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What is a Chatbot flow?

Each Chatbot flow is rule-based, not AI-based, which means that you will have the opportunity to control the entire user experience for your patrons. And your patrons will have the opportunity to engage or not engage with the Chatbot at their discretion. Additionally, each flow's availability will be tied to the online status of the chat widget it is assigned to—choosing to have the Chatbot activate when "The Chat Widget Loads", "Chat is Online", or "Chat is Offline"—so that you can control exactly when Chatbot will be made available to your patrons.

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Don't use LibChat?

While Chatbot can start the conversation and then pass it off to a live chat operator, it doesn't have to. Chatbot can act as a self-contained system and provide an opportunity to connect patrons directly to a librarian for follow-up via email or a LibAnswers Queue. You will still need to set up chat widgets to deploy Chatbot, but there is no need to monitor LibChat if that doesn't fit with your workflow for communicating with your patrons. Create your Chatbot flow, set it so that it activates when the chat widgets loads, assign it to a chat widget, and add that chat widget to the pages where you want to allow your patrons to chat with Chatbot.

Who can create Chatbot flows?

Any LibAnswers user with access to LibChat can create and embed customized chat widgets. Admins with LibChat active have the ability to edit and delete any flow in the system. Regular users with LibChat active, on the other hand, can only edit and delete their own widgets. However, any user can copy or embed any flow they'd like. That way, if you have a heavily customized flow, they can simply reuse it instead of starting from scratch.

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Plan your Chatbot flow

Before creating a Chatbot flow, whether it's your first or fiftieth, you should take time to plan out what you what to accomplish with the flow (or rather what you want your patrons to accomplish), and what content you expect to have in the flow. Because you will be crafting the rules on your own, ensuring that your flow is well thought out initially will save you significant time during the creation process as you chain together actions.

Consider sketching your ideas out on paper first, or write up a flow chart that lays out the different actions your flow will have, including any possible if/then rules, you want to include in your Chatbot flow. Then all you have to do is add them to LibAnswers.

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Decide what you what to accomplish with your Chatbot

To get started, decide first what kind of Chatbot flows you would like to create. Chatbot flows can range from a simple collection of login data to a fully automated process to answer questions with FAQs, LibCal Links, or LibGuides Guides or Databases.  

Example Chatbot flows to consider:  

• Collecting user details for routing: Set up actions to collect a user’s name, email, and ask custom questions to determine where the user should be routed (i.e. the department their chat should be sent to or the queue a ticket should be submitted to).
• Provide FAQs for commonly asked questions: Allow users to choose from a selection of topics with predetermined FAQs associated with each. This is especially useful for basic questions like: “What are your hours?” or “How do I renew items online?”.
• Route users to events, Equipment and Spaces bookings, LibGuides, databases, or Appointments: Provide users the opportunity to ask questions and get provided with resources from across the spectrum of your Springshare products.
• Offer “out of hours” assistance: Allow users to still ask questions, submit tickets, and get resource recommendations even when your chat widgets are offline.

Don’t worry about trying to cover every possible scenario a patron may have for interacting with Chatbot. A good starting point is to just focus on the most frequently asked questions, such as basic information on hours, guidance on looking for resources, etc.

A good way to map out Chatbot flows is to picture how a conversation with patrons would go for your most common scenarios. This will help ensure you are building your Chatbot flow (and the If/Then rules within it) in a way that feels natural for the user interacting with it. It also helps ensure you aren’t forgetting any important info, like asking for the patron’s email!

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Decide on the content that will be in the flow

After you have determined what you want to achieve with your Chatbot flow, you should spend some time ensuring that the content you need for the actions in the flow is ready to be included. This would include checking the Question Bank to see if questions you're including in the flow have already been set up or to create new questions as needed, and to check that any other LibAnswers, LibGuides, LibWizard, LibCal, and external web links are ready and available for use. 

Add questions to the question bank

The Question Bank is where you store questions that can be reused across your Chatbot flows—with an option to keep a question private for your use only or to be used system-wide.

When creating questions for your Question Bank, think about the most common questions you’ll need to ask your patrons to gather information. This includes things like:

• The relevant department/affiliation/status/membership, etc., the patron has.
• The kind of assistance the patron will need/request—circulation questions, reference inquiries, etc.
• ID numbers for library cards, student IDs, etc.
• Relevant information relating to their university or public library consortium.  

Setting up your frequently used questions will help you in making sure the Chatbot can lead your patrons down the right set of actions via if/then rule branches that you've set up and/or to ensure that your chat operators have all of the necessary information when picking up a chat with the patron.  

Ensure that other resources are in place

Each flow that you create can also provide your patrons with an opportunity to view resources from LibAnswers and the other Springshare products you subscribe to. From viewing FAQs, LibGuides resources (guides, A-Z databases, and other pages), LibCal bookings (Spaces, Equipment, and Appointments), or LibWizard items to searching your FAQ groups, LibGuides, or LibCal events.

If you expect to include resources from elsewhere in LibAnswers and your other Springshare products, take the time to make sure that those resources are up-to-date and ready for sharing before including them in your flow.

Plan out your If/Then Rules

The If/Then Rules that most action types support are essential in making sure that you are directing your patrons to the resources they are looking for while interacting with your Chatbot. These rules allow you to create specific follow-up actions based on how the patron responds to an action presented to them. For example, a simple if/then rule would display a link to your library's hours if the patron's response to an Ask Question action included a mention of "hours"—with you creating a keyword association rule that was triggered when "hours" was included in the response.

If/Then rules will allow you to send a patron down a path of your design and place content relevant to their needs in front of them. And if it ends up that they were unable to accomplish their goals, you can always set up rules that will bring them back to the main flow, directing them to submit a ticket or chat with one of your chat operators.

These rules, in combination with the questions you create (or reuse from the Question Bank), are central to creating a well-structured flow, so be sure that you take the time to plan and sketch out how your rules will be laid out in the flow.

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Create, copy, or edit a Chatbot flow

After you've developed a solid plan for what you, and your patrons, want to accomplish with a Chatbot flow you're ready to start building it out! The process for building out your flow centers on you selecting an action to add to the flow, configuring the specific options for that action, and then selecting the next action to place in the flow.

