How can I improve my messaging bot to find the match I expect?

Issue symptoms

Why doesn’t the messaging bot find the answer or article I expect, when a user types a certain phrase into the web widget?

This behavior has several causes. Keep these details in mind:

Answers take priority over articles. An end user could ask a question that matches a title or a portion of an article, but if the bot identifies a matching answer, it returns the answer. If you aim to return a specific article, build an answer specifically designed to match the frequently asked question that suggests the article, directly within its flow.
Partial matching logic may be used when identifying the best-suggested answer or article. In some scenarios, no full words from the question match words within the answer's training phrases or intent.
Short questions, especially those that are only a single word, are not often matched. Due to partial matching logic, a question with a single word can result in unexpected or unwanted answers.
Similarly, short or generic training phrases lead to inaccurate matching. Improve match accuracy by using specific language and phrases that are at least a few words in length in an answer’s intent, as well as training phrases.
If a specific question asked doesn’t result in the desired matching, adjust the training phrases or intent of the answer that should match. Alternatively, create a new answer with training phrases aimed at matching a common question.

For more on building successful bots, see the article: Best practices: Creating a messaging bot.