Workflow: Notify customers of business hours when no agents are online

In this workflow, you'll learn how to use answers in your conversation bot to notify your customers of your business hours when no agents are online. A user with administrator permissions can complete this workflow.

The workflow includes the steps below.

• Video
• Step 1: Access bot builder
• Step 2: Create the answer
• Step 3: Establish bot behavior

Video

The video below walks you through creating an answer in the conversation bot to notify customers of your business hours when no agents are online. You can change the steps within the answer if they do not fit your ideal workflow.

Step 1: Access bot builder

Bot builder is where you will create the answer the conversation bot will use in response to your end users' request.

To locate and build in bot builder

1. Open the Admin Center
2. Select the Channels dropdown
3. Under Bots and automation, select Bots
4. You will see the bot builder tool under Bots and Automation > Bots > Conversation bot > Manage bots
   

If you are having difficulties access bot builder, see this article for more information: I'm unable to access the bot builder.

Step 2: Create the answer

Answers tell the conversation bot how to best respond to your end users' requests.

To create an answer for your conversation bot

1. In Admin Center, click Channels in the sidebar, then select Bots and automations > Bots.
2. Click Manage bots
3. Click the name of the bot 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
7. Enter Training phrases in the available fields, then click Add phrase if you need to add more
8. Click Next

   The answer opens in bot builder, where you will build out the bot’s response.

9. Click Add step to create the first step in the answer
10. Under Choose step in the configuration panel, select Message. Enter the initial message you would like the bot to send the end user
11. Click Add step from the configuration panel, select Present options > Manual
12. In the configuration panel add a message to be presented to the end user. Then under Options name the two options you would like to present to the end user. In this example we have created the options Connect with agent and Browser articles.
13. Under the option Connect with agent click Add step > Add business hours condition
    The account configured business hours will appear if you have multiple business hours options configured within your account. You can select the one you would like to use from the drop-down.
14. Under When open, click Add step > Transfer to agent
15. Under When closed, click Add step > Send message
    In this example, we wrote a message notifying the end user of our business hours.
16. Under Browse articles, click Add step > Show Help Center articles. Add a Bot message to present to the end user then.
17. Under Articles, select up to six help center to present to the end user
18. Click Done

Step 3: Establish bot behavior

Behavior within the bot establishes the basic behavior in response to the question an end user enters into the widget.

To configure your bot’s standard response

1. On the Behavior tab of the bot’s edit page, expand the section Start of the conversation
2. Click Start with an answer. Select the answer created to show business hours
3. Click Publish bot