How to define Chatbot behavior

• How to define Chatbot behavior
• What is it for?
• What are Role Settings and Custom Instructions?
• Where to Find Role Settings and Custom Instructions?
• How does language autodetection work?
• Custom Instructions
• Writing Effective Custom Role Instructions for Your Chatbot
• 1. Define the Chatbot’s Role
• 2. Set the Tone and Style
• 3. Define Response Guidelines
• 4. Address Uncertainty and Errors
• 5. Incorporate Specific Examples and Scenarios
• 8. Iterate and Optimize
• Final Checklist for Custom Role Instructions

What is it for?

Role settings and custom instructions are essential components in defining and fine-tuning the behavior of your chatbot. They allow you to tailor the chatbot's responses and overall demeanor to align with your specific needs and brand identity. By carefully configuring these settings, you can create a more effective and personalized chatbot experience for your users.

What are Role Settings and Custom Instructions?

Role Settings allow you to define the primary function of your chatbot, such as whether it will serve as a sales assistant, customer support agent, or any other type of role. These settings will guide the chatbot in generating responses that align with its designated purpose.

Custom Instructions enable you to fine-tune the behavior, tone, and language of the chatbot, ensuring it communicates in a way that reflects your brand’s identity and meets your specific requirements.

Where to Find Role Settings and Custom Instructions?

From the main ChatLab administration page, select Chatbots in the main menu, click on selected chatbot, select Settings and choose Role & Behavior in the left menu

Role Settings

You have an option to choose between predefined instructions and custom instructions

For predefined instructions you choose following parameters:

• Role: Assign a predefined role to your chatbot, such as Sales or Support.
• Primary language - Your chatbot will treat provided language as its main language and will respond in it unless user explicitly asks to switch to another language
• Response length - Your chatbot response length can be simple and concise aswell as long and detailed.

How does language autodetection work?

Language autodetect is a feature that allows chatbots to automatically recognizes and adapt to the language in which a user is communicating. This capability is essential for providing a seamless and personalized user experience, especially in multi-lingual contexts.

Custom Instructions

To enable custom instructions, click this:

This is what you should see:

Writing Effective Custom Role Instructions for Your Chatbot

Custom role instructions define your chatbot’s behavior, tone, and responses, enabling it to align with your brand identity and serve your audience effectively. This guide provides a more universal and practical approach to crafting role instructions, complete with examples and actionable tips.

1. Define the Chatbot’s Role

Start by clearly specifying the role your chatbot will play. A well-defined role helps anchor the chatbot’s responses and creates consistency.

• Example:
• Role: Customer Support Representative
• "Your role is to assist users with product inquiries, troubleshooting, and order updates."
• Role: Sales Assistant
• "Your role is to help users explore products, recommend items, and complete purchases."

2. Set the Tone and Style

Adapt the chatbot’s tone and style to fit your audience and brand identity.

• Suggestions:
• Professional: Use clear and formal language for industries like finance or healthcare.
• Friendly and Casual: Suitable for e-commerce, lifestyle brands, or customer engagement.
• Concise and Direct: For technical support or task-oriented bots.
• Example:
• Professional: "Please describe the issue you're facing, and I'll assist you."
• Casual: "Hey there! What can I help you with today?"

3. Define Response Guidelines

Specify how the chatbot should approach various scenarios to ensure consistency and accuracy.

• Suggestions:
• Provide specific formats for answers. For example, include lists, tables, or concise paragraphs where appropriate.
• Decide whether the bot should offer suggestions proactively (e.g., “Would you like to learn about our discounts?”).
• Example:
• “When users ask about pricing, always include bulk discount information if applicable.”
• “For troubleshooting, provide step-by-step instructions in bullet points.”

4. Address Uncertainty and Errors

Guide the chatbot on how to handle situations when it doesn’t have enough information or the user’s query is unclear.

• Suggestions:
• Offer polite fallback messages:
• “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you rephrase?”
• “I’m not sure about that. Let me connect you to our support team.”
• Example:
• “If the user’s question cannot be answered, redirect them to a live agent or suggest contacting support.”

5. Incorporate Specific Examples and Scenarios

Train the chatbot using real-world examples to ensure it responds appropriately in practical situations.

• Examples:
• Scenario: A user asks about a return policy.
• Bot Response: “Our return policy allows returns within 30 days of purchase. Would you like the return form link?”
• Scenario: A user requests pricing information.
• Bot Response: “The cost of the Basic Plan is $19/month. Bulk discounts are available for annual subscriptions.”

8. Iterate and Optimize

Analyze the chatbot’s performance and refine its instructions based on user interactions.

• Suggestions:
• Review chat logs to identify misunderstood queries.
• Add examples for common edge cases that confuse the chatbot.
• Adjust tone and style based on feedback.

Final Checklist for Custom Role Instructions

• Clearly define the bot’s role.
• Specify tone and style appropriate for your audience.
• Include examples for practical scenarios.
• Provide fallback options for unclear queries.
• Regularly update and refine based on user feedback.

By following these steps and including practical examples, you’ll ensure your chatbot is both effective and engaging, meeting the unique needs of your business and audience.

You can find more information about the limitations here:

Limitations and Common Challenges

We recommend to use this predefined template and modify it according to your needs

As the AI Customer Support chatbot for website users, your name is ENTER_CHATBOT_NAME HERE. Your role is to provide helpful, professional, clever, and friendly responses while adhering to the following rules:
- Only answer questions related to the knowledge base and questions related to creating chatbot's help centers
- Your responses must be long and to the point, ideally no more than 10000 words, but be as informative as possible
- adjust response language to the language used in questions
- Never break character