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🤖 AI Chat Node

Purpose

The AI Chat node uses your Knowledge Base to answer customer questions with AI. When a customer's message reaches this node, the assistant searches your uploaded documents and FAQs using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and responds with a relevant, natural-language answer.

Business Scenario

Use the AI Chat node when you need to:

  • Answer FAQs automatically — product questions, pricing, policies, business hours
  • Provide self-service support — customers get instant answers without waiting for an agent
  • Reduce agent workload — handle routine questions so agents focus on complex issues
  • Offer 24/7 availability — AI never sleeps, weekends or holidays

Configuration

Field Description
Title Internal name (e.g., "FAQ AI Chat")
Fallback Message Sent when the AI cannot find an answer that meets the confidence threshold
Confidence Threshold A slider (0–100%) controlling how sure the AI must be before answering. Lower = more answers but less accurate. Higher = fewer answers but more reliable.
Knowledge Base ID Optional. Restrict answers to a specific knowledge base. Leave blank to use the default.
Prompt Override Optional. Custom instructions for the AI (e.g., "Only answer questions about Event-Ease. Be concise.")

Confidence Threshold

Value Behaviour
Low (30–50%) AI answers more questions but may occasionally give less relevant answers
Medium (60–75%) Balanced — recommended starting point. Default is 70%.
High (80–100%) AI only answers when very confident. More questions fall back to the fallback message.

Start at 70% and adjust

Begin with the default 70% threshold. If customers are getting too many fallback messages, lower it. If the AI is giving irrelevant answers, raise it.

Properties

Property Type Required Default Description
title Text No "" Internal node name
fallbackMessage Text Yes "Sorry, I couldn't find an answer to that." Message when AI has no confident answer
confidenceThreshold Number (0–1) Yes 0.7 Minimum confidence to use AI answer
knowledgeBaseId Text No — Restrict to a specific knowledge base
promptOverride Text No — Custom system instructions for this node

Inputs

Handle Type Description
Top (↑) Target Receives a connection from any preceding node

Outputs

Handle Type Description
Bottom (↓) Continue Connects to the next node (runs after the AI responds or sends the fallback)

Connection Rules

  • ✅ Can receive connections from any node type
  • ✅ Can connect to any node type
  • ⚠️ The AI Chat node must have a fallback message configured (validation error if empty)
  • ✅ Commonly followed by a Menu (return to main menu) or Human Handoff (escalation)

Example Flow Diagram

FAQ with Escalation

flowchart TD
    A["📋 Main Menu"] -->|"Ask a Question"| B["🤖 AI Chat<br/><em>Searches Knowledge Base</em><br/>Confidence: 70%"]
    B --> C["📋 Follow-up Menu<br/><em>Was that helpful?</em>"]
    C -->|"Yes, thanks!"| D["💬 Glad to help!"]
    C -->|"No, talk to agent"| E["👤 Human Handoff"]
    D --> A

    style B fill:#d1fae5,stroke:#34d399,stroke-width:2px
    style E fill:#ffe4e6,stroke:#f43f5e,stroke-width:2px

How It Works at Runtime

  1. The customer's message is received.
  2. The AI searches your Knowledge Base documents for relevant information.
  3. If a match is found with confidence ≥ the threshold, the AI generates a natural-language answer.
  4. If no match is found (or confidence is too low), the fallback message is sent instead.
  5. The flow continues to the next connected node.

Best Practices

  • ✅ Write a helpful fallback message — include guidance like "Try rephrasing your question, or type 'menu' to see options."
  • ✅ Keep your Knowledge Base updated — the AI can only answer from what you've uploaded.
  • ✅ Add an escape route — always connect the AI Chat to a Menu or Human Handoff so customers aren't stuck.
  • ✅ Use Prompt Override for specialised flows — e.g., "Answer only questions about pricing. Be concise and professional."
  • ✅ Combine with Human Handoff — create a "Was that helpful?" follow-up menu that offers agent escalation.

Common Mistakes

Mistake What Happens Fix
No fallback message Validation error: "AI Chat has no fallback message" Add a fallback message in the Inspector
Empty Knowledge Base AI can never find answers — always sends fallback Upload documents to your Knowledge Base
Threshold too high (95%+) Almost every question triggers the fallback Lower to 60–75%
Threshold too low (20%) AI gives irrelevant or incorrect answers Raise to 60–75%
No follow-up after AI Chat Conversation ends abruptly Add a Menu or Message after the AI Chat node