Title: Handling interruptions

What if the user switches topics unexpectedly?

Automatic flow resumption

Why interrupt the conversation?

Imagine this scenario: you are talking to the chatbot, booking a flight to San Francisco. Half way down the process, you ask the bot: "BTW, what is the weather in San Francisco?". You'd expect the bot to answer that question and then resume the booking process, right? That behavior is called "automatic flow resumption", meaning that the booking process is temporarily halted while another process (e.g answering questions about the weather) takes precedence. As soon as the interrupting process is finished, the process that was interrupted is resumed.

This is what you want to achieve

Looking at your training solution, you want to do something similar when a user has entered the CUBE buying process.

- User: I want to buy a cube
- Bot: We offer the CUBE in three models: Home, Plus and Pro. Which model do you want to buy?
- User: are all cubes the same price?
- Bot: The CUBE Home is $100, the CUBE Plus is $130 and the CUBE Pro goes for $150. You were about to buy a CUBE, remember? Which model do you want to buy: the Home, Plus or Pro?

How to configure automatic flow resumption?

How do I activate automatic flow resumption?

Automatic flow resumption

[Image: Flow resumption - 0]

[Image: Resuming the flow]

[Image: Flow resumption 2]

[Image: Flow resumption 3]

[Image: Flo resumption summary]

What do you know about flow resumption?

Quiz: What do you know about flow resumption?

You will be presented with three sets of statements around automatic flow resumption. In each set, select the correct statement.

- Flow resumption rules (correct)
- Flow resumption does not rule

- Flow resumption can be set up on output nodes (correct)
- Flow resumption can be set up on junctions
- Flow resumption can be set up on triggers

- The revisitability option is set to "off" by default (correct)
- The revisitability option is set to "on" by default

Feedback (0 to 32%): Better watch the slides again
Feedback (33 to 65%): I am sure you can do better
Feedback (66 to 100%): Nice! Good job.

Let's do it!

Do it yourself

It is time to configure "automatic flow resumption" on your "I want to buy a CUBE" flow.

Watch the video to see how revisitability is configured for the output node where the bot asks "Which model do you want". Create the same functonality in your flow for the output nodes where the bot asks about the model the visitor wants to buy and about the color they want.

FAQ

Below, a list of FAQs around automatic flow resumption.

FAQ Automatic flow resumption

Which flow nodes can be made revisitable?

Only output nodes have the revisitability option. And be careful: a flow is revisited on the node where the flow is paused. That means that only output nodes with transition(s) of type "Get Input" can be revisited after the flow is interrupted.

What is a good number of allowed revisits?

Usually you should stick to the default: 2. Put yourself in the shoes of the visitor: by the time the bot is asking the same (or a similar) question for the 3rd time, is it not better to move on to another topic?

Must all output nodes be made revisitable?

No, focus on output nodes in valuable flows, i.e. flows that mean money for the business, e.g. because the bot sells something or because the bot is preventing a phone call to the company's help desk.