Setting the standard responses for an AI agent on a messaging channel (Legacy)

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">If you’vecreated an AI agentfor a messaging channel, there are several standard responses you can customize to define the AI agent's default responses to customer input during a live conversation.</p>
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<div class="note attention" id="topic_n44_c1n_qtb__note_xnz_l3d_f2c">
<span class="attentiontitle"></span> <span class="ph">This article describes functionality that moved into legacy
status on February 2, 2025. On December 10, 2026, this functionality will no longer
be available. For more information, see <a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10487730059034" target="_blank">this announcement</a>.</span>
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<p class="p" id="topic_n44_c1n_qtb__note_owy_qnb_hbc">If you’ve <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408824263578" target="_blank">created an AI agent</a> for a messaging channel, there are several standard
responses you can customize to define the AI agent's default responses to customer input
during a live conversation.</p>
<div class="p">This article contains the following sections:<ul class="ul" id="topic_n44_c1n_qtb__ul_gjy_t3b_ccc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_nvy_p3b_ccc">Overview of the standard AI agent
responses</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_slx_n4p_qtb">Setting up the standard
responses</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_nvy_p3b_ccc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Overview of the standard AI agent responses</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">The standard AI agent responses include:</p>
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_nvy_p3b_ccc__ul_krg_m2b_ccc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Start of conversation</strong>: Initial greeting when a messaging conversation is started.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">If the AI agent finds relevant information</strong>: Response when a possible solution is found in
your help center.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">After the AI agent answers</strong>: Response to customer feedback.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">If the AI agent can't answer a question</strong>: Response when the customer's comment does not
match any answer.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_slx_n4p_qtb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Setting up the standard responses</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">There are several standard responses that you can edit as needed to customize your AI agent's
responses.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_slx_n4p_qtb__image_zpy_4kr_h1c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/bot_settings-behavior_tab_Mar25_update.png" width="500"></p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To edit the AI agent standard responses</strong>
</p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_slx_n4p_qtb__ol_vdb_sbz_ycc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4581766374554#topic_hfg_dyz_1hb" target="_blank">Admin Center</a>, click <img class="image" id="topic_slx_n4p_qtb__d10e1351" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/icon_ai.png">
<strong class="ph b">AI</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">AI agents &gt; AI agents</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click the name of the AI agent you want to edit.</li>
<li class="li">Click the <strong class="ph b">Messaging behavior</strong> tab, then click each message to edit
it:<ul class="ul" id="topic_slx_n4p_qtb__ul_wdb_sbz_ycc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_e41_f1q_hvb">Start of the
conversation</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_o1b_m1n_gbc">If the AI agent finds
relevant information</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_m5t_41n_gbc">After the AI agent
answers</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_umz_cft_byb">If the AI agent can't
answer the question</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
<p class="p">Each response is saved automatically as you edit it, but updates will not be
presented to customers until you <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7232810932250" target="_blank">publish the AI agent</a>.</p>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested2" id="topic_e41_f1q_hvb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title4">Start of the conversation</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When your customers first open a messaging conversation in the Web Widget or mobile SDK, they’re
met with an initial welcome message.</p>
<p class="p">There are two types of welcome messages:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_e41_f1q_hvb__ul_wth_bpp_qtb">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_ms5_ngt_byb">A standard,
configurable welcome message</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_n5g_4gt_byb">A specific answer in your AI agent for
messaging</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested3" id="topic_ms5_ngt_byb">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title5">Configuring the standard greeting message</h4>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">By default, the AI agent is configured with a basic greeting message and a suggested answer. You
can update the greeting message, add or remove answers (up to 10 answers),
or leave them as-is. Answers selected here are presented to your customers
as <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408836323738#topic_mnf_gwc_k4b" target="_blank">options</a>. </p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_ms5_ngt_byb__image_btv_q5p_b1c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/bot_setup_greeting_Mar25_update.png" width="500"></p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To configure a welcome message</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_ms5_ngt_byb__ol_vyx_dpp_qtb">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7510607688730#topic_slx_n4p_qtb" target="_blank">On the Messaging behavior tab</a>,
expand the <strong class="ph b">Start of the conversation</strong> section.</li>
<li class="li">Select
<strong class="ph b">Send a greeting and suggest answers</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Enter your initial message or leave the default message (<em class="ph i">Hi there. Got a question? I'm here
to help.</em>).</li>
<li class="li">Use the <strong class="ph b">Answers</strong> drop-down to select up to 10 answers to present to customers as
preconfigured options.<p class="p">One suggested answer is included by default (
<em class="ph i">Talk to a human</em> ).</p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested3" id="topic_n5g_4gt_byb">
<h4 class="title topictitle4" id="ariaid-title6">Using an answer as the welcome message</h4>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can also choose a <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4422584657434" target="_blank">custom-built answer</a> to start the conversation.
