Creating dialogues to define scripted conversation flows for AI agents

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">Thedialogue builderis where you create conversation flows, or dialogues, for your AI agents. Adialogueis a scripted conversation flow that uses branching logic to determine an AI agent's responses and actions during a conversation with a customer.</p>
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<div class="note attention" id="using_the_dialogue_builder_to_create_conversation_flows_for_advanced_ai_agents__note_e4y_nnr_2jc">
<span class="attentiontitle"></span> <span class="ph">The functionality described in this article is being rolled
out to all Suite and Support plans from May 11 through June 12, 2026. You may not
see this functionality in your account yet. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10487730059034" target="_blank">this announcement</a> for details.</span>
</div>
<p class="p">The <em class="ph i">dialogue builder</em> is where you create conversation flows, or dialogues, for
your AI agents. A <em class="ph i">dialogue</em> is a scripted conversation flow that uses branching
logic to determine an AI agent's responses and actions during a conversation with a
customer.</p>
<p class="p">Each dialogue is linked to a specific <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9624068102682" target="_blank">reply</a>, and each reply is in turn linked to a <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9041901679130" target="_blank">use case</a>.</p>
<p class="p">This article contains the following topics: </p>
<ul class="ul" id="using_the_dialogue_builder_to_create_conversation_flows_for_advanced_ai_agents__ul_pl4_gzm_g2c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_ygq_4ym_g2c">Creating a new dialogue</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_krz_vym_g2c">Available block types</a></li>
</ul>
<p class="p">Related articles: </p>
<ul class="ul" id="using_the_dialogue_builder_to_create_conversation_flows_for_advanced_ai_agents__ul_egk_gzm_g2c">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9066753203738" target="_blank">Managing conversation flows in the dialogue
builder for AI agents</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357751731610" target="_blank">Best practices for conversation design for AI
agents</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Creating a new dialogue</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">In the dialogue builder, you can create a dialogue that contains the conversation
flow your AI agent should follow when interacting with a customer. </p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To create a dialogue</strong><ol class="ol">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In the AI agents workspace, <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357756913178#topic_t25_qvj_tdc" target="_blank">select the AI agent</a> you want to work
with.</span></li>
<li class="li"><span class="ph">Click <img class="image" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c__d9e127" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ai_agents_content_icon.png">
<strong class="ph b">Content</strong> in the sidebar, then select <strong class="ph b">Use cases</strong>.</span></li>
<li class="li">Select the use case you want to create a dialogue for.</li>
<li class="li">Select the <strong class="ph b">Replies</strong> tab.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Add reply</strong>.<p class="p">The dialogue builder opens.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c__image_bqx_kkn_g2c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/ai_agents_dialogue_builder_example.png" width="600"></p>
<p class="p">To move around within the
dialogue builder, click and drag an empty area. To zoom in and out, use
the plus (+) and minus (-) icons in the top-right corner, or press CTRL
and scroll the mouse wheel.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">In the <strong class="ph b">AI agent message</strong> block that is always populated at the start
of a new dialogue, enter the text that your AI agent should greet a customer
with.</li>
<li class="li">To add additional message blocks, click the plus (+) icon.<p class="p">You can add
them before or after the initial AI agent message block, or anywhere
else the plus icon (+) appears. To learn more about the available
message blocks, see <a class="xref" href="#topic_krz_vym_g2c">Available block types</a>. </p>
</li>
<li class="li">To manage an added block, hover your mouse over the block, select the
options menu (<img class="image" height="14" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c__image_e5j_sln_g2c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/macros_edit_menu_icon_vertical.png" width="5">), and select one of the
following options:<ul class="ul" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c__ol_wdv_zbm_52c">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Collapse branch</strong>: Collapses the branch starting with the
selected block to make the overall dialogue easier to see. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Move</strong>: Allows you to select another block to move the selected
block underneath. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Copy</strong>: Copies the selected block and the branch it begins, if
applicable. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Paste block</strong>: Pastes a copied block underneath the selected
block. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Paste branch</strong>: Pastes a copied branch underneath the selected
block. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Actions</strong>: Allows you to copy, paste, or remove an action
associated with the selected block. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357756623770#h_01JFDGYY1WPV42FCQ7KS3XAPVS" target="_blank">Creating and adding actions for
AI agents</a> for more information about actions at the block
level. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Delete</strong>: Allows you to delete the selected block or the branch
starting with the selected block. </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">To link a block to another block, click the link icon (<img class="image" height="16" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c__image_hl2_cmn_g2c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/sell_icon_link.png" width="16">) underneath a block and
then select the block you want the first block to link to.<div class="note" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c__note_ync_bcm_52c">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> A customer message block can’t be linked to
another customer message block. </div>
</li>
<li class="li">To validate that all blocks are correctly configured, click the options menu
(<img class="image" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c__image_pf4_k11_52c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/macros_edit_menu_icon_vertical.png">) and select <strong class="ph b">Validate dialogue</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">To <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357758879130" target="_blank">test the dialogue</a> without
affecting the live AI agent, do either of the following:<ul class="ul" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c__ul_dt3_s1c_jfc">
<li class="li">Test the entire dialogue by clicking <strong class="ph b">Test dialogue</strong> in the
upper-right.</li>
<li class="li">Test a specific branch of the dialogue by hovering over the block
you want to start from and clicking the icon (<img class="image" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c__image_mlk_2vm_3fc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/aiaa_dialogue_builder_test_branch_icon.png" width="20">).</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">To save your progress without affecting the live AI agent, click either of
the following:<ul class="ul" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c__ol_ak4_hb5_z2c">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Save</strong>: Saves your changes.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Save with note</strong>: Saves your changes and allows you to include
a note about what you changed. This information can be viewed in the
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9066753203738#topic_tyw_5zt_z2c" target="_blank">Version history</a> pane. No
logic check is performed when saving as a draft. If multiple people
are working on the same dialogue at the same time, the person who
saves last overwrites everything.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">To make your changes live to customers interacting with the AI agent, click