While it's recommended to set up the flow's actions sequentially as your patron would encounter them when interacting with the chatbot, you can always add new actions and change their order at any point should the need to re-order the flow's actions arise.

1. Go to LibChat > Chatbot.
2. Under the Chatbot tab, click on the Add New Flow button.
   1. Click the Edit Chatbot Flow () icon to adjust the settings for an existing flow.
      • Any edits made to an existing flow will automatically update any instance of the chatbot that has been assigned to a chat widget.
   2. Click the Copy Chatbot Flow () icon to make a copy of an existing flow

3. On the Create a Chatbot Flow modal, set the Chatbot Flow Name.
   • This is for internal use only to be used for identifying a flow when assigning them to chat widgets and to assist in managing your existing flows.
4. Optionally, set a Description.
   • This, again, is for internal use only and should be used to assist in managing (and finding) your existing flows.
5. Click the Save button.
   • This will take you to the Chatbot Flow Builder page where you can fully customize and build the flow.

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For in-depth details of the Chatbot Flow Builder, see the sections below:

• Preview the Chatbot flow.
• Configure and customize the flow's actions.
  • Add and manage an action's If/Then rules.
• Adjust the Chatbot flow's settings.
• Customize the look feel of the Chatbot.

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Build your Chatbot flow

A newly created flow will automatically start with preset (but customizable) Welcome and End of Chat messages. These will be the messages that your patron will see upon engaging with the Chatbot and when their interaction with the Chatbot is complete (in situations where the patron is not sent to chat with a LibChat operator). 

1. Click the Edit Action () icon for the Welcome message action to open the Edit Action panel for the action.
   1. If you don't need to make any changes to the Welcome message, you can click the Add New Action button to open the Actions Menu panel to select and set up the first new action for the flow. 
   2. Or, if you want to edit the End of Chat message, you can click its Edit Action () icon.
      • Note: When editing this message, you will not see options for configuring the next action in its Edit Action panel as there cannot be another action after the flow has ended.
2. In the Edit Action panel, make the necessary changes to the text used for the message. 
   3. Changes to the Action Name will be reflected in how the action is labeled in the flow builder—this name is not visible to patrons interacting with the Chatbot.
   4. Change the Initial message to Patron message to adjust the first message that a patron sees when interacting with the Chatbot.
   5. Change the Button to Accept Chatbot label as needed.
   6. Change the Button to Dismiss Chatbot label as needed.
3. After customizing the Welcome message action as needed, you can start to set up the details of the next action in the flow.
   7. Choose Add new Action from the Next Action if Patron Accepts dropdown menu.
      • Note: If you have already set up additional actions, you can choose an existing action from the dropdown menu.
   8. Select the desired next action from the New Action Type dropdown.
      • See the Available Actions section below for full details on every action type.
   9. Set the New Action Name for the next action.
4. Click the Set Action button to confirm the changes to the Welcome message.
   • This will automatically open the Edit Action panel for the new action (if you chose to create a new action).

5. Continue setting up new actions as needed in the flow by using the Add New Action buttons.
   1. Select the action to add from the Actions Menu.
      • When clicking the button between existing actions, the builder will automatically place the new action between them in the flow.
      • See the Available Actions section below for full details on every action type.
6. Click the Save button to save your changes to the flow.
   2. All existing actions are viewable via the Actions List panel—including links to edit each action.
   3. Click the Edit Action () icon in the Chat Flow to edit the action.
   4. Click the Delete Action () icon the Chat Flow to quickly remove an action that is not needed in the flow.
      • Note: The Welcome and End of Chat actions cannot be deleted.

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Preview your Chatbot flow

When creating a new Chatbot flow or editing an existing flow, you can use the Preview button to see exactly how the flow will behave when added to a chat widget. Any edits/customizations that you make in the flow builder will be automatically reflected in the preview.

The Chatbot flow's preview is a fully live version of the flow, with real search/link results, ticket creation, and referrals to LibChat. It is strongly recommended that you test your flow as you build it, but if the flow will result in interactions with your colleagues (via ticket creation, chats, etc.) it is also recommended that you alert your colleagues to your testing. 

Note: The preview will not display any custom look and feel elements that are applied to a chat widget that the flow has been assigned to. 

1. From the Chatbot Flow Builder, click the Preview button to open the Testing your Chatbot Flow modal.
2. Use the preview to test how a patron would interact with the Chatbot.
   1. Click the Restart button to reset the flow and test it again.  

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Available actions

The actions that are available in each Chatbot flow allow you to guide end-users toward the answers and resources they're looking for before they talk to a chat operator (or without talking to an operator at all). And by utilizing the If/Then rules that certain action types support, you can configure multiple branches that a patron can take through the flow—getting them to the resources (or chat operator) they need more efficiently.

For example, you might ask a question about the patron's affiliation with your institution initially. If they respond that they are a staff member, you could set up a rule with the action that routes them to submit a ticket to your staff-only priority ticketing queue in LibAnswers. If they respond that they're a non-affiliated community member, you could configure a rule that points them to your LibAnswers FAQ for acquiring a community member library card. And if they're a student in need of research help, they could be routed directly to the LibChat department monitored by your Reference staff.

The available action types include: 

* Supports If/Then Rules

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Send Message

The Send Message action allows you to display additional messages to the patron to provide additional context/information to them—without requiring the patron to provide additional information. Multiple (HTML-supported) messages can be set up in a single action (maximum of 5 messages per action and 500 characters per individual message) that will be displayed to the patron every 2 seconds. 

To set up a Send Message action:

1. Adjust the Action Name as needed. 
   • The name set here will be used to label the action in the flow builder—this name is not visible to patrons interacting with the Chatbot.
2. Enter your text in the Initial message to Patron text field.
3. If you want to add additional messages, click the Add another chat message button. 
   1. If additional messages are no longer needed, you can click their X icon to remove them.
4. Select the Next Action that will follow this action in the flow.
   • You can choose from an existing action, to add a new action, or end the chat.
5. Click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. And remember to click the Save button in the builder to save the changes!
   2. If the action is not needed, click the Delete Action button to confirm its deletion from the flow.

Tip: If you want to send a message that the patron has to respond to, use the Ask Question action. 

