Conversation Starters
Conversation starters are pre-defined buttons that appear at the beginning of a chat conversation, helping users quickly initiate common interactions with your AI chatbot. They provide a guided way for visitors to start conversations without typing their first message.
How It Works
When a user clicks a conversation starter button:
- Display: The button's label appears as the user's message in the chat
- AI Processing: The prompt (hidden from users) is sent to the AI for processing
- Response: The AI generates a response based on the prompt
This separation allows you to craft natural-sounding prompts while keeping user-facing labels concise and friendly.
Managing Conversation Starters
Access conversation starters from your chatbot's dashboard at Dashboard → Automation → AI → Chatbot → Conversation Starters.
Creating Starters
Click "Add Starter" to create a new conversation starter with these fields:
AI-Generated Labels
Use the "AI Generate" button to automatically create a concise label based on your prompt. The AI will generate a 1-3 word label with an appropriate emoji.
Managing Existing Starters
From the starters table, you can:
- Edit: Modify label, prompt, or active status
- Delete: Remove starters (with confirmation)
- Reorder: Use the up/down arrows to change display order
- Toggle: Enable/disable starters without deleting them
Examples
Common Starter Configurations
Store Hours
Label: Store Hours 🕒
Prompt: What are your current store hours and holiday schedule?
Returns
Label: Return Policy ↩️
Prompt: Can you explain your return and exchange policy, including timeframes and conditions?
Contact
Label: Contact Us 📞
Prompt: What are the best ways to contact customer support, including phone numbers and email?
Product Help
Label: Help with Products ❓
Prompt: I'm looking for help with your products. Can you tell me about your most popular items and how to choose the right one?
Best Practices
User Experience
In the chat widget, conversation starters appear as buttons below the chat input area. Users can click any button to instantly start a conversation, or they can type their own message to begin chatting normally.
Once a starter is selected, the buttons disappear and the conversation proceeds as usual with the AI's response.