When the end user first interacts with the AI agent, the selected answer is
sent. This option can be used to immediately transfer your customer to an
agent, for example.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_n5g_4gt_byb__image_fc3_wqv_21c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/bot_setup_greeting-answer.png" width="500"></p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To use an existing answer as your welcome message</strong></p>
<ol class="ol" id="topic_n5g_4gt_byb__ol_tyx_dpp_qtb">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7510607688730#topic_slx_n4p_qtb" target="_blank">On the Messaging behavior tab</a>,
expand the <strong class="ph b">Start of the conversation</strong> section.</li>
<li class="li">Select
<strong class="ph b">Start with an answer</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Use the drop-down to select the answer that will welcome your
customers when they initiate a conversation.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title7" class="topic nested2" id="topic_o1b_m1n_gbc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title7">If the AI agent finds relevant information</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">If you have an active help center, you can configure how your AI agent replies when it locates
one or more help center articles that can address the end user's question. </p>
<p class="p">It’s strongly recommended to <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6138268212634" target="_blank">use generative replies</a> for this
standard response. With generative replies, your AI agent uses generative AI to
evaluate articles in your help center and provide concise answers within the
ongoing conversation. Using this option gets your AI agent up and running
immediately without needing to build answer flows.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_o1b_m1n_gbc__image_b3r_g4n_gbc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/bot_settings-relevant_articles_updated.png" width="500"></p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To set up AI agent replies for help center results</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_o1b_m1n_gbc__ol_i4h_xg4_gbc">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7510607688730#topic_slx_n4p_qtb" target="_blank">On the Messaging behavior tab</a>,
expand the <strong class="ph b">If the AI agent finds relevant information</strong>
section.</li>
<li class="li">Select one of the following response options:
<ul class="ul" id="topic_o1b_m1n_gbc__ul_g2f_vh4_gbc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Generate a reply</strong>: (Recommended) The AI agent creates AI-generated answers in response to
customer questions based on your help center content. These
short, summarized answers are delivered as part of the ongoing
conversation and don’t require the customer to open a separate
help center article. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6138268212634" target="_blank">Using AI to generate replies in an AI agent
for messaging (Legacy)</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Don't answer based on articles</strong>: The AI agent does not reference help center content.
Instead, it displays a relevant <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4422584657434" target="_blank">answer</a> if you've
created one, or replies that it can't answer the question using
the response configured in "If the AI agent can't answer the
question." Choosing this type of reply hides the "After the AI
agent answers" response.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title8" class="topic nested2" id="topic_m5t_41n_gbc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title8">After the AI agent answers</h3>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">
<div class="note">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> This section doesn't appear if you have selected the <strong class="ph b">Don't answer based on articles</strong>
option in the "If the AI agent finds relevant information" response.
</div>
When the AI agent presents an answer based on help center content, it
follows up by asking whether suggested content was helpful. The "After the AI
agent answers" response lets you configure the AI agent response when an end
user says the answer was helpful or unhelpful.</div>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_m5t_41n_gbc__image_fzb_2m4_gbc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/bot_setup-after_bot_responds_Mar25_update.png" width="500"></p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To configure the AI agent's response to customer feedback</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_m5t_41n_gbc__ol_dmp_244_gbc">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7510607688730#topic_slx_n4p_qtb" target="_blank">On the Messaging behavior tab</a>,
expand the <strong class="ph b">After the AI agent answers</strong> section.</li>
<li class="li">Click the
<strong class="ph b">Helpful answer</strong> tab and configure the following options:
<div class="p">
<ul class="ul" id="topic_m5t_41n_gbc__ul_znj_z44_gbc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Message</strong>: Enter a message to display when the end user says the suggested article was
helpful, or use the default message provided. (<em class="ph i">Great,
knowledge is power. You can ask me another question at
any time.</em>)</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Answers</strong>: Use the drop-down to select up to 10 answers
to present to customers as preconfigured options.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</li>
<li class="li">Click the <strong class="ph b">Unhelpful answer</strong> tab and configure the options as described above. <p class="p">Offering
an answer that includes the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408836323738#topic_zqr_gwc_k4b" target="_blank">Transfer to agent</a> step is a recommended
best practice.</p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title9" class="topic nested2" id="topic_umz_cft_byb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title9">If the AI agent can't answer the question</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">This response, also known as the fallback response, is triggered when there is no answer that
matches the end user's question or comment.</p>
<p class="p">You can configure this response to have the AI agent recommend relevant help
center topics. This section is required. It must be configured before you can
publish your AI agent.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_umz_cft_byb__image_psb_clt_byb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/bot_setup-no_relevant_answer_Mar25_update.png" width="500"></p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To configure the fallback response</strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_umz_cft_byb__ol_ijk_s1q_hvb">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7510607688730#topic_slx_n4p_qtb" target="_blank">On the Messaging behavior tab</a>,
expand the <strong class="ph b">If the AI agent can't understand a question</strong>
section.</li>
<li class="li">Enter a message the AI agent will send if no help center articles are found, or if you do not
have an active help center. <p class="p">The default fallback response is,
<em class="ph i">Sorry, I can't answer that. Here are some topics that might
help though.</em>.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">If you want, use the <strong class="ph b">Answers</strong> drop-down to select up to 10 of your already-created answers
to present to the customer.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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