At a glance
Overview
- 1 Open Advance Tools → AI + ChatBots → AI Chatbot (Early Access) → Manage Documents (or Upgrade to AI if locked).
- 2 On Knowledge Sources, Upload file and/or Add URL. Wait until sources show Ready (not Indexing… or Error).
- 3 Turn on Enable AI Chatbot so it can reply when Chatbot Builder has no match. Add Custom Instructions and a Fallback Message under Behavior & Handoff.
- 4 Optional: use Try a Question to preview answers without messaging contacts.
- 5 Optional: in Chatbot Builder, add an Ask AI node where you want knowledge answers inside a specific flow (see Chatbot builder docs).
Step by step
How AI Chatbot works
Build a knowledge base, enable fallback or Ask AI, then hand off when needed.
Open, enable, and when AI runs
Hub card shows Active/Inactive, source counts, and Ready count. The header toggle Enable AI Chatbot syncs with “use as fallback”.
- 1 From ChatBots, open Manage Documents to reach AI Chatbot settings (breadcrumb: Chatbots / AI Chatbot).
- 2 Enable AI Chatbot when you want replies from your sources if no active Chatbot Builder flow matches the message.
- 3 When a Builder session or trigger matches first, the flow (including Ask AI nodes) runs instead of global AI.
- 4 AI-sent replies can show an AI Chatbot badge in Inbox.
- 5 See How It Works explains Add Knowledge Sources → Smart Indexing → Custom Instructions → AI-Powered Response.
Knowledge Sources
Limits: max 8 sources and 20 MB total. Supported files: PDF, DOCX, TXT, CSV, XLSX.
- 1 Open the Knowledge Sources tab. Upload file or Add URL (Google Sheet or webpage).
- 2 For Google Sheets, share as Anyone with the link can view. Webpages use visible text only.
- 3 Watch status: Indexing… → Ready · N chunks, or Error (use Retry / Refresh / Delete Source).
- 4 For URLs, set Auto-refresh: Off / Every 6 hours / Every 12 hours / Daily / Weekly, and check Last fetched / Next.
- 5 If the banner says sources are being indexed, wait or click Refresh before relying on answers.
Custom Instructions, fallback, and handoff
Instructions shape tone and language on top of the system prompt. Fallback and handoff cover misses.
- 1 Open Custom Instructions (max 8000 characters). Describe tone, language (for example Hinglish), layouts, and domain rules, then Save Instructions.
- 2 Open Behavior & Handoff. Set Fallback Message — sent when no match is found in sources (default: We don't have information on this right now…).
- 3 Optional: enable Handoff to Human. Keywords always trigger handoff; you can also hand off after 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 AI replies once per 24-hour window (idle resets the window).
- 4 Configure Trigger keywords, optional Contact phone/email, and Handoff message (you can include the contact phone or email placeholders shown in the form), then Save Settings.
Try a Question and Ask AI in Builder
Preview on the AI page; use Ask AI inside flows for scripted knowledge steps.
- 1 On Try a Question, enter a Customer question and click Try question (needs at least one Ready source; throttled; nothing is sent to contacts).
- 2 Review Reply preview and Matched sources. Badges may show Fallback — no match in sources or Fallback — AI unavailable.
- 3 In Chatbot Builder, add Ask AI. Optional Prompt (default How can I help you?), then Fallback message for the node’s failure path.
- 4 Wire Ask AI outputs: success continues the happy path; fallback handles misses. Knowledge is the same base as Manage Documents.
- 5 For full canvas lifecycle (Publish / Activate), see the Chatbot builder guide.
Tips
- Better source quality beats longer prompts — keep FAQs and rates in clear PDFs, CSV, or Sheets.
- Refresh URL sources after content changes; use Auto-refresh for pages that update often.
- Enable global AI for catch-all support; use Ask AI when a specific step in a bot should search knowledge.
- Always set a clear Fallback Message and wire Ask AI’s fallback output.
- If the hub shows Upgrade to AI, your plan does not include AI Chatbot yet — upgrade to unlock it.