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Ask Question

The Ask Question action allows you to ask free response or multiple-choice questions to your patrons—requiring them to respond before the flow can continue. These questions can be reused from existing questions in the Chatbot Question Bank or created directly from the Edit Action panel after choosing the action type. Questions created from within the builder can then be added to the Question Bank (to be kept for your private reuse or to be used system-wide) or set to be only used one time with the action being built.

The Ask Question action supports the creation of If/Then Rules, which allows you to create branches in your flow to direct a patron to specific follow-up actions based on the response that they give to the question being asked.

Create a new question from the builder

If the question you want to add to your flow does not already exist in the Question Bank, or if you want to create a flow-specific question, you can create a brand new question after selecting the Ask Question action.

To add a new question:

1. Adjust the Action Name as needed. 
   • The name set here will be used to label the action in the flow builder—this name is not visible to patrons interacting with the Chatbot.
2. Select Add New Question from the Select Question from Question Bank dropdown.
   • Upon selecting Add New Question, the Create a Question modal will open automatically.

3. On the Create a Question modal, set the Short Name for the question.
   • For questions being added to the Question Bank, this name will be used there to identify the question. 
   • For flow-specific questions, this name will be displayed in the Edit Action panel for the question.
4. Enter the text of the Question.
   • This text is what a patron will initially see when this action is displayed in the Chatbot flow.
5. Select the Question Type, choosing between Free Response and Multiple Choice.
   • Free Response questions allow the patron to enter any text of their choosing and can be set up with If/Then rules based on the response they give.
     • If/Then rules for these questions allow you to provide follow-up actions based on the text they give in their response (matching any or all words entered, or automatically running a search for results in LibAnswers, LibCal, or LibGuides).
   • Multiple Choice questions allow the patron to choose from one of the response options you've set up (these questions are single-select only, not multi-select) and can be set up with If/Then rules based on the response they choose.
     • If/Then rules for these questions allow you to provide follow-up actions based on the response chosen as well as an optional free response "Other" choice that can be configured with the same If/Then rules as a Free Response question.
6. If Multiple Choice was selected as the Question Type, use the Response Options for Patrons section to configure the responses for the question.
   1. Enter the choices for the question in each New Response field.
      • Leave a field blank if it is not needed, or clear out a field to delete an existing response (and save your changes).
   2. If more than the initial four responses are needed, click the Add a Response button to add more response fields.
   3. Click the New Response label for a response and drag it to a new position to reorder the options.
   4. Check the Allow Free Response? (Shown to Patrons as an "Other" option.) checkbox to include a free response choice for your patrons to select when answering the question.
      • Reminder: This "Other" choice can be configured with the same If/Then rules as a Free Response question.
7. Use the Add to Question Bank? to determine how the question should be stored—in the question bank or only tied to this flow. Choosing from:
   • Yes - Private: The question will be added to the Question Bank but will only be available to be reused by you. (You can choose to make it available System-Wide later.)
   • Yes - System-Wide: The question will be added to the Question Bank and will be available to anyone adding the Ask Question action to a flow. (You can choose to make it Private later.)
   • No: The question will not be available for reuse and will only exist in this flow and for this specific Ask Question action. Questions that are not added to the Question Bank can not be added to the bank later, so be sure that you want the question to be flow-specific before making this selection.
8. Click Save to create the question.

9. After setting up the new question, click the Next button to go to the If/Then Rules panel where you can configure rules for the question's responses and select the next action in the flow.
   1. For flow-specific questions, click the Edit Question () icon to return to the Edit Question modal to make changes to the question, question type, and responses.
   2. For flow-specific questions, if you want to set up a new question entirely (without deleting the action altogether), click its Delete Question () icon.
      • Deleting the question will remove it from the flow, although the question will be retained in your Chatbot statistics provided that the flow has not been deleted (and there were responses to the question from previous patron interactions with the flow). 
   3. For questions that will be added to the Question Bank, your choice will be displayed in the Select Question from Question Bank dropdown.
   4. Click the Delete Action button to completely remove the entire action from the flow.

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Configure If/Then Rules and choose the Next Action

If you've chosen to use a question from the Question Bank or after you've set up your new question and have clicked Next on the Edit Action panel, you'll be taken to the If/Then Rules panel where you can choose to configure rules for the responses to your question and also select the next action in the flow.

1. On the If/Then Rules panel, the text of the question, the question type, and responses (for multiple-choice questions) will be listed at the top of the panel for you to review.
2. Click the Add if/then rule button to configure a rule for one of the available responses, or to set up the rule for a Free Response question. 
   1. Existing If/Then Rules will be listed below the question details.
      • See the If/Then Rules section below for full details on configuring them.
3. Select the Next Action that will follow this action in the flow if no If/Then rule is triggered by the patron's response.
   • You can choose from an existing action, to add a new action, or end the chat.
4. Click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. And remember to click the Save button in the builder to save the changes!
   2. Click the Previous (arrow) button to return to the question selection panel for the action.
      • From there you can make edits to a flow-specific question or choose a different question from the Question Bank.
   3. If the action is not needed, click the Delete Action button to confirm its deletion from the flow.

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Request Patron Info

The Request Patron Info action allows you to prompt the patron for their name and contact information (email and/or institutional ID) when interacting with the Chatbot. The responses the patron provides will be sent on to the chat operator if the Chatbot results in sending the patron to chat with an operator in the Name and Contact Info fields for the chat. They'll also be used for the contact information for a ticket if the Chatbot results in the patron submitting a ticket.

Additionally, if you choose to request the patron's email address and/or institutional ID with the action you can (optionally) configure an If/Then rule for one or the other. For example, you could set up a rule to send patrons to a particular ticket queue based on their email domain. Or you could set up a rule to allow the patron to search a particular FAQ group based on a substring in their ID. 

To set up a Request Patron Info action:

1. Adjust the Action Name as needed. 
   • The name set here will be used to label the action in the flow builder—this name is not visible to patrons interacting with the Chatbot.
2. Select the checkboxes for the What Info Should be Requested? field to choose the information that the patron will be required to provide. Choosing from:
   • Name: Patrons can enter any text of their choosing.
   • Institutional ID: Patrons can enter any text of their choosing. 
   • Email: Patrons must submit a valid email address before they can proceed.
3. Use the Message Prompt fields to set the message that a patron will see when they are asked to provide each individual piece of information selected above.
4. Click the Next button to go to the If/Then Rules panel where you can (optionally) configure rules for the email or institutional ID responses and select the next action in the flow.
   1. If the action is not needed, click the Delete Action button to confirm its deletion from the flow.

