Best practices for creating answer flows in an AI agent (Legacy)

<body>
<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">After youcreate an AI agentfor a messaging channel, there are a number of best practices regarding answer flows that can make your AI agent more effective.</p>
<div class="article-banners">
<div id="docs-wmp-link">
<a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5411234991258-plan" rel="noopener" target="_blank">What's my plan?</a>
</div>
<div class="article-banner" id="suite_all">
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>All Suites</strong>
</td>
<td>Team, Growth, Professional, Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<div class="article-banner" id="support_all">
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<strong>Support</strong>
</td>
<td>Team, Professional, or Enterprise</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
<div class="body">
<div class="note attention" id="topic_zdz_cw1_1vb__note_mvw_kqx_vgc">
<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>
</div>
<p class="p">After you <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408824263578" target="_blank">create an AI agent</a> for a messaging channel,
there are a number of best practices regarding answer flows that can make your AI agent
more effective.</p>
<p class="p">This article contains the following sections:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_zdz_cw1_1vb__ul_pqz_lx1_1vb">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_amz_g3x_tbc">Planning your answers</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_mq4_xw1_1vb">Building answers</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_evs_xw1_1vb">Improving answer-to-question matching</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_amz_g3x_tbc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Planning your answers</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Before you start creating answers for your AI agent, consider these planning best
practices:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_amz_g3x_tbc__ul_hgf_ztw_qbc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Identify questions that users ask regularly.</strong> Look at your top ticket
issues, review common help center search terms, and talk to your agents to plan
answers you want to create for the AI agent.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Create answers first for questions that can be resolved on their own</strong> and
don't need an agent to take action. Examples of common, easily-answered
questions might include:<ul class="ul" id="topic_amz_g3x_tbc__ul_vmz_zw1_1vb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Operating hours</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Reset password</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Store locations</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Start by answering the most common questions first.</strong> It's a
good idea to have answers for about 20 of your most common questions, then build
up coverage over time. Don't try to address every issue right away.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_mq4_xw1_1vb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Building answers</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">As you <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4422584657434" target="_blank">create your answers</a> for your AI agent,
consider these best practices for how to structure your answers for better
performance.</p>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested2" id="topic_prs_45q_tbc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title4">Engaging the user</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When you are thinking about the start of your answer to engage the user, keep
these best practices in mind:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_prs_45q_tbc__ul_dfy_w5q_tbc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Start each answer by echoing the user's issue back to them.</strong> This
reduces the risk of confusion if the AI agent matches to the wrong answer.
For example, if a user enters "Cancel my account," the AI agent response
should be, "Sorry to hear you want to cancel your account."</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Help end-users understand how they should navigate the AI agent.</strong>
Depending on how the AI agent is designed, different end-user interaction
styles can impact the AI agent's performance. Make it clear to the user how
they should navigate the AI agent to find answers.<ul class="ul" id="topic_prs_45q_tbc__ul_d4f_1wq_tbc">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Ask the user to select from provided options</strong>
throughout the answer, if the AI agent is designed to provide a
navigation experience (one large answer flow).</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Create a separate agent transfer answer</strong> to enable the user
to contact support. <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408836323738#topic_bq2_232_d1c" target="_blank">Link the agent transfer
answer</a> throughout the main navigation experience as an
alternative option if the presented options aren't what the user
needs.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Create separate answers to handle small talk.</strong> For example, you might
create a sign off response, such as "Thanks, goodbye."</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested2" id="topic_itr_2wq_tbc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title5">Finding a solution</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">As you build the answer to guide the user to a solution, keep these general best
practices in mind:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_itr_2wq_tbc__ul_fj5_bx1_1vb">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Avoid building out overly complex flows to specific articles.</strong>
Instead, leverage generative replies to automatically return an answer. This
helps minimize answer maintenance for you.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Personalize your customer experience.</strong> Create personalized experiences
by <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4411666638746" target="_blank">requiring authentication</a>, <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5280598023450" target="_blank">including conditional scenarios</a>,
or <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5537827011994" target="_blank">using topics</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Create autonomous actions for the user</strong> by <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4572971586586" target="_blank">making an API call</a> to another
system. Doing so, you can automate a majority of user requests, such as
making a return, from end-to-end.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Provide a resolution</strong> to ensure each answer addresses a question. For
example, state the answer to the question in an AI agent message, provide a
link to a help article, or perform a task with an API call.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested2" id="topic_wxp_p5q_tbc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title6">Closing out the conversation</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When you are thinking about the end of your answer and how to close it out, keep
these best practices in mind:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_wxp_p5q_tbc__ul_pnp_dvq_tbc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Ask for feedback to confirm the user's problem has been resolved.</strong>
You can <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408836323738#topic_n2v_p23_q5b" target="_blank">ask if the question was resolved</a>
to ensure the user's issue is resolved. You can also use this feedback to
analyze AI agent effectiveness later.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Provide alternative options to eliminate dead ends.</strong><ul class="ul" id="topic_wxp_p5q_tbc__ul_zlh_xvq_tbc">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">If an API call fails</strong>, provide an option to <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408836323738#topic_zqr_gwc_k4b" target="_blank">transfer to agent</a> or
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408836323738#topic_bq2_232_d1c" target="_blank">link to related answers</a>.
