Intents describe a goal or task that a user wants to do, such as tracking their package or booking a cab. In a bot, the Ask Intent Action prompts the user to provide an intent. Configure your bot intents from the Natural Language Understanding menu. For more information, see Intents overview.

Access the Ask for Intent action from the bot flow’s Ask menu in the Architect toolbox.

Name Description
Name field Type a distinctive name for the action. The label you enter here becomes the action’s name displayed in the flow structure.
Question Here, ask callers or chat recipients what they would like to do. In call flows, the question you enter hear plays verbally to the caller. In chat flows, this question appears in text.
No Input

Enter the communication that the bot produces when it does not receive user input. For example, “Do you want to find a branch nearby?”

Note: No Input reprompts are not enabled for Digital Bot Flows. The bot returns the configuration you define in Settings > User Input > No Input Detected > No Input Apology combined with the Question communication.
Customize No Input

Enables the No Input Reprompts field and enables you to create a list of no input prompts that the bot incrementally returns after it receives no user input.
No Input Reprompts

After the bot receives No Input, it returns the communication at the position in the No Input Reprompts collection that corresponds to the current number of No Inputs received for that action. For example, the first No Input triggers the bot to use the first No Input reprompt in the defined collection.

The length of the No Input Reprompt collection also overrides the maximum number of No Input retries that you define in Settings > User Input > No Input Detected > Maximum Number of No Input Retries for that particular action. For example, if you define two reprompts in the collection, the bot retries twice. An empty collection turns off No Match retries.

Note: The bot returns the configuration you set in Settings > User Input > No Match Detected > No Match Apology combined with the No Match communication.
Default No Input

Enables the No Input field and allows you to define a single No Input prompt that the bot returns after it receives no input.
No Match

The communication that the bot returns when the user’s input is not a valid match. For example, “Tell me again what you would like to do.”

Note: The bot returns the configuration you set in Settings > User Input > No Match Detected > No Match Apology combined with the No Match communication.
Customize No Match

Enables the No Match Reprompts field and allows you to create a list of no match prompts. The bot returns these prompts incrementally after it receives No Match input events.
No Match Reprompts

When the bot receives a No Match input, it returns the communication at the position in the No Match Reprompts collection that corresponds to the current number of No Match inputs received for that action. For example, the first No Match input triggers the bot to use the first No Match reprompt in the defined collection.

The length of the No Match Reprompt collection also overrides the maximum number of No Match retries that you define in Settings > User Input > No Match Detected > Maximum Number of No Match Retries for that particular action. For example, if you define two reprompts in the collection, the bot retries twice. An empty collection turns off No Match retries.

Note: The bot returns the configuration you set in Settings > User Input > No Match Detected > No Match Apology combined with the No Match communication.
Default No Match

Enables the default No Match field and allows you to define a single No Match prompt that the bot returns after it receives No Match input events.
Paths
  • Intents: Enable or disable the intents this action can match. For each intent, an output path is enabled on the action. If the intent matches the user input, then the flow takes the relevant output path.
  • Knowledge: Enable or disable the Knowledge output path. When you enable the path, if a knowledge article matches the user input, then the flow takes this output path.
  • Max No Inputs: Enable or disable the Max No Inputs path. When you enable this path, if the bot exceeds the maximum number of no input retries that you set for the action, then the flow takes this output path. If you enable both No Intent and Max No Inputs paths and the bot exceeds the maximum number of no input retries, then the Max No Input path takes precedence.
  • No Intent: Enable or disable the No Intent path. When you enable this option, then the flow takes this output path when:
    • The bot exceeds the Maximum Number of No Input Retries for this action and you do not enable the Max No Inputs path.
    • The bot exceeds the maximum number of no match retries for this action.
    • The bot exceeds the maximum number of confirmation rejections for this action.
    • The user rejects all enabled intents for this action and the Knowledge path is not enabled.

Note: If you disable a path, the flows configured for that output path are hidden, not deleted.