5. On the If/Then Rules panel, if you chose to prompt for the patron's email address or institutional ID, you can choose to configure a rule for one or the other (but not both) by clicking the Add if/then rule button. 
   • See the If/Then Rules section below for full details on configuring them.
   • If no rules are required, you can skip this step.
6. Select the Next Action that will follow this action in the flow if no If/Then rule is triggered by the patron's response.
   • You can choose from an existing action, to add a new action, or end the chat.
7. Click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. And remember to click the Save button in the builder to save the changes!
   1. Click the Previous (arrow) button to return to the Patron Info selection panel for the action.
      • From there you can make changes to the patron information you want to collect and the accompanying message prompts.
   2. If the action is not needed, click the Delete Action button to confirm its deletion from the flow.

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Show FAQs

The Show FAQs action allows you to present the patron with content pulled from the FAQ groups of your LibAnswers site. You can choose to display an individual FAQ (showing its Short Answer with a link to the full FAQ), allow the patron to search in one of your public FAQ groups (or all of your public FAQs), or show the results of a search for FAQs based on a search of your choosing.

Additionally, each action type supports If/Then rules allowing you to configure a rule to display follow-up actions if the patron was, or was not, satisfied with the results presented to them.

Note: FAQ groups (and the published FAQs within them) set to a Hidden, Internal, or Restricted Internal access level can not be used with this action. Only published FAQs within Open/Public FAQ groups will be available for use.

To set up a Show FAQs action:

1. Adjust the Action Name as needed. 
   • The name set here will be used to label the action in the flow builder—this name is not visible to patrons interacting with the Chatbot.
2. Select the FAQ Action Type to use for the action. Choosing from:
   • Display Full FAQ (Public FAQ Groups): Used to display the short answer for an FAQ of your choosing and a link to the full FAQ.
   • FAQ Search: Allows the patron to search within one of your public FAQ groups, or across all of your public groups.
   • Show FAQ Results: Displays a list of FAQs (with links to each) based on a search query that you have set up.

3. Depending on the FAQ Action type selected, you will be presented with additional options to set up for the action.
   • Display Full FAQ (Public FAQ Groups): Use the Search FAQ to Display field to find the FAQ to use—searching by keyword or by entering the ID of the FAQ.
     1. After selecting an FAQ to use it will be listed above the search box and include a link to the full FAQ to confirm that you've selected the correct FAQ.
        • Tip: Make sure that the FAQ you are sharing has its Short Answer set. The Short Answer for an FAQ is displayed to the patron when sharing an FAQ with this action.
   • FAQ Search: Use the Pick FAQ Groups(s) to Search dropdown to select the public FAQ group that the patron will search within, or choose "All Public" to allow the patron to search across all of your public FAQ groups.
   • Show FAQ Results: Use the Pick FAQ Groups(s) to Show Results From dropdown to select the public FAQ group that your search query will be run within, or choose "All Public" to have your search run across all of your publicly FAQ groups.
     2. Enter the text of your search in the Enter Search Word(s) field.
        • The word(s) entered here will be used to search and show a list of FAQs to the patron.
        • Tip: Use the Chatbot Flow Preview to confirm that the search returns the desired results.
4. Customize the Initial Message to Patron message as needed.
5. Click the Next button to go to the If/Then Rules panel where you can (optionally) configure rules to show follow-up actions based on the patron's satisfaction with the FAQ content shown to them, and select the next action in the flow.

6. On the If/Then Rules panel, the text of the question and responses available to the patron will be listed at the top of the panel for you to view.
   • These prompts and responses can be customized from the Settings tab of the Chatbot Flow Builder in the Search Prompts and Link Resource Prompts sections.
7. Click the Add if/then rule button to configure a rule for one of the available responses. 
   1. Existing If/Then Rules will be listed below the question details.
      • See the If/Then Rules section below for full details on configuring them.
      • If no rules are required, you can skip this step.
8. Select the Next Action that will follow this action in the flow if no If/Then rule is triggered by the patron's response.
   • You can choose from an existing action, to add a new action, or end the chat.
9. Click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. And remember to click the Save button in the builder to save the changes!
   2. Click the Previous (arrow) button to return to the Shows FAQs selection panel for the action.
      • From there you can make changes to the FAQ Action Type and the accompanying message prompts.
   3. If the action is not needed, click the Delete Action button to confirm its deletion from the flow.

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Send to Chat

The Send to Chat action allows you to direct your patrons to chat with one of your chat operators—sending them to chat directly with a specific user or to a chat department. Operators that claim a chat originating from your Chatbot will be provided with the patron's full transcript of their interaction with the Chatbot up to the Send to Chat action. And if the selected operator or department isn't available when a patron is interacting with your Chatbot you can continue the flow to allow them to search within a relevant FAQ group, submit a ticket, or direct them elsewhere.

This action can be used after you've collected sufficient information about what the patron is looking to achieve to direct them to a live chat operator that can address their needs most effectively. For example, your flow might include an Ask Question action where the patron has asked about renewing their borrowed materials with an If/Then rule in place to have them search your borrowing/circulation FAQs based on that response. And if they're unable to find the information they need there you can send them to chat with your Circulation LibChat department—while providing the chat operators within that department with the full transcript of what the Chatbot provided them previously.

To set up a Send to Chat action:

1. Adjust the Action Name as needed. 
   • The name set here will be used to label the action in the flow builder—this name is not visible to patrons interacting with the Chatbot.
2. From the Send Chat To dropdown, select whether the patron should be sent to chat with a Specific Operator (if online) or a Chat Department (if online).
3. From the Chat Department or Chat Operator dropdown, select the department/operator to send the chat to.
4. Customize the Initial message to Patron message.
   • This message will be shown to the patron when the action loads in the Chatbot.
5. Customize the Message if Chat is Offline/Unavailable as needed.
   • If the Chatbot cannot connect with the selected department/operator, the patron will see this message prior to the next action loading.
6. Set the Next Action if Chat is Offline that will follow this action in the flow if the operator/department selected is not available.
   • You can choose from an existing action, to add a new action, or end the chat.
7. Click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. And remember to click the Save button in the builder to save the changes!
   1. If the action is not needed, click the Delete Action button to confirm its deletion from the flow.

