Getting Started with Logic Bots
- Josh Daugherty (Deactivated)
Logic Bots vs. Auto-Attendants
As the name implies, an auto-attendant functions as an operator to help customers get to the right user or queue. While they are generally voice-based or utilize DTMF Tones, auto-attendants greet customers and prompt them for choices to move forward (think "Press 1 for Service, 2 for Sales").
It helps to think of Logic Bots serving as omnichannel auto-attendants, eliminating the need to create and manage separate chatbots or auto-attendants. Instead, you can plan the right journey—one time—in any channel.
Before getting into the specifics, take a look at this example of what an interaction flow might generally look like—
When a customer calls in, this interaction flow would first route to/through either a “Business Hours” auto-attendant or an “After Hours” one. After hours, the interaction is routed to voicemail. During business hours, customers can choose to “Press 1 for Customer Service,” or “...press 2 for sales.” The interaction is then delivered to either queue, where either a CSR will help them or they can speak with a Sales Rep.
Once we have a flow in mind, it can be built as a Logic Bot. You configure logic bots by creating specific panels, and then determining rules for how calls are routed, from point to point. The goal is to connect customers with agents in a way that helps them get issues resolved with a minimum of friction. One of the most powerful features of Sharpen’s Logic platform is that it provides a drag-and-drop visual interface, making it easier to put the pieces together in a single cohesive diagram.
Here’s what the same interaction flow (described above) looks like when constructed in Logic:
Getting Started, Basic Settings
Creating a New Logic Bot
To get started, navigate to Admin > Configuration > Logic & Actions > New Logic Bot.
The first thing you’ll need to do is provide some basic information for your Logic Bot:
a Name
a Description [optional]
Time Zone
Text to Speech Voice
In this context, text-to speech voice determines what things will sound like within the flow (unless you override text-to-speech by attaching custom sound files).
Note that all options are all in the English language, but you can select from dozens of accents/dialects.
These settings can be modified later—so don’t worry about your choices (such as deciding the “Text to Speech Voice”) being locked in.
Once you hit the Save button, you’ll transition to the Logic-building interface. This is where you’ll start building out the visual IVR by piecing together combinations of the available panel types (which will be covered momentarily).
One rule for Logic Bots is that they have to have what’s called a Start panel (for what should be obvious reasons), so it appears automatically. By default, the Start panel is of the Match type (panel types are covered in the next article), but it can be any panel type (aside from Exit panels, again for obvious reasons).
Editing the Start Panel
Double-click the Start panel to start building out the logic flow. This will open the Edit Panel window, where you can decide what type of panel you want to start with, and begin configuring its details.
The Edit Panel window is shown below:
Before going much further, it is essential to introduce each of the panel types—the building blocks you choose to use, and how you connect them to each other, is the foundation of the whole Logic flow.
Once you understand how each type works, then, you can add as many or as few as you need to achieve the main objective: connecting customers with agents, with minimum friction/effort.
See also (additional Logic & Actions content):
Getting Started with Logic Bots
This is one article in a series covering Admin Configuration topics.