For example, if an order status retrieval fails, provide a link to
an article about how users can manually check their order
status.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">If you ask for feedback</strong>, and the user indicates
that the problem has not been solved, provide alternative options.
Consider adding an option to transfer to an agent or link to related
answers that might help.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">If a user contacts you outside of business
hours,</strong> provide an escalation option to transfer to an agent,
so the user can create a ticket and an agent can respond later
asynchronously.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title7" class="topic nested1" id="topic_evs_xw1_1vb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title7">Improving answer-to-question matching</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can improve the chances of the AI agent suggesting the right answer or article
to a user by manually adding training phrases or by assigning topics to answers. To
use topics, you must have a topic model assigned.</p>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title8" class="topic nested2" id="topic_lxh_cpq_tbc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title8">Using training phrases</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4422584657434" target="_blank">use training phrases in answers</a> to
improve the AI agent matching performance. If you have a topic model,
use topics instead of training phrases.</p>
<p class="p">When you use training phrases, keep these best practices in mind:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_lxh_cpq_tbc__ul_dr5_2qq_tbc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Make note of how users phrase common questions</strong> and use similar language
in training phrases for the answer.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Group common topics together in one answer.</strong> For example, include
international shipping and domestic shipping in one answer.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Use phrases with similar or related meanings.</strong> Zendesk AI utilizes a
model that employs semantic matching, where the model considers the
overarching meaning of the question. For example, "solar power" and
"renewable" are semantically related, and the model can recognize this
connection. The model may also suggest two texts as a match if they are
likely to co-occur, such as "credit card" and "bank account."</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Add a variety of phrases</strong> to improve the match rate.
However, you don't need to add every single variant for how the question
might be asked. For example, a user might misspell something or phrase it a
little differently and still get a match.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Aim for a minimum of 3-5 training phrases</strong> for each
answer.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Avoid adding single words.</strong> AI agent training works best
with short, multiple-word phrases that provide enough details for context.
For example, use "Refund order" instead of "Refund," or use "Renew
membership" instead of "Renew."</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Avoid using unnecessary words and generic phrases</strong> such as
"Hi" or "I want to" or "How do I." These can dilute the question's core
meaning. For example, instead of "Hi, I want to get a refund," use "Get a
refund."</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Do not add training phrases in multiple languages.</strong> Training phrases
are auto-translated, if enabled.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title9" class="topic nested2" id="topic_amx_jpq_tbc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title9">Using pre-trained topics</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">If you have a topic model, you can assign <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5537827011994" target="_blank">pre-trained topics</a> to answers instead
of manually adding training phrases. When you use topics, keep these best
practices in mind:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_amx_jpq_tbc__ul_fsk_npq_tbc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Assign pre-trained topics to answers</strong> to significantly improve the
question-answer match performance.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Use generative replies for topics that are frequently asked
questions.</strong> These common questions can typically be resolved by the
AI agent using information from your help center articles.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<script id="docs-schema-markup" type="application/ld+json">{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "TechArticle",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4965031536794",
"url": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4965031536794",
"headline": "Best practices for creating answer flows in an AI agent (Legacy)",
"description": "This article outlines best practices for planning, building, and improving answer flows in an AI agent to enhance user interaction and resolution accuracy before the functionality becomes legacy.",
"articleSection": "Using bot builder to create answers (Legacy)",
"datePublished": "2022-09-20T23:22:11+00:00",
"dateModified": "2026-06-10T21:42:37.296741+00:00",
"inLanguage": "en",
"mainEntityOfPage": {
"@type": "WebPage",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4965031536794"
},
"author": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com"
},
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com"
},
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "WebSite",
"name": "Zendesk Help",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/"
},
"about": {
"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com",
"softwareAddOn": {
"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
"name": "AI agents",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/8988994355994"
}
}
}</script>
</body>