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Submit Ticket

The Submit Ticket action allows you to prompt the patron to submit a ticket to a queue of your choosing from your LibAnswers site. Similar to the Send to Chat action, this action can be used to provide an opportunity for your patrons to have their question(s) answered if the preceding actions in the flow were unable to answer them. 

You might consider adding this action to your flow after using the Request Patron Info action to route patrons to the correct queue for their user population (based on their email address domain or institutional ID), or after using Ask Question actions to learn more about what information they're interested in and send them to the correct queue for having their question answered—like sending them to your Archives queue if they've asked about your Special Collections and Archives department.

Note: If the patron chooses to submit a ticket from this action, the chat will end.

To set up a Submit Ticket action:

1. Adjust the Action Name as needed. 
   • The name set here will be used to label the action in the flow builder—this name is not visible to patrons interacting with the Chatbot.
2. From the Queue this ticket will go to dropdown, select the appropriate queue in your LibAnswers site that should receive the patron's ticket.
3. Customize the Question Prompt to Patron message.
   • This message will be shown to the patron if they choose to submit a ticket.
   • Note: The message and button prompts that display when this action loads are not customizable.
4. Customize the If Ticket is Created Message message.
   • This message will be displayed after the patron submits their ticket and immediately before the chat ends.
5. Set the Next Action if No Ticket is Submitted that will follow this action in the flow if the patron chooses to not submit a ticket.
   • You can choose from an existing action, to add a new action, or end the chat.
6. Click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. And remember to click the Save button in the builder to save the changes!
   1. If the action is not needed, click the Delete Action button to confirm its deletion from the flow.

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LibGuides Search

The LibGuides Search action allows you to present the patron with content pulled from your LibGuides site (subscription to LibGuides required). You can choose to display an individual LibGuides (showing its title with a link to the full guide), a link to one of your A-Z Database assets, allow the patron to search LibGuides site, allow the patron to search your A-Z Database list, or share a link to a non-LibGuide page in your site (i.e, your blog, your A-Z Database list, etc.).

Additionally, each action type supports If/Then rules allowing you to configure a rule to display follow-up actions if the patron was, or was not, satisfied with the results presented to them.

To set up a LibGuides Search action:

1. Adjust the Action Name as needed. 
   • The name set here will be used to label the action in the flow builder—this name is not visible to patrons interacting with the Chatbot.
2. Select the LibGuides Action Type to use for the action. Choosing from:
   • Show a LibGuide: Used to display a link to LibGuide.
   • Show an A-Z Database: Used to display a link to an A-Z Database asset from your LibGuides site.
   • Search LibGuides: Allows the patron to search your LibGuides site for published guides.
   • Search A-Z Databases: Allows the patron to search your LibGuides A-Z list.
   • Show Other LibGuides Resource: Used to display a link to a non-LibGuide page (i.e. A-Z Database list, the LibGuides homepage, a group homepage, etc.) from your LibGuides site.

3. Depending on the LibGuides Action type selected, you will be presented with additional options to set up for the action.
   • Show a LibGuide: Use the Search for a LibGuide to Show field to find the LibGuide to use—searching by keyword or by entering the ID of the guide.
     1. After selecting a guide to use, it will be listed above the search box and include a link to the LibGuide to confirm that you've selected the correct guide.
   • Show an A-Z Database: Use the Search for an A-Z Database field to find the Database asset to use—searching by keyword or by entering the ID of the asset.
     2. After selecting a database to use, it will be listed above the search box and include the database's link to confirm that you've selected the correct database.
   • Search LibGuides: No additional options are required for setup.
   • Search A-Z Databases: No additional options are required for setup.
   • Show Other LibGuides Resource: Use the LibGuides Page URL field to enter the link to the non-LibGuide page of your choosing.
     3. Optionally, enter a Link Name to display as a hyperlink to for LibGuides Page URL you selected.
4. Customize the Initial Message to Patron message as needed.
5. Click the Next button to go to the If/Then Rules panel where you can (optionally) configure rules to show follow-up actions based on the patron's satisfaction with the LibGuides content shown to them, and select the next action in the flow.

6. On the If/Then Rules panel, the text of the question and responses available to the patron will be listed at the top of the panel for you to view.
   • These prompts and responses can be customized from the Settings tab of the Chatbot Flow Builder in the Search Prompts and Link Resource Prompts sections.
7. Click the Add if/then rule button to configure a rule for one of the available responses. 
   1. Existing If/Then Rules will be listed below the question details.
      • See the If/Then Rules section below for full details on configuring them.
      • If no rules are required, you can skip this step.
8. Select the Next Action that will follow this action in the flow if no If/Then rule is triggered by the patron's response.
   • You can choose from an existing action, to add a new action, or end the chat.
9. Click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. And remember to click the Save button in the builder to save the changes!
   2. Click the Previous (arrow) button to return to the LibGuides Search selection panel for the action.
      • From there you can make changes to the LibGuides Action Type and the accompanying message prompts.
   3. If the action is not needed, click the Delete Action button to confirm its deletion from the flow.

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Send to LibCal

The Send to LibCal action allows you to present the patron with content pulled from your LibCal site (subscription to LibCal required). You can choose to display a link to a Spaces booking location, a link to an Equipment booking location, a link to an Appointments booking location, or allow the patron to search for events from your LibCal Events Calendar—choosing to search for events from a specific public calendar or all public calendars.

Additionally, each action type supports If/Then rules allowing you to configure a rule to display follow-up actions if the patron was, or was not, satisfied with the results presented to them.

Note: Booking locations and event calendars that are set to Private or Admin Only are not available to be used with this action—only public booking locations and calendars can be selected.

To set up a Send to LibCal action:

1. Adjust the Action Name as needed. 
   • The name set here will be used to label the action in the flow builder—this name is not visible to patrons interacting with the Chatbot.
2. Select the LibCal Action Type to use for the action. Choosing from:
   • Spaces Booking: Used to display a link to a public Spaces booking location.
   • Equipment Booking: Used to display a link to a public Equipment booking location.
   • Appointment Booking: Used to display a link to a public Appointment booking location.
   • Calendar Event Search: Allows the patron to search for events from a specific LibCal calendar, or from all of your publicly available LibCal calendars.

