How to Manage User Input and Bot Response on Chatbot

Article author
Learning Center Mekari
  • Updated

If the Welcome Message has been created, the next step is to create a chatbot conversation flow with responses that you can design according to your needs presented in the form of a Tree Diagram. To generate the chatbot response you want, you need to manage User Input and Bot Response on the Chatbot. Follow these steps:

A. Creating User Input and Response Bot

  1. Open the Conversation that you have created in the Chatbot menu.
    MANAGE1.png
  2. For every Bot Response that you create, there is user input that you need to set. To create it, click " Add User Input" .
    EsT3_tmC9NE5xarQfiM0Gd0V1ci_LEV01g8mhqN1VBM4JVDF5pWLbpFJClM4KFSofyL9n-1wJkxyywSxeUz3bmpFiNccbpZQuXYT.png
  3. After that, a New Object named User  Input appears.
    MANAGE12.png

    User Input can be created several times, by clicking "Add User Input" according to the number of user inputs you want to create.
    Description:
    -
    “Three dots” icon: There are “Set as Default”, “Delete Single Block”, and “Delete with Children” options. Click here for more complete functions.
    - Variable input: Used to capture user input as a variable. Variables can be used again in Bot Response which will display the variable's value. Click here for more complete functions.
    - Enter user input: Field to enter User input where the limit is 50 characters.

  4. Enter the user input that you want to appear as a discussion that the questioner wants to ask and click " Save" to save.
    MANAGE13.png
  5. At the bottom of the User input box created, the  Bot response box  will automatically appear . You can select the type of Bot response before entering the bot response according to the user input entered by the questioner.
    MANAGE14.png
  6. There are 3 Bot response types, namely, Text, Button, and List that you can choose from.
    MANAGE15.png
    1. Text
    Text is a bot response that contains a long text message to explain something. If you select Text, the default Bot response will appear and you can edit it by clicking on the default message. Therefore, you can set the Bot Response content in the Bot Response content column as follows:
    MANAGE16.png
    Click "Save" when you are finished setting up the bot response.

    2. Button 
    The bot can ask simple questions that require Yes or No Answers from the asker and select responses based on those answers.

    Only available for Whatsapp Channels.

    Case Example: The bot will ask a simple question with a yes or no answer. If yes then it will go to another question and will not return to the main menu. If you select Button, the default Bot response will appear and you can edit it by clicking on the default message. Hence, you can set Bot response settings in the following way:
    MANAGE17.png
    1. Fill in the Bot Response Name (Default)
    2. Select the Header Content type (Text, Image, Video, or Document) for later upload.
    3. Write the body of the message.
    4. Add Button.

    Whatsapp provides a maximum of 3 buttons that can be made in one 1 bubble.

    5. You can also set the order of the buttons by simply sliding up and down the “Six dots” icon.
    6. You can enter a button name (max 20 Characters).
    7. Click "Save" when you are finished setting up the bot response.

    3. List
    This message type offers a simpler and more consistent way for users to make choices when interacting with bots.

    Only available for Whatsapp Channels.

    The bot will show a list of products that the user can choose from. If you select List, the default Bot response will appear and you can edit it by clicking on the default message. 
    MANAGE18.png
    Therefore, you can set Bot response settings in the following way:
    1. Like the Button, you have to fill in each column but the difference is in the Header which only needs to fill in the text.
    2. You can provide a maximum of 10 items or options on the list.
    3. The maximum character for the list name is 24 characters.
    4. You can also set the order of the list by simply sliding up and down the “Six dots” icon.
    5. Because all lists will create new user inputs below them, you can tick Reply all answers with one bot response to make bot responses only 1 response. (All answers will go to 1 bot response).
    6. Then, the diagram will be formed according to the list you created as follows.
    MANAGE19.png
    7. Select "Save" when you have finished setting the bot response.
    8. If you want to reuse an existing/pre-created bot response, you can click “Use Exiting Response” in the Bot Response Box (this button does not appear in the first intent).
    1.png
    9. After that, a Reuse existing bot response pop-up will appear, like this.
    2.png
    10. Select the Bot Response you want, then click "Reuse".
    WnutA2UevES9eOHhmI3JPxDV4jwzPATUe_uxsy_ij4GN5o6jOSSmtlBiblitwn3I53v3TD8rXIVdY2r62fEwmXKnHMEj49KTGCwFx.jpg
    11. Then the Bot Response that appears will match the bot response you have chosen.
    o7LCBvmGXBeb5Vcr3fri5uzsbqu1KoJ9syH4ef0_xgfYVUZ-Lt8Du_S4Ac5MRPJaXdBshtgvEl2QHlJErG-OPD9XHT4ZCH8WTzMd.jpg

B. Set as Default, Delete Single Block, and Delete with Children

  1. If you want to delete User input, you can click the “Three dots” icon . Then, the Set as Default, Delete Single Block, and Delete With Children options will appear.
    MANAGE20.png
  2. Select Set as default if you want to disable Default Fallback where every answer inputted by the questioner in the chat will be moved to the next Response Bot. Hence, the conversation flow is not repeatedly stuck on the response.

