Ask for Slot action

The Ask for Slot action identifies slots that a caller or chat recipient mentions in an utterance. For example, consider an utterance of “My account number is 12345678.” The bot identifies that the participant’s account number has a value of 12345678.

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

For a dynamic list slot type, you do not need to configure anything additional in an Ask for Slot action when presenting the list choices as quick replies. When you want to present the list choices as carousels for dynamic list types in an Ask for Slot action, you can only use an expression:

Use an expression

For dynamic list types, you can also specify the slot value presentation using an expression. For example:

MakeChooser(MakeQuickReplies(MakeList(MakePostbackChoice("pepperoni"), MakePostbackChoice("ham"), MakePostbackChoice("mushroom"))))

Beta dynamic slots

If you have dynamic slots, you must update and republish your digital bot flow.

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.
Slot Select a preconfigured slot. These slots are configured in the Natural Language Understanding pane. For more information, see Understand Slots and Slot Types.
Question

The communication that the bot produces when it asks for a slot.

Slot Value Presentation

Quick Replies: Select this option to create buttons for the user to indicate what they want to do next. For example, book a hotel room, contact the hotel event center, or listen to dining hours.

Carousel: Select this option to create cards with images, titles, or descriptions and provide an enhanced visual experience for your users.

Quick Replies

When you choose to use quick replies in an Ask for Slot action and select a slot, Architect populates your quick replies for you. In quick reply cards, you can use expressions to specify button types, values and labels. For example; MakeChoice("type", "value", "label").

  1. Create the appropriate slot and slot type values.
  2. Add an Ask for Slot action to the appropriate location in your flow and follow these steps:
    1. Add a name.
    2. Under Slot, select the slot you created in step 1.
    3. Under Question, add the question that you want the bot to present to the customer.
  3. Under Slot Value Presentation, select Quick Replies.
  4. Under Quick Replies, make sure that the buttons correspond with the slot type values that you created in step 1.
  5. (Optional) Click a quick reply button and under value, enter the postback or URL value that Architect uses when the customer clicks it. If you do not add the optional label, then Architect uses the value you enter here as the button label. However, if you have more than one card but the button labels are the same; for example, “view,” then the value you enter here distinguishes for the bot which button that the customer selects.
  6. Under Slot Result, click Expression Modes, choose Variable, and enter the variable that stores the value of the customer’s selection. If the customer does not make a choice, then the value remains as No value specified..
  7. Configure the remaining elements in the action. 
  8. To change your configuration from quick replies to carousels, click  Switch presentation.
Carousel

The carousel collection must have at least one item and up to three items per card, and 10 cards per carousel. Genesys recommends that you use images that are 800 x 400 pixels or similar for optimum visuals. When you add carousel cards, you can use expressions to add images, card titles, and card descriptions. For example; MakeImageFromUrl(your_URL).

  1. Create the appropriate slot and slot type values.
  2. Add an Ask for Slot action to the appropriate location in your flow and follow these steps:
    1. Add a name.
    2. Under Slot, select the slot you created in step 1.
    3. Under Question, add the question that you want the bot to present to the customer.
  3. Under Slot Value Presentation, select Carousel.
  4. Under Carousel, make sure that the buttons correspond with the slot type values that you created in step 1.
  5. Click a carousel card and follow these steps:
    1. Click Select an Image and choose an existing image or import a new one. Alternatively, you can add an image with the Image Builder. For more information, see Add images with the Image Builder.
    2. Add a required title that appears below the image.
    3. (Optional) Add a description to appear below the title.
    4. Notice that the button name populates for you, based on the slot type value.
  6. To add up to two more buttons to the carousel card, follow these steps:
    1. Click Button.
    2. Under URL Value, enter the URL value that Architect uses when the customer clicks it. 
    3. To add a button label that differs from the value that you enter in Step 82, click Add alternative label and enter the button’s display label. 
    4. Repeat steps a-d to add a third button.
  7. Repeat steps 5-6 for each additional carousel card.
  8. Under Slot Result, click Expression Modes, choose Variable, and enter the variable that stores the value of the customer’s selection. If the customer does not make a choice, then the value remains as No value specified..
  9. Configure the remaining elements in the action. 
  10. To change your configuration from quick replies to carousels, click  Switch presentation.
Slot Result

The variable that stores the value that the customer selects. If the customer does not make a choice, then the value remains as No value specified.

Custom Validation

This Boolean expression enables you to configure more validation logic. When the flow evaluate the expression at runtime, the flow uses it to determine if the received value meets these additional requirements. If the expression evaluates to false or a NOT_SET Boolean, then the value is considered invalid.

No Input

Enter the communication that the bot produces when it does not receive user input. 

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.

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 enables 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.

Confirmation mode

This option controls if the bot confirms the slot value supplied by the participant is correct.

If this setting evaluates to “always” at runtime and the participant-supplied value is valid, as per settings in the ‘Validation’ section, then the bot uses the ‘Confirmation Question’ communication to confirm it with the participant.

  • Default: “never”
  • Allowable Values • always • never
Paths

Max No Inputs: Enable or disable the Max No Inputs path. When you enable this option, if the bot exceeds the maximum number of no input retries exceeds that you set for this action, then the flow follows this output path.

Notes:

  • If you disable this path, then the flows that you configure for the output path are hidden, not deleted.
  • If you enable this path, then if the action executes successfully, this action takes the default path.