3. Depending on the LibCal Action type selected, you will be presented with additional options to set up for the action.
   • Spaces Booking: Use the Select a Location to Display dropdown to choose from one of your public Spaces locations.
     1. After selecting a location to use, it will be listed above the dropdown and include a link to the location's public booking page to confirm that you've selected the correct location.
   • Equipment Booking: Use the Select a Location to Display dropdown to choose from one of your public Equipment locations.
     2. After selecting a location to use, it will be listed above the dropdown and include a link to the location's public booking page to confirm that you've selected the correct location.
   • Appointment Booking: Use the Select a Location to Display dropdown to choose from one of your public Appointment locations.
     3. After selecting a location to use, it will be listed above the dropdown and include a link to the Appointment location's public booking page to confirm that you've selected the correct location.
   • Calendar Event Search: Use the Select a Calendar to Search dropdown to select the public calendar that the patron will search for events within, or choose "All Calendars" to allow the patron to search across all of your public calendars.
4. Customize the Initial Message to Patron message as needed.
5. Click the Next button to go to the If/Then Rules panel where you can (optionally) configure rules to show follow-up actions based on the patron's satisfaction with the LibGuides content shown to them, and select the next action in the flow.

6. On the If/Then Rules panel, the text of the question and responses available to the patron will be listed at the top of the panel for you to view.
   • These prompts and responses can be customized from the Settings tab of the Chatbot Flow Builder in the Search Prompts and Link Resource Prompts sections.
7. Click the Add if/then rule button to configure a rule for one of the available responses. 
   1. Existing If/Then Rules will be listed below the question details.
      • See the If/Then Rules section below for full details on configuring them.
      • If no rules are required, you can skip this step.
8. Select the Next Action that will follow this action in the flow if no If/Then rule is triggered by the patron's response.
   • You can choose from an existing action, to add a new action, or end the chat.
9. Click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. And remember to click the Save button in the builder to save the changes!
   2. Click the Previous (arrow) button to return to the Send to LibCal selection panel for the action.
      • From there you can make changes to the LibCal Action Type and the accompanying message prompts.
   3. If the action is not needed, click the Delete Action button to confirm its deletion from the flow.

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Website Link

The Website Link action allows you to share a URL of your choosing within your flow. This action might be best used as a follow-up action via an If/Then rule to provide the patron with access to a link based on their response to an Ask Question action (or any of the other actions that support If/Then rules). 

Additionally, this action type supports If/Then rules allowing you to configure a rule to display follow-up actions if the patron was, or was not, satisfied with the link presented to them.

To set up a Website Link action:

1. Adjust the Action Name as needed. 
   • The name set here will be used to label the action in the flow builder—this name is not visible to patrons interacting with the Chatbot.
2. Customize the Initial Message to Patron message as needed.
   • This message will display to the patron when the action loads in the flow.
3. Enter the Link URL that you want to share.
4. Optionally, enter a Link Name to display as a hyperlink to for Link URL you selected.
5. Click the Next button to go to the If/Then Rules panel where you can (optionally) configure rules to show follow-up actions based on the patron's satisfaction with the link shown to them, and select the next action in the flow.

6. On the If/Then Rules panel, the text of the question and responses available to the patron will be listed at the top of the panel for you to view.
   • These prompts and responses can be customized from the Settings tab of the Chatbot Flow Builder in the Link Resource Prompts section.
7. Click the Add if/then rule button to configure a rule for one of the available responses. 
   1. Existing If/Then Rules will be listed below the question details.
      • See the If/Then Rules section below for full details on configuring them.
      • If no rules are required, you can skip this step.
8. Select the Next Action that will follow this action in the flow if no If/Then rule is triggered by the patron's response.
   • You can choose from an existing action, to add a new action, or end the chat.
9. Click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. And remember to click the Save button in the builder to save the changes!
   2. Click the Previous (arrow) button to return to the Website Link panel for the action.
      • From there you can make changes to the link URL, link name, and the accompanying message prompt.
   3. If the action is not needed, click the Delete Action button to confirm its deletion from the flow.

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Show LibWizard Items

The Show LibWizard Items action allows you to present the patron with forms, surveys, quizzes, ad pulled from your LibWizard site (subscription to LibWizard required). You can choose to display a link to any form, survey, quiz, or standalone tutorial that you have created in LibWizard.

Additionally, each action type supports If/Then rules allowing you to configure a rule to display follow-up actions if the patron was, or was not, satisfied with the results presented to them.

Note: The Show LibWizard Items action does not take into account an item publication status (visibility). Please make sure to confirm that the item you are linking to in your flow is available and visible to your patrons.

To set up a Show LibWizard Items action:

1. Adjust the Action Name as needed. 
   • The name set here will be used to label the action in the flow builder—this name is not visible to patrons interacting with the Chatbot.
2. From the Select LibWizard Item dropdown, select the type of item you wish to link to. Choosing from: Form, Survey, Quiz, or Tutorial.
3. Use the Select a Form/Survey/Quiz/Tutorial dropdown to select the specific item.
   1. After selecting an item to use, it will be listed above the dropdown and include a link to the item to confirm that you've selected the correct form/survey/quiz/tutorial.
4. Customize the Initial Message to Patron message as needed.
   • This message will display to the patron when the action loads in the flow.
5. Click the Next button to go to the If/Then Rules panel where you can (optionally) configure rules to show follow-up actions based on the patron's satisfaction with the link shown to them, and select the next action in the flow.

6. On the If/Then Rules panel, the text of the question and responses available to the patron will be listed at the top of the panel for you to view.
   • These prompts and responses can be customized from the Settings tab of the Chatbot Flow Builder in the Link Resource Prompts section.
7. Click the Add if/then rule button to configure a rule for one of the available responses. 
   1. Existing If/Then Rules will be listed below the question details.
      • See the If/Then Rules section below for full details on configuring them.
      • If no rules are required, you can skip this step.
8. Select the Next Action that will follow this action in the flow if no If/Then rule is triggered by the patron's response.
   • You can choose from an existing action, to add a new action, or end the chat.
9. Click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. And remember to click the Save button in the builder to save the changes!
   2. Click the Previous (arrow) button to return to the Show LibWizard Items panel for the action.
      • From there you can make changes to the selected form/survey/quiz/tutorial, and the accompanying message prompt.
   3. If the action is not needed, click the Delete Action button to confirm its deletion from the flow.

