Advanced messaging + functionality

Learn about the advanced configuration options for your conversation nodes in NLX's Dialog Studio

Advanced messaging

A bot relays messages to users when a node they've reached has Bot messages entered. Below are options to help enhance your use of this feature.

Not all nodes require messages and may not have a Bot messages section to configure. You may you use a Basic node before or after in these instances.

Multiples

Adding more than one message to a node breaks up large messages into a series of smaller ones, making it easier for users to consume. This is especially helpful with text channels when multiple messages appear in succession as individual chat bubbles.

• Add messages to a node by clicking +Add message on a node's side panel

• Repeat the above as often as needed on a single node

• To delete a message, choose the three-dot menu beside the message and select Delete

Variations

Adding variations is favorable when users regularly interact with the same bot or may traverse a node(s) in a flow more than once during the same session, such as with repeat processes or retries. Your bot chooses from the variations randomly so users experience different phrasings.

• After adding a message using a node's side panel, click +Add variation

• Repeat the above as often as needed

• To delete a message, choose the three-dot menu beside the message and select Delete

Dynamic values

Easily reference content in your messaging that may be changing or infinite in range:

• Select +Add message on a node's side panel

• Enter a curly brace { while typing in a message field

The editor shows dynamic values from your workspace that can be referenced, including:

1. Slots

2. Data requests

3. Context attributes

4. System variables

If you do not see a Slot that exists in your workspace, remember to attach it to your intent for use in the flow

SSML

When drafting messages for voice channels, you can use SSML tags (Speech Synthesis Markup Language) supported by your NLP. Inserting SSML into your messages can control volume, pitch, pauses, emphases, breathing, and more.

For Amazon Lex, check their supported SSML guide here.

For Google's Dialogflow, check their supported SSML guide here.

Best practices

• Add Basic nodes with messaging before webhook nodes (i.e., Actions, Data requests) to indicate a process is about to happen, particularly if it may take a moment

• Be mindful of the placement of messaging in case a series of nodes (or stack) might be cycled through twice. You may want to add a Loop node after a particular Basic node so the messaging on the Basic isn't repeated unnecessarily

• Plan for failure when collecting information from a user or asking them to make a choice by adding failure messages with Basic nodes. Add a few variations in case the node is traversed a few times to vary the experience

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Add functionality

Several advanced actions can be applied to nodes on the Canvas. Simply expand the Add functionality section of a node's side panel and select from the following:

Analytics tags

Assign tags to nodes for tracking and later evaluating their performance in your flow using Analyze mode. You may choose from system tags as well as any custom tags set up in your workspace settings. While in Analytics mode of your intent flow, for example, you can view the number of unique visits to the node from conversations with users.

• Choose Analytics tags from the Add functionality menu of a node's side panel

• Search or select a tag from the dropdown to assign the node*

• Repeat as often as needed

• To delete a tag, click the delete icon beside it

*Don't see a tag that you need? Add it from the Analytics tags tab in your workspace Settings

Any number of tags may be added to the same node, but it is recommended that you use only one tag per node to avoid double counting.

Modalities

Modalities allow you to reuse a pre-defined payload structure across flows of your workspace once enabled on a node of your choice. They can handle rich UI components or other information to relay to a user.

Requires defining a Modality in workspace Settings before referencing in a node.

• Select an intent flow > choose or place a node on the Canvas

• Choose Modalities from the Add functionality menu of the node's side panel

• Ensure the correct modality's tab (if more than one appears) is selected

• Toggle on Enable

• Enter payload details or assign dynamic sources into applicable fields > click Save

Node payload

Node payload holds payload commands executed in conversation. Use cases include specifying what call queue should be used during escalation to an agent, whether to include a transcript during escalation, or sending a control message to the NLP to allow users to interrupt a bot, for example.

Below is a list of payloads that can be used.

Specify each item as a key-value pair in the following format: key=value. To specify multiple items, use an ampersand (&) as a separator.

