Using the customer message block in conversation flows for AI agents

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">In thedialogue builder, a customer message block lets you define scenarios for how a user might respond to an AI agent and how the dialogue will progress accordingly.</p>
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<div class="note attention" id="customer_message_block_using__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">In the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357749494810" target="_blank">dialogue builder</a>, a customer message block lets you
define scenarios for how a user might respond to an AI agent and how the dialogue will
progress accordingly.</p>
<div class="p">The article contains the following sections: <ul class="ul" id="customer_message_block_using__ul_drg_1jx_xfc">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_zmv_bjx_xfc">About the customer message block</a>
</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_u5t_qmx_xfc">Examples of customer message block
scenarios</a>
</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_bjz_wnx_xfc">Prioritizing customer message
scenarios</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_zmv_bjx_xfc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">About the customer message block</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Use the customer message block to design interactions between the customer and the AI
agent. Because humans don’t all respond in the same way, it’s good to make these
interactions as flexible and comprehensive as possible. </p>
<div class="p">When you add a customer message block in a dialogue, you can configure it to respond to one
or more of the following scenarios: <ul class="ul" id="topic_zmv_bjx_xfc__ul_ort_pmx_xfc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Button clicked</strong>: (Messaging AI agents only) The customer clicks a button with
specified text. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Link clicked</strong>: (Messaging AI agents only) The customer clicks a specified link. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Intent predicted</strong>: The customer responds with something that matches a specific
use case or intent. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Entity recognized</strong>: The customer responds with a defined piece of information
known as an <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357749740698" target="_blank">entity</a> (such as email or order number). </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Free text written</strong>: The customer gives a response that isn't recognized as any
of the other options listed above. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_zmv_bjx_xfc__image_n3f_xmx_xfc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/aiaa_customer_message_block_email.png" width="600"></p>
<div class="p">The following limitations apply when using customer message blocks: <ul class="ul" id="topic_zmv_bjx_xfc__ul_iw1_cnx_xfc">
<li class="li">A customer message block can’t be linked to another customer message block. </li>
<li class="li">For messaging AI agents, you can’t have more than 10 buttons within a single customer
message.</li>
<li class="li">The "Button clicked" and "Link clicked" conditions can't be used at the same level in
the dialogue. If you need to track both conditions, send separate AI agent messages (one
with a clickable button and one with a clickable link).</li>
<li class="li">The "Link clicked" condition can't have additional blocks added after it, as there is
no way for the AI agent to know whether a link was clicked. If you need to add
additional blocks after sending a link, use Sunshine Conversations <a class="xref" href="https://developer.zendesk.com/documentation/conversations/references/shorthand-syntax/" target="_blank">shorthand syntax</a> to send a link button
instead.</li>
<li class="li">AI agents on third-party platforms (such as WhatsApp) may be subject to additional,
platform-specific limitations. For more information, consult the platform's product
documentation.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_u5t_qmx_xfc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Examples of customer message block scenarios</h2>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">Below are two examples of customer message blocks to determine the next step in the
interaction based on the customer’s response: <ul class="ul" id="topic_u5t_qmx_xfc__ul_ics_fnx_xfc">
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_a4j_gnx_xfc">Yes/no scenarios</a>
</li>
<li class="li">
<a class="xref" href="#topic_ipj_snx_xfc">Multiple-answer scenarios</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested2" id="topic_a4j_gnx_xfc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title4">Yes/no scenarios</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">In these scenarios, the AI agent has asked, "Have you received a confirmation email?" and
provided two buttons marked yes and no. A dialogue branch could be built for each scenario
by clicking the plus (+) icon below that block. </p>
<div class="p">For example, the “yes” scenario is triggered when the customer clicks the “yes” button.
But there is an additional condition added: <ul class="ul" id="topic_a4j_gnx_xfc__ul_hjn_jnx_xfc">
<li class="li">Button clicked: Yes </li>
<li class="li">Intent predicted: Affirmation</li>
</ul>
The scenario is triggered if either condition is met. You can add additional
conditions to a scenario in the Details pane.</div>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_a4j_gnx_xfc__image_hhw_4nx_xfc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/aiaa_customer_message_block_yes_no_conditions.png" width="800"></p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested2" id="topic_ipj_snx_xfc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title5">Multiple-answer scenarios</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">In these scenarios, the AI agent has asked, "What’s your payment method?" and provided
three buttons for credit/debit card, PayPal, and bank transfer. There is also a scenario
if the customer responds in another way (free text written). A dialogue branch could be
built for each scenario by clicking the plus (+) icon below that block.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_ipj_snx_xfc__image_ymv_vnx_xfc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/aiaa_customer_message_block_multiple_answer.png" width="800"></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested1" id="topic_bjz_wnx_xfc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title6">Prioritizing customer message scenarios</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">If you add more than one scenario for a customer message block, the order of the scenarios
matters. When the conversation reaches a customer message block, the AI agent checks the
scenarios from left to right. The first scenario that meets at least one condition will
trigger the next block in the conversation. </p>
<p class="p">You can sort the priority of customer message scenarios in the Details pane. </p>
<p class="p"><strong class="ph b">To sort the customer message scenarios </strong></p>
<div class="p">
<ol class="ol" id="topic_bjz_wnx_xfc__ol_vbk_h4x_xfc">
<li class="li">In the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/8357749494810" target="_blank">dialogue builder</a>, click a customer message block
to open the Details pane. </li>
<li class="li">In the Details pane, click the row for the item scenario you want to move, then drag
and drop it into another position.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_bjz_wnx_xfc__image_bjk_m4x_xfc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/aiaa_customer_message_block_scenario_sort.png" width="350"></p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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