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If/Then Rules

If/Then Rules are essential in making sure that you are directing your patrons to the resources that they need while interacting with your Chatbot. These rules allow you to create specific follow-up actions based on how the patron responds to an action presented to them. The If/Then rules that you create allow you to send a patron down a path of your design and place content relevant to their needs in front of them. And if it ends up that they were unable to accomplish their goals, you can always set up rules that will bring them back to the main flow, directing them to submit a ticket or chat with one of your chat operators.

Some example If/Then Rules:

• Display a Website Link action that links to your library's hours if the patron's response to an Ask Question action included a mention of "hours"—with you creating a keyword association rule that was triggered when "hours" was included in the response.
• Allow a staff member to chat with your Staff-Only LibChat department using a Send to Chat action that loads after a Patron Contact Info when the patron enters an email address that matches the domain used for your staff emails—with you creating a "All Words" matching rule that lists the domain for your staff email addresses.
• Provide an opportunity for the patron to submit a ticket to your Technical Support LibAnswers queue using the Submit Ticket action that displays after a multiple-choice Ask Question action that asked what type of help the user was looking for and the patron selected your "Technical Assistance response—with you creating a rule that triggers the Submit Ticket action when that response is chosen.

While most of the available actions support If/Then rules, the setup for all of the rules fall into two general types: free text response rules and multiple-choice rules. Free text response rules allow you to set follow-up actions based on any text that the patron enters. While multiple-choice rules allow you to follow-up actions based on the specific responses to the multiple-choice question asked to the patron.

Action Type	Supports Free Response Rules	Supports Multiple Choice Rules
Ask Question - Free Response Question	Yes	No
Ask Question - Multiple Choice Question	Yes, but only for the "Other" response option (when it is inclued)	Yes
Request Patron Info	Yes, but only for Email or Institutional ID	No
Show FAQs	No	Yes
LibGuides Content	No	Yes
Send to LibCal	No	Yes
Website Link	No	Yes
Show LibWizard Items	No	Yes

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Set up a free response rule

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Create a Keyword Associations Free Response Rule

1. From the Edit Rule for Free Text Responses modal (accessed by clicking the Add if/then rule button for the action), select the Keyword Associations for the Matching Type.
2. Choose the keyword matching behavior for the rule from the If field. Choosing from:
   • Any Words: Use the boolean OR behavior—meaning one or more of the words/phrases entered must be included in the patron's response in order for the rule to be triggered. 
   • All Words: Use the boolean AND behavior—meaning all of the words/phrases entered must be included in the patron's response in order for the rule to be triggered.
3. Enter the keyword/phrase to be used by the rule and click the Add button—repeating this process as many times as needed to cover all of the keywords/phrases that should trigger the rule.
   1. Previously added keywords/phrases will be listed above the text field.
4. Use the Then dropdown to set what will happen when the criteria of the rule is met.
   • You can choose from an existing action, to add a new action, to end the chat, or to show text to the patron.
     • When text is shown to the patron, the Next Action set for the action being edited will be shown next.
5. Click the Set Rule button.
   • Repeat the process for adding additional Keyword Association rules for as many times as is needed to cover the expected responses from your patrons.
6. After creating the necessary rules, click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. And remember to click the Save button in the builder to save the changes!

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Create a Search Results Free Response Rule

A Search Results rule for a free text response allows the patron to automatically search for FAQs, LibGuides, A-Z Databases, or LibCal events (based on the follow-up search action you select) using the text of their initial response.

1. From the Edit Rule for Free Text Responses modal (accessed by clicking the Add if/then rule button for the action), select the Search Results for the Matching Type.
2. Use the Then dropdown to either create a new search action or select an existing search type action.
   1. When creating a new action, use the New Action Type dropdown to select either a Show FAQs, Search LibGuides, or Send to LibCal action, and set a name for the new action.
3. Click the Set Rule button.
4. Click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. 

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Set up a multiple choice rule

To set up a multiple choice rule:

1. From the Edit Rule for Multiple Choice Question modal (accessed by clicking the Add if/then rule button for the action), select the response to that will trigger the rule.
   1. Responses that already have a rule in place for them will be unavailable as each response can only be connected to one rule.
2. From the If Patron Selects "Your Response", then dropdown to set what will happen when the criteria of the rule is met.
   • You can choose from an existing action, to add a new action, to end the chat, or to show text to the patron.
     • When text is shown to the patron, the Next Action set for the action being edited will be shown next.
3. Click the Set Rule button.
   • Repeat the process for adding additional multiple choice rules for as many times as is needed to cover the responses for the action.
4. After creating the necessary rules, click the Set Action button to confirm the changes. And remember to click the Save button in the builder to save the changes

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Viewing Response Rules in the Chat Flow Builder

While you can always view the rules for a specific action while viewing the action in the Edit Action panel (the right-hand column), the main column of the Chatbot Flow Builder will also provide you with indicators when there are rules that lead to an action outside of the standard flow for the Chatbot.

When an action has If/Then rules in place, a "View Response Rules" link will display for the action in the builder that can be clicked on to expand and see the associated rules.

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With the Response Rules visible for an action, you can click on a specific rule to see what the follow-up action will be in the event that the rule is triggered.

1. Click the Edit Rule () icon for the rule to open up the modal window for editing the rule.
2. Click the "Hide Response Rules" link to collapse the response rules and return to viewing the primary flow for the Chatbot.

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Actions that are associated with one or more rules (and will be displayed to the patron when said rule is triggered) will include a "X other action(s) also lead to this action." link. Clicking this link will open a modal where you can view a link to each of the other actions.

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Chatbot flow settings

From the Settings tab, you can control the behavior of your Chatbot flow—adjusting how your chatbot interacts with users, including when the chatbot should be active in your chat widget(s)—and customize the text for a number of the prompts and messages used throughout the various actions.