either of the following:<ul class="ul" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c__ol_zqw_4b5_z2c">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Publish</strong>: Publishes your changes.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Publish with note</strong>: Publishes your changes and allows you to
include a note about what you changed. This information can be
viewed in the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9066753203738#topic_tyw_5zt_z2c" target="_blank">Version history</a> pane.<p class="p">A
logic check happens at this time. If you can't publish, fix any
errors highlighted in red.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div class="p">
<div class="note" id="topic_ygq_4ym_g2c__note_kk5_sb5_z2c">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> In the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9066753203738#topic_tyw_5zt_z2c" target="_blank">Version history</a> pane, you can add,
edit, or delete the notes a customer entered when they saved or published a
version of the dialogue.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_krz_vym_g2c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Available block types</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Block types define where a customer goes next within the conversation flow, including
what information is asked for and expected.</p>
<div class="p">
<div class="tablenoborder">
<table border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" class="table" frame="border" id="topic_krz_vym_g2c__table_wmd_yym_g2c" rules="all" summary="">
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<col>
<col>
</colgroup>
<tbody class="tbody">
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;"><strong class="ph b">Block type</strong></td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;"><strong class="ph b">Description</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">AI agent message</td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">This is a scripted message that the AI agent should
say. If you’ve <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10050437105946#topic_yf3_1gk_jhc" target="_blank">activated rich
messaging</a>, this block type supports HTML and Markdown
formatting.</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">Customer message</td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" style="vertical-align:top;">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">This is where you define how the customer might
respond to an AI agent and how the dialogue should progress
based on that response. Cannot be the first block in a
dialogue.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">For more information, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9060613203610" target="_blank">Using the Customer
message block in conversation flows for AI
agents</a>.</p>
<div class="p" dir="ltr">
<div class="note" id="topic_krz_vym_g2c__note_atk_mpz_t2c">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> It's not possible to have two
consecutive customer messages.</div>
</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">Generative replies</td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">This is an AI-generated response to a customer's
message. <p class="p">For more information, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357749315098" target="_blank">About the Generative
replies block in conversation flows for AI
agents</a>.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">Conditional</td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">This is a way to personalize responses in a
dialogue based on certain conditions, including parameters and
segments.<p class="p">For more information, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357733406234" target="_blank">About conditional blocks
in conversation flows for AI agents</a>.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">API integration</td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">This is a way to connect to business-specific
services to retrieve information that can be used during the
conversation (for example, retrieving order status information
from a logistics provider). Available only if you have <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/8264334170906" target="_blank">integrations
implemented</a>.</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">Carousel</td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">This is a rich messaging type for displaying up to
10 different options with a visual card element. Available only
for certain CRMs and channels. Not available for email AI
agents.<p class="p">For more information, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357749513370" target="_blank">Adding carousels in
conversation flows for AI agents</a>.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">Link to</td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" style="vertical-align:top;">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">This is a way to pass customers between dialogues.
Must be the last block in a branch. Cannot be the first
block in a dialogue.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">For example, you can create one escalation flow and
link to it from other dialogues instead of creating an
escalation flow as part of each individual dialogue. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">From this block, you can select the reply
(dialogue) you want to link to. In the first field, select
the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9041901679130" target="_blank">use case</a> or <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357756562330" target="_blank">template</a> you want
to link to. In the second field, select the specific reply
you want to link to within the use case or template. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">For messaging AI agents, you can select the
“Auto-select reply method” value in the second field. The
effect that this value has depends on the type of AI agent: </p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_krz_vym_g2c__ul_mdp_k2z_y2c">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">For <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8966284087066" target="_blank">agentic AI
agents</a>, this value checks the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9041911005850#topic_elk_mcf_52c" target="_blank">Reply method</a>
setting for the selected use case and, if that setting
is set to: <ul class="ul" id="topic_krz_vym_g2c__ul_s4z_l2z_y2c">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Use a procedure, this value
automatically selects the generative procedure
linked to the use case. </li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Use a dialogue, this value
automatically selects the active dialogue for that
use case in the relevant language of the
conversation. </li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">For AI agents without agentic AI, this value
automatically selects the active dialogue for that use
case in the relevant language of the conversation.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p">Actions that link to another flow do not increase the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/5352026794010#topic_m1n_sq4_jwb" target="_blank">automated resolution
count</a>.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry nocellnorowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">Availability</td>
<td class="entry cell-norowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">This is a way to respect your business's operating
hours during a conversation to manage customer expectations and
check for agent availability before escalating. Not available
for email AI agents.<p class="p">For more information, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357749686554" target="_blank">Setting operating hours
for AI agents</a>.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="row">
<td class="entry row-nocellborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">Escalation</td>
<td class="entry cellrowborder" dir="ltr" style="vertical-align:top;">This is how you define the escalation path to a
human agent, including the message the AI agent sends to the
customer and whether the escalation uses the messaging or email
channel. Must be the last block in a branch.<p class="p">For more
information, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357756604186" target="_blank">About escalation
strategies and flows for AI agents</a>.</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
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</div>
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