Key	Value	Usage	Notes
nlx_transferPhoneNumber	E.164 phone number	Amazon Connect	The phone number used to transfer to in the event of an escalation.
escalation_PSTN	E.164 phone number	Amazon Chime SDK	The phone number used to transfer to in the event of an escalation.
escalation_VC	Amazon Chime SDK Voice Connector URL	Amazon Chime SDK	The voice connector used to transfer a call.
x-amz-lex:*	Varies. Include =True at the end of your lex syntax to enable; for example, x-amz-lex:allow-interrupt:*:*=True	Amazon Lex with a voice channel	Configure timeouts for user input, user interruption (barge-in), and other behaviors. Check out the official Amazon docs for more details.
nlx:hints	A comma separated list of strings	Amazon Lex with a voice channel	Improve disambiguation over voice when there is an anticipated list of options.

Send context

Enabling Send context allows the conversation context variables to be included as a part of the response payload. If you are sending context to an API, it will be added to the payload response.

State modifications

State modifications allow you to apply advanced state changes to dynamic information from Slots, Context attributes, System variables, or Data requests that are referenced in a flow:

• Clear: Erases any specified value(s) captured if needing to re-capture the same values later (preventing auto-traversal), or if looping users back through a step(s) during retries or revisits in the same conversation session, including null, No match, or repeat instances

• Set: Allows you to establish and set a specified value(s) from that point forward in the conversation session (until a further state modification is applied)

• Increment: Automatically increases a specified numerical value(s) when the node containing the increment is visited. Useful with Split node logic and/or counting loops during retries; use in conjunction with the Set state mod if needing to establish the base value prior

• Decrement: Automatically decreases a specified numerical value(s) when the node containing the decrement is visited. Useful with Split node logic and/or counting loops during retries; use in conjunction with the Set state mod if needing to establish the base value prior

• Append to: Add one or more values to a list/array

• Remove last item from: Clear the last value from a list/array

Leverage streaming state modifications applied to your Data requests during a conversation with use of a Lifecycle hook and enabling the Stream state modification setting

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System variables

The following table defines the available system variables and potential use cases:

Variable	Description	Sample use case
System.capturedIntent	Set by the User input node	Use in a Redirect node or with a Split node using conditional rules
System.conversationId	The unique id for the current conversation	Pass to Data requests to identify a unique interaction
System.channelType	Provides the channel the user is currently using	Use in a Split node to route the user based on the channel used in conversation
System.currentTimestamp	Indicates the time (in UTC) recorded by the system when triggered in conversation (returns the number of milliseconds elapsed since the epoch, defined as midnight at the beginning of January 1, 1970, UTC)	Use in a Split node to route the user if their query is time sensitive or for changes to verbiage (e.g., “Good morning”) or processes during or outside of hours of operation
System.languageCode	The language code that the conversation is using (e.g., en-US)	Pass to Data requests as a parameter to support translation in the Data request response
System.lastIntent	The last intent visited by the user in the conversation session	Use in a Split node at the beginning of an intent to route the path of a user based on the context of where they were in a conversation
System.nlpConfidenceScore	The value (out of 100) that the NLP confidently matched a user's input to an intent	Use to ask clarifying questions if below a threshold to ensure the correct intent has been matched
System.resumeIntentMessage	The bot message played back when an intent is resumed from a previous interruption	Enabled on the Start node of an intent to pick up where a user left off
System.sentiment	The sentiment of the user (Positive, Neutral, Negative) for the current exchange. Note: sentiment analysis must be enabled for the bot	Use in a Split node to provide empathetic responses
System.transcript	Provides the complete exchange between the human and the bot. Any sensitive information will be redacted	Use as a payload field in a Data request that creates a ticket in a help desk system
System.userId	The user id identifying the human in the conversation. Value varies by channel	Pass to Data requests to look up information on the user
System.utterance	The most recent message received from the human	Use in a Split node and the Contains operator to determine if the user said a specific keyword
System.timezone	The user's detected time zone in the conversation	Determine the real time a user means for NLX.Date or NLX.Time slots when passing to a Data request