General

The General section of the Settings for your Chatbot allows you to customize the name, description, and availability of the Chatbot.

1. Chatbot Flow Name: Adjust the name of your Chatbot. 
   • This name is not shown to patrons and is used to find your Chatbot when assigning it to a chat widget and from the LibChat > Chatbot page.
2. Description: Use to better identify the Chatbot from the LibChat > Chatbot page.
3. Chatbot Timeout: Set the length of time (10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 1 day) the Chatbot will wait after prompting a patron for a response before terminating the Chatbot session.
   • If no patron response is received in the timeout period, the Chatbot session will end.
4. Activate Chatbot When: This setting will determine when the Chatbot loads in the chat widget(s) it is assigned to. Choose from:
   • The Chat Widget Loads: When selected, the Chatbot will automatically prompt the patron to interact with the Chatbot immediately after the page/chat widget has loaded.
   • Chat is Online: When selected, the Chatbot will only load, and prompt the patron to interact with the Chatbot, if the chat widget the Chatbot has been assigned to is online.
     • When the chat widget is offline, the patron will see the chat widget's Offline view.
   • Chat if Offline: When selected, the Chatbot will only load, and prompt the patron to interact with the Chatbot, if the chat widget the Chatbot has been assigned to is offline (including any Fallback options).
     • When the chat widget is online, the patron will see the chat widget as it would traditionally appear.

Note: Don't forget to save your changes by clicking the Save button at the bottom of the page!

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Search Prompts

The Search Prompts section of the Settings for your Chatbot allows you to customize the text for the question that asks the patron if the search results were helpful, as well as for the button labels the patron will choose from after a search action has been completed.

These customizations are applicable to the If/Then rules for the following actions: LibGuides Search, Database Search, FAQs Search, and the LibCal Event Calendar Search.

1. Retry Search Prompt: The message that a patron will see after a search action has completed.
2. "Yes" Button: This button can be used to trigger an If/Then rule if the search was deemed successful by the patron.
3. "No" Button: This button can be used to trigger an If/Then rule if the search was not successful and the patron does not want to search again.
4. "Try Searching Again" Button: Will trigger the search action to be run again for the patron.

Note: Don't forget to save your changes by clicking the Save button at the bottom of the page!

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Link Resource Prompts

The Link Resource Prompts section of the Settings for your Chatbot allows you to customize the text for the question that asks the patron if the link provided to them was helpful, as well as for the button labels the patron will choose from after a link action has been completed.

These customizations are applicable to the If/Then rules for the link actions within: Show FAQs, LibGuides Content, Send to LibCal, Website Link, and Show LibWizard Items.

1. Did this help Prompt: The message that a patron will see after a link has been shared with them via an action.
2. Yes Button: This button can be used to trigger an If/Then rule if the link provided was considered helpful by the patron.
3. No Button: This button can be used to trigger an If/Then rule if the link provided was not considered helpful by the patron.

Note: Don't forget to save your changes by clicking the Save button at the bottom of the page!

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Other Messages

The Other Messages section of the Settings for your Chatbot allows you to customize the error message that a patron would see if the Chatbot encounters any unforeseen technical issues when the patron is interacting with it.

1. Sends to Live Chat: This message will display in the Chatbot if there are technical difficulties that require the Chatbot to pass the patron over to a live operator when chat is online.
2. Generic Error Message: This error message will display if the Chatbot is having technical difficulties.
3. Error Message for Incorrect Input: This error message will display to the patron if the Chatbot cannot understand their request.

Note: Don't forget to save your changes by clicking the Save button at the bottom of the page!

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Look & Feel

The Look & Feel tab allows you to customize the profile image and name of your Chatbot. If you wish to fully customize the look and feel of the Chatbot (button colors, background colors, etc.), you will need to adjust those within the individual chat widgets where the Chatbot has been assigned.  

1. Chatbot Name: Adjust the name that the patron will see when they are chatting with the Chatbot.
2. Profile Image: Optionally, you can upload a custom Profile Image for the Chatbot.
   • This profile image will display alongside the messages sent from the Chatbot.
3. Profile Background Image Color: Select an accent color for your the profile image.
   • If you are using your custom profile image, this will be used as a border color around your image.
   • If you are using a generic profile image, this will be used as the background color of the avatar.

Note: Don't forget to save your changes by clicking the Save button at the bottom of the page!

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Add a flow to a chat widget

With your Chatbot flow complete, you can assign it to the chat widget(s) of your choosing. A single flow can be assigned to any number of chat widgets—allowing you to provide your patrons with access to the same Chatbot across all of your widgets.

Reminder: Depending on the behavior (loading when the widget loads, when the chat widget is online, or when the chat widget is offline) you have set for when your Chatbot flow will be active, the Chatbot visibility with the chat widget it has been assigned to will vary.

To assign a Chatbot flow to a chat widget:

1. Go to LibChat > Chat Widgets.
2. Under the Chat Widgets tab, click on the Create New Widget button. This will take you to the LibChat Widget Creator page where you can fully customize the widget.
   1. Click the Copy Widget () icon to make a copy of an existing widget
   2. Click the Edit Widget () icon to adjust the settings for an existing widget.
      • Any edits made to an existing widget will automatically update any instance of the widget that has been embedded on a webpage.

3. On the General Settings tab, select the flow to use from the Chatbot Flow dropdown.
4. Click Save.
   • Optionally, make any other changes to the chat widget that are needed, and embed the chat widget.

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Manage existing Chatbot flows

From the LibChat > Chatbot page, you can manage your existing flows. From here you can:

1. View the total Widget Mappings for each flow.
   • This column will display the total number of chat widgets that each flow has been assigned to.
2. Click the Edit Chatbot Flow () icon to make changes to an existing flow.
3. Click the See Mappings () icon to open a modal window that will list the ID, Name, and Type of each of the chat widgets the flow has been assigned/mapped to.
4. Click the Copy Chatbot Flow () icon to make a new copy of an existing flow.
5. Click the Delete Chatbot Flow () icon to delete a flow.
   • Note: Deleting a flow is permanent and cannot be reversed. When a flow is deleted it and any flow-only questions from all Chatbot transcripts and statistics. Please use caution when deleting flows!