, such as a Present options or Add business hours conditions step, the subsequent, pre-existing steps will be included under the new step's initial branch.

• Present options: Existing steps are included under Option 1.
• Add business hours conditions: Existing steps are included under the When openbranch.

You can't add the Transfer to agent step to an answer before another step. It can be the final step in an answer only.

To add a step into an answer

1. Open an answer for editing.
2. In bot builder, hover over the line connecting two steps and click the Add new icon ( ).

   

3. In the Configuration panel, select the message type to insert into the answer and configure the step as needed.
4. Repeat as needed, then click Done when you're ready.

Remember to publish the AI agent to make the updated answer available.

Copying and pasting steps in an answer

You can copy one or more consecutive steps and use them elsewhere within the same answer. You can't copy a step from one answer to another answer. You can paste copied steps only at the end of a branch in the answer, and that branch can't currently end with a Transfer to agent step.

To copy a step (or multiple steps) and paste it elsewhere in an answer

1. Open an answer for editing.
2. Click the step you want to copy.
3. In the configuration panel, click the Options ( ) menu, then select an option:
   • Select Copy this step to copy only the selected step
   • Select Copy this and following steps to copy the selected step and all subsequent steps

   

4. Click the Add new icon ( ) or the Add a step icon ( ) at the end of the branch.
5. Click the Options ( ) menu again, then select Paste step.

   

6. Click Done when you're finished.

Remember to publish the AI agent to make the updated answer available.

Checking answer step usage and limit

You can use a maximum of 2000 steps across all of your answers. You can check how many steps you're using by opening any answer and clicking the information icon in the answer's mini-map.

Removing steps from an answer

Deleting a step removes all subsequent steps from the answer. If you want to delete a step but retain the subsequent steps, you can copy and paste the subsequent steps later in the answer.

To delete a step in an answer

1. Open an answer for editing.
2. In the configuration panel, click the Options () menu.
3. Select Delete this step or Delete this and following steps. If there are subsequent steps, click Delete steps in the warning box.
4. Click Done when you've finished making your changes.

Remember to publish the AI agent to make the updated answer available.