Getting the best results from your AI chatbot comes down to putting the right content in the right place. This guide walks you through each part of the chatbot setup and how to use them effectively.
Your chatbot has five main building blocks, each with a different purpose. Putting information in the wrong place is the most common setup mistake.
| Building Block | What it does | When the AI is involved |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge Base | Gives the AI information to reference | Yes, AI reads it and answers in its own words |
| Instructions | Rules the AI follows for every message | Yes, shapes every response |
| Exact Answers | Returns a fixed response, word for word | Yes, the AI strictly follows the provided answer |
| Lead Flows | Collects visitor information | Yes (AI Conversation) or No (Form) |
| Advanced Prompt | Fully replaces all instructions | Yes, complete control over AI behavior |
| Live Chat | Hands off to a human agent | No |
The knowledge base is your chatbot's brain. It contains all the factual information the AI can reference when answering questions. The AI reads this content and responds in its own words.
Start broad, then go specific. Add your full website sitemap first. Then add specific documents for topics your website doesn't cover well.
Keep content accurate and up to date. The AI can only be as accurate as the information you give it. If your pricing, hours, or policies change, update the knowledge base.
Structure your FAQ documents clearly. Use a simple question-and-answer format. The clearer the source material, the better the AI's responses will be.
Don't duplicate content unnecessarily. If your website already covers a topic well, you don't need to also upload a document about it. The AI searches across all sources.
Test after adding content. Ask the chatbot questions about the content you just added. If it doesn't pick up on something, the content might need to be reworded or made more explicit.
Instructions are behavioral rules that the AI follows for every single message. Think of them as the chatbot's personality and rulebook combined.
Note: the chatbot's name, persona, and tone of voice are configured separately in the chatbot settings, not in instructions.
Your chatbot already comes with various built-in instructions (e.g. "only reference prices from the knowledge base"). You can add your own on top of these to customize behavior for your specific business.
Be specific and direct. Write instructions the way you'd brief a new employee.
Good: "When someone asks about pricing, say: You can see all our pricing on our pricing page at [URL]. Never quote specific dollar amounts."
Bad: "Handle pricing questions appropriately."
Use "when X, do Y" format for redirect rules. This is the most reliable pattern:
Don't overload instructions. Keep them focused on rules and behavior. Factual content like your full FAQ belongs in the knowledge base, not in instructions.
Prioritize what matters most. Put your most important rules at the top. If you absolutely need the bot to never discuss a certain topic, make that prominent.
Include your key contact information. The bot should always know your main phone number, email, and website URL so it can share them naturally in conversation.
Exact answers ensure the AI strictly follows a fixed response for specific questions. They match against the visitor's question using similarity matching.
Only use exact answers when:
Do not use exact answers for general topic routing. For example:
Why? Because exact answers only trigger on a close match to one specific question. A visitor asking "how much does it cost?" might not match an exact answer written for "what is the pricing?" Instructions apply to every message, so the AI handles all variations naturally.
Start with zero exact answers. Launch your chatbot with just knowledge base, instructions, and lead flows. Then test it thoroughly.
Add exact answers reactively. When you spot a bad answer in your transcripts, that's when you add an exact answer to fix it. The easiest way: go to the Performance tab, find the conversation, and click the Revise button on any answer. This automatically creates an exact answer for that question.
Also add exact answer content to your FAQ or text source. This way the AI has the information available as context too, which helps it answer related follow-up questions naturally.
Review your exact answers periodically. After updating your knowledge base or instructions, some exact answers might no longer be needed.
Keep exact answers self-contained. The response should include everything the visitor needs, including relevant links and next steps.
Lead flows collect visitor information either through a form or through natural AI conversation. You can have multiple independent lead flows, each triggered differently.
Form: Shows all fields at once. Fast and direct. Best when visitors expect a form (e.g. "Request a Quote" or "Book a Demo").
AI Conversation: The AI asks for information one field at a time in a natural, conversational way. Feels more personal and less like filling out a form. Better for lead generation where you want to keep the conversation going.
Before Chat: Collects information before the conversation starts. Use this when you want to qualify every visitor upfront. Be aware this creates friction and some visitors will leave without chatting.
On Keyword: Activates when the visitor's message contains specific words. Use this to capture leads at the right moment without blocking the conversation.
Choose your trigger keywords carefully. Think about what your visitors say when they're showing intent. Words like "quote", "buy", "pricing", "interested", "appointment" are common buying signals.
Cast a wide net with keywords but don't go too broad. You want to capture real prospects without triggering on every casual question.
Keep required fields to a minimum. Every additional required field increases drop-off. Only require what your sales team truly needs to follow up. You can always collect more information in a follow-up flow.
Use multiple flows for different stages. For example:
Use dropdowns (select fields) for fixed options. When the possible answers are known (e.g. "How do you plan to pay?" with options like Cash / Finance / Rent-to-Own), use a select field instead of free text. This gives your team cleaner, more actionable data.
Write a natural welcome message. The welcome message sets the tone. Something like "I'd love to help! Let me grab a few details so our team can get you the best information." works better than "Please fill out the following fields."
Give your flows customer-friendly names. The flow name is visible to visitors. "Tell Us What You're Looking For" is better than "Lead Capture Form."
For advanced users, there is an Advanced Prompt option (found under "More") that lets you fully rewrite the system prompt the AI uses. This completely overrides the built-in instructions and any custom instructions you've added.
Only use the advanced prompt if you need to fundamentally change how the chatbot behaves. For example, turning it into a wine recommendation chatbot instead of a lead generation bot, or creating a highly specialized assistant with completely custom behavior.
Live chat lets visitors connect with a real person when the AI can't help or when they specifically request it.
Always have a fallback. If no agent is available, the bot should offer an alternative: "No one is available right now. You can call us at [number] or leave your email and we'll get back to you."
Set clear availability. If your team is only available during business hours, configure the schedule so visitors aren't left waiting.
Use transcripts for training. Review live chat conversations to identify common questions the AI should handle better, then update your knowledge base or instructions accordingly.
Your transcripts are a goldmine. Look for:
Test your chatbot by asking questions the way your customers would, not the way you'd phrase them internally. Use casual language, misspellings, and vague questions. The bot should handle all of these gracefully.
Focus on the top 10-20 questions your customers ask most. Get those right first. You can always expand coverage over time by adding more content and refining instructions.