Steps

Key Words

Jump to a part of your chatbot whenever a customer sends a specific word, at any point in the chat.

What it does#

Key Words listens to every message. When a customer's message matches one of your keywords, the chat continues from that keyword's connection, wherever the customer was in the flow. It also works on the very first message of a new conversation.

Typical uses: menu to go back to the main menu, agent to reach a person, price to jump to your price list, or a campaign word like SPRING from an ad.

A Key Words step has no incoming connection: it sits on its own on the canvas, and each keyword has an outgoing connection.

Add keywords#

1
Drag Key Words onto the canvas
It's under Tools in the step list. Click it to open Step settings.
2
Type a keyword
Under Keywords, type the word in the first field, for example menu. Click Add Word for the next one. Each keyword is its own row with its own connection.
3
Choose how it matches
Leave Contain off to match only the exact word. Turn it on to also match shorter messages that are part of the keyword (see below).
4
Connect every keyword
Drag from each keyword's dot to the step the chat should continue from, for example your main menu step.
5
Publish and test
Publish, then send the keyword from your phone in the middle of a conversation.

Matching rules#

Contain	The message matches when...	Keyword `opening hours` matches
Off	It is exactly the keyword. Upper / lower case doesn't matter.	`opening hours`, `Opening Hours`
On	The whole message appears inside the keyword.	the above, plus `hours` and `opening`

Matching compares the whole message. With Contain on or off, a longer message such as what are your opening hours? does not match the keyword opening hours.

To catch several spellings, add each one as its own keyword: menu, main menu, תפריט.

Example#

A restaurant adds a Key Words step with three keywords:

Keyword	Contain	Connected to
`menu`	Off	The main menu List step
`order`	Off	The ordering flow
`table reservation`	On	The booking flow

A customer halfway through ordering types Menu. The chat leaves the ordering flow and sends the main menu again. Another customer types reservation: it's part of table reservation, so the booking flow starts.

Common mistakes#

A keyword that is also a normal answer. Keywords are checked before the current step reads the answer. If 1 or yes is a keyword, a customer answering 1 or yes to a question jumps to the keyword's branch instead. Use words customers wouldn't send as answers.
Expecting the keyword inside a sentence. I want the menu please doesn't match menu. Add the phrases customers really send, or ask with Buttons or a List.
Two keywords that overlap. If a message matches two keywords, only one wins and you can't choose which. Keep keywords distinct.
"Connect every keyword to a next step". A keyword without a connection does nothing. Connect it, or delete the row.