    Case Example: You want to ask your name, age, or any other question that the bot can't determine.
    Bot: Your Name
    User: Didi

    Since bots can recognize "Didi" as a Name, you should set that User Input as Default User Input so that the Bot will move to another question. Otherwise, the Bot will trigger the Default Fallback.
  3. Select Delete Single Block, if you only want to delete certain User Input and Bot Responses (If you have created another user input at the bottom, it will not be deleted).

    Here's what it looks like before you click Delete Single Block (User input 4 is under user input 1.)
    zTDIBgfz56R93QrnqvgmcuIJp8A54jpWAXjH9qxTNkCbK3ap5VGGzsV1c7H7pYhBlzh4NBBdWduRYR5dGqhhyeOdsS0XevXScpu5.jpg If you click"Delete Single Block" on user input 1, user input 4 will go up to replace user input 1.
    PKjawkAHrbSIO9hn2rCFZh6ZOBlGT66PeQQ1Fu1Ow12Ef-9M08FB_S4IrlKFWgBRbiiufckf0qqRwKtMpIC53JWWyI2CDXH57hUq.jpg

  4. Select Delete with children  if you wish to delete  all User input and Bot Responses below it (all user input under the user input that you delete will also be deleted).
    lp1NXl6SWeSAvjGlNgNK1oYk1dWG1WVS8YqSzkAvryo0vIPe49LJsck3QnUssywGOs_tMDnJQyT6z7kVI3AXFiFPp-ZuC6Xl4yEA.jpg

    Here's what it looks like before you click Delete with Children. If you click "Delete with Children" on user input 2, then user input 2 and user input 1 along with the bot response will be deleted.
    LJJ2WuUbbgCj7YpbCvJUoATGSsNK3ks0CD_SNujRp2enpFBtcJUQB3CXrJ7tNLnSeY86P9nJLNolqwpMf0d2P7kyZiqphkYJSZxJ.jpg

C. Creating Input Variables

Variable Input is used to capture user input as a variable. Variables can be used again in the Response Bot which will display the variable's value.

Sample case: You want to recap the answers at the end of the conversation. The recap is Bot Response.

Bot: Say Your Name
User: Wahyu 
Bot: according to your age
User: 27 
Bot: Ok, please check your data again
Name: Revelation
Age: 27

Here's how to create an input variable:

  1. Create a Question first on Response Bot.
  2. Under User input, tick Input variables.
    RQ7vPaH18JSKS818gGLMY2fc3OInXAgZEP4YuTDye_FDc5iM17YDl6Vek5wWa8ZBavVYWlSaMegtA2l5RUAMAXwB1RMdDx--LtGA.png
  3. After that, the user has to enter the Variable Name. This will save the text that the asker entered in the chat room as an entity so that it can be used again in the bot's response with the variable containing it. 
  4. To Use an Entity that has been created in the Response Bot, type “{{}}” in the Bot Response Content. Then, select ENTITY.
    yfCObPBVuyi-qTU7kRRCK0soEAWNCJtt2WIwQZU5250z4e1IGBEjFso3r_c8SbkNDyd6eOb-uOAUSVFU3-OHtwAE098vEVp3819e.png
  5. Select the entity you want to display.
    dQzYMip6uLXNHj03Gbykcsz2t8gOLIi2z6rZ4KKMWBw2pIwV3xRON51WN3FjoTxCf6kNiACqAq75yP55-GejOQcvODtwJik-lSnP.png
  6. After selecting the entity, the entity will be displayed in the Bot Content Response as follows.
    0x9F_UJd9aCR3SKdMbwDWGYTEdEPzxcw06LCgDUc0Yx_TJQ4AEI0GhDENyMf2AdY6ZAmu3tFLJk8Gwne0Djq9ndh5h8zeqD86wzq.png

You can do this repeatedly and save it as an entity one by one. Then, you can display all the entities that have been created, so you don't have to create the same entity over and over again.

In order for the Bot to recognize the user's answer without being blocked by the default fallback, use the default user input. Thus, the Bot can capture the answer and save it as an entity (not recognizing it as a default fallback).

Those are the steps on how to manage the user input and response bots on the Mekari Qontak Omnichannel chatbot.