Conversation bot – access custom fields without "Ask for details" step



Publicado 27 de nov. de 2024

We are building a conversation bot which is integrated with our iOS and Android apps.

 

For advanced functionality, such as helping users perform an action in an app, we want the bot to send them links containing url schemes which the app can then process. For example, our app's bundle id is “com.theorytestrevolution.app” and the app is able to respond to the following link “com.theorytestrevolution.app://?action={some_action}”.

 

To let the bot know which app it is, we are making sure that custom fields are set. The field corresponding to the bundle ID is called “App” and it is visible to agents.

 

However, it looks like to make it available to a bot we need to include the “Ask for details” step. For our use case, this is extremely inconvenient, as we literally need to tell users “Ignore this please and click Next”. Otherwise, if they see that the app field is set to something like “com.theorytestrevolution.app” they may think it is an error and they may change it to something more human-friendly.

 

So basically my questions is the following – is it possible for a bot to access custom fields without “Ask for details step”? At least when they are already set.


0

1

1 comentário

      Hi Andrew,
       
      Thanks for sharing the details of your bot integration, it sounds like a great use case!
       
      Regarding your question about accessing custom fields without the “Ask for details” step: currently, the Zendesk bot framework requires the “Ask for details” step to capture or confirm custom field values during a conversation. However, if the custom field is already set on the ticket or user profile, there are ways for your bot to access those values programmatically without prompting the user again—this typically involves using the Zendesk API or bot framework SDK to read those fields directly from the ticket or user context.
       
      To avoid user confusion with the bundle ID field, you might consider making the field hidden or read-only in the agent interface or displaying a more user-friendly label in the bot’s UI, while keeping the technical ID behind the scenes for processing. Alternatively, you could store the bundle ID in a separate internal field and map it to a friendly name for display purposes.
       
      If you’re building a custom bot or using Zendesk’s Messaging SDK, integrating API calls to fetch existing custom field values before triggering “Ask for details” can streamline the flow and reduce unnecessary prompts.
       
      Hope this helps!

      0


      Entrar para deixar um comentário.

      Não encontrou o que estava procurando?

      Nova publicação