How to Train a Bot

Article Quick Links:

1. Training in the Answer View
2. Training in the Questions View
3. Training in the Conversations View
4. Auto-Training from Chatter Feedback
5. Answers that Don’t Require Training

Training in the Answer View

The Training section of the Answer View allows you to take the following actions on Training Questions:

• Add individual
• Bulk add
• Edit
• Move to a different Answer
• Delete

Add Individual Training Questions

To add a Training Question, type a sample Question or phrase into the Training field and press the enter/return key on your keyboard to apply.

Bulk Add Training Questions

To add Training Questions in bulk, click on the Training management icon on the right-hand side of the Training Question input field. 

• In the bulk add Training modal, each line represents a unique Training question – each question must be on its own line. 
• Type out questions manually, or copy and paste cells from a spreadsheet. 
• Use line breaks to separate individual questions. (ie. hit enter between each question.)
• You can train up to 20 Training questions at a time in the bulk-add Training modal.

To ensure the most effective Training, we recommend using short, concise questions and phrases. 

Edit Existing Training Questions

Should you wish to edit an existing Training Question, hover over the Question, then click the Edit button. To save your edits, click the blue Save button or press the Enter key on your keyboard. 

Move Existing Training Questions to a Different Answer

To move one or more Training Questions from one Answer to another, hover over the Training Question and click the checkbox to select it. If there are multiple Training Questions that you would like to move, select each of them, and then click the Move Selected button.

This will launch a modal in which you can select the Answer you would like them to be moved to. If you want to move all of the existing Training Questions from one answer to another, simply place a checkmark next to one of the Training Questions to select it, and then click the Move All Training button.

Delete Training Questions

To remove an existing Training question from an Answer, hover over one you would like to delete. If a red Do Not Enter icon appears, click on it to delete that Training question. If it does not appear, click the checkboxes that appear to select all of the answers you would like to delete. When you click Delete you will receive a warning, and clicking Delete again will remove the Training from your Answer.

Training in the Questions View

The Questions View is a collection of chatter questions that were:

• Not Helpful: The chatter gave a thumbs down review to the Answer the bot provided and their question does not already appear as a Training Question.
• Not Understood: The bot wasn’t confident enough to provide an Answer, so it responded with Not Understood. 

You have the option to create a new Answer for a chatter’s Question or phrase if you feel that the bot doesn’t currently have an appropriate Answer for their inquiry. You can also use chatter’s questions to train Answers in the Questions View.

At the top of the Questions View, use the search bar to filter Questions by keywords or use the dropdown menu to filter by category (Not Helpful, Not Understood, or both using All).

If you want context for a chatter’s question, click Open Conversation. You’ll be redirected to a transcript of the conversation where the Not Helpful/Not Understood Question appeared.

Note: In the Questions view, you can delete chatter-submitted questions that won’t be helpful in training your bot.

There are multiple methods to train an Answer from the Questions view: 

Training a Single Chatter's Question

1. Click into the search bar under the Question
2. Scroll through the dropdown list that appears, or search by Answer title
3. Click on the Answer you want to train; the Train button to the left will now be blue
4. Click Train to apply the chatter’s Question as a Training Question (it will disappear from the Questions view)

Training a Group of Chatter Questions in Bulk

1. Select multiple Questions by clicking on the empty box in the top right corner of each chatter Question (next to the trash icon)
2. Click into the search bar that appears at the bottom of your screen
3. Scroll through the drop-down list that appears or search by Answer title
4. Click on the Answer you want to train; the Train button to the left will now be blue
5. Click Train to apply the chatter’s question as a Training question (it will disappear from the Questions view)

Training a Portion of a Chatter's Question

1. Highlight the text in the chatter’s Question that you want to use as a Training Question
2. Click into the search bar that appears at the bottom of your screen
3. Scroll through the drop-down list that appears or search by Answer title
4. Click on the Answer you want to train; the Train button to the left will now be blue
5. Click the blue Train button to apply the chatter’s question as a Training question (it will disappear from the Questions view)

Note: You also have the option to create a new Answer for a given chatter Question if you feel that the bot doesn’t have an appropriate Answer yet. It’s best to check to see if an Answer already exists, or could be slightly modified, but if you decide to create a new Answer, make sure to add lots of new Training in the Answers view to help set up the bot for success.

Training in the Conversations View

You can also choose portions of a chatter’s conversation to Train to an Answer. The Conversations view lists all customer conversations, and can be expanded to view full transcripts.

Training a Portion of a Chatter’s Conversation

1. Click on chatter's Question you are using as Training 
2. Click into the search bar that appears at the bottom of your screen
3. Scroll through the dropdown list that appears or search by Answer title
4. Click on the Answer you want to train; the Train button to the left will now be blue
5. Click Train to apply the chatter’s question as a Training Question
   
   

Auto-Training from Chatter Feedback

Your bot is programmed to self-improve with chatter feedback. When a customer provides a thumbs up review, it reinforces Training.

A chatter’s interaction is added to an Answer as a Training Question when they give a thumbs up if:

• The Question is asked in the bot’s native language
• There are fewer than 100 Training questions trained to the Answer
• The Answer is not a Locked Answer (built-into the bot)

The bot can also learn from Clarifications predicted in the Needs Clarification Answer. When a chatter selects a Clarification option and gives a thumbs up to the Answer provided, their original Question gets added as Training. 

Note: The question in this interaction will not appear in the Questions view since it is already trained.

Disable auto-training

Auto-Training is enabled by default. To disable Auto-Training:

• Go to Settings > Bot Setup > Answers, then switch the Auto-Training toggle off.
  
  
  

Answers that Don't Require Training

Some Answers do not require any Training.

Certain Locked Answers (Answers that are pre-set in the bot) aren’t meant to be triggered by text in chatter interactions, so they don’t need Training Questions. These Answers are:

• Pictures
• Emojis
• Links
• Videos
• Not Understood
• Cancel Capture
• Needs Clarification

Answers that are structured as Answer Flows often only need Training at the top level.

For example, the first Answer in a series of steps, or a Menu that leads a chatter to multiple sub-options.

To learn more about Training, see this article. 

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For any additional questions, contact your ACX Consultant, Account Manager, or email us at [e-mail].