Blended Conversations

Blended conversations allows you to build possible conversations and predefine Zia's responses to common user queries.

You can guide your end-users with their queries and automate frequent processes in Zia by designing workflows in a low-code GUI builder. The workflows are phased seamlessly into the Zia Chatbot, enhancing the self-service capabilities of Zia.

Role Required: SDAdmin

Quick Links

• Benefits
• Enable Blended Conversations 
• Create Blended Conversations
• Manage Blended Conversations 
• Implement Blended Conversations in Zia Chatbot
• Use Cases   
  • Default Use Cases
  • Sample Use Cases   

Benefits

• Provide extensive automated support
• Define and create answers for your FAQs
• Automate actions and processes based on user responses
• Connect Zia to your web servers and internal databases using webhooks

Enable Blended Conversations 

Blended conversations is automatically enabled when Zia chatbot is enabled under Setup > Zia > Zia Chatbot. Users can disable blended conversations by toggling off the Blended Conversations (Web only) option shown in the following screenshot:

Create Blended Conversations

The process of creating blended conversations for Zia has 2 steps: setting up the conversation details and building the conversation flow. After the conversation flow is designed, you can publish the blended conversation.

To create a blended conversation,

1. Go to Setup > Zia > Zia Chatbot > Blended Conversations.
2. Click New Conversation.
3. Enter a unique name and description.
4. Click Next.

You will be redirected to the conversation builder where you can design the workflow of the blended conversation. Know more.

Manage Blended Conversations 

By default, all conversations are listed on the list view page. Use the filter drop-down on the top of the header to list conversations based on their availability.

After you create a conversation, click  icon on the list view to perform the following operations:

• Edit Conversation - Modify the conversation flow from the conversation builder.
• Edit Details - Modify the name and description of the conversation.
• Duplicate - Create a copy of an existing conversation.
• Metrics - View the number of users and analyze the path followed by them in the conversation flow via Zia chatbot. Data such as the number of users who participated in the conversation and the actions selected are displayed. Metrics highlight three types of usage stats:
  • Jumped - Shows the number of users who have reached the conversation via a jump block.
  • Drop-off - Shows the number of users who have dropped out of the conversation at a block.
  • Click Rate - Displays the number of users who selected each option in choice cards.

• View Logs - Track various operations performed on the conversation.
• Delete Draft - Delete the blended conversation draft. The conversation will be restored to the latest published version. If there is no published version available, the draft will be deleted permanently.
• Delete Conversation - Delete the published conversation completely.

In the filter drop-down, go to Deleted Conversations page to restore deleted conversations. You can also remove deleted conversations permanently.

Implement Blended Conversations in Zia Chatbot   

After publishing a blended conversation, users can access the conversation in Zia Chatbot in one of the following ways:

• Enter the keyword in the chatbot. The conversation name matching the keyword will be suggested.

• Click in the chatbot input box. Published conversations will be listed as actions.

• Administrators can add published conversations as quick actions to the chatbot.

Use Cases   

Default Use Cases 

ServiceDesk Plus Cloud comes built-in with 5 default blended conversations for the following use cases:

Need Help

• Fork and choice blocks offer automated assistance to various issues or questions
• Message blocks display answers or responses
• Choice blocks collect user confirmation at the end of one path
• Jump block at the end of every other path redirect conversation to collect user confirmation

Answer FAQs

• Choice blocks list FAQs/categories of FAQs
• Message blocks display answers
• Choice blocks collect user confirmation at the end of one path
• Jump block at the end of every other path redirects conversation to collect user confirmation

Check ticket status

• Text block obtains request ID from user
• Webhooks blocks fetch request data from ServiceDesk Plus Cloud
• Message block displays request data
• Fork block draws an alternate path if the request ID is invalid
• Message block indicates that the request ID is invalid.
• Jump block reiterates the conversation.

Show my ticket summary

• Text button to let users select tickets based on their progress.
• Webhook blocks to fetch tickets based on the selected progress.
• Message blocks to display the fetched information.
• Jump blocks to reiterate the conversation.

Update task status

• Text box to collect the request ID
• Webhook blocks to fetch the request and associated task details
• Choice card block to display task details and let users select the task to be updated
• Dynamic button block to display the task statuses configured and let users select the status to be updated
• Webhook block to update the task status
• Message blocks to display relevant success/failure information

Sample Use Cases 

Calculate cost using Zia

• Choice blocks lists services
• Text blocks collects contextual information from users
• Webhook blocks collect details from the hosted site
• Operation blocks perform cost-related calculations
• Message block displays the calculated cost by fetching the cost from operation blocks using local variables
• Jump block at the end of some paths redirect the conversation to appropriate message

Report issues and submit files

• Text block to collect issue details
• Email block to collect contact email address of the user
• Files block to collect log files
• Webhook block to log the issue in the agent portal
• Message block to indicate the success/failure information