Add Intents

Ever wished your AI could shift its tone based on what’s happening in the conversation? Like greeting new customers with an enthusiastic “Hey there! 👋” while handling checkout with professional precision? That’s exactly what Intents do — they give your AI the emotional intelligence to adapt to every situation.

Why Intents Matter

Intents are what make your bot feel like a real conversation partner instead of a robotic question-answering machine. They let your AI change its tone based on context — from friendly welcomes to serious sales conversations — creating a natural experience that feels authentic and helpful.

Think of intents as your AI’s situational awareness:

🎭 Adapts personality — Shifts tone smoothly from casual to professional as needed
🎯 Stays on target — Keeps conversations focused on the right goal for each situation
💬 Feels natural — Responds like a human would, not like a script reader
✨ Builds trust — Appropriate responses in every situation create customer confidence

Note: Well-designed intents are what separate a smart sales agent from a basic chatbot. They help your AI understand context and respond appropriately, making every interaction feel personalized and relevant.

Understanding Voice vs. Tone

Before we dive in, let’s clarify two important concepts. Your bot has one consistent Voice (its core personality), but the Tone (how it expresses that personality) should change based on the situation.

Voice: Your bot’s overall personality. Is it playful? Professional? Supportive?
Tone: The attitude your bot shows in a specific moment. Welcoming? Persuasive? Reassuring?

Intents are how you control Tone. They let you define exactly how your AI should behave in different scenarios while maintaining your brand voice.

How to Access Intents

Intent listing page showing all configured intents

You can find the intent management screen by logging into your DealDroid dashboard and navigating to the Intents menu from the left sidebar.

From here, you can:

➕ Create new intents to handle specific customer situations
✏️ Edit existing intents to refine your AI’s responses
🗑️ Delete intents that are no longer needed
👁️ Preview responses using the chat panel on the right

How Your AI Uses Intents

When a customer message arrives, your Droid follows this process:

Analyzes the message — What is the customer trying to accomplish?
Matches to an intent — Which intent best fits this situation?
Applies the prompt — Uses the intent’s instructions to craft a response
Delivers naturally — Responds in a way that feels conversational and helpful

This happens instantly, giving your customers quick, contextually appropriate responses every time.

Intent Fields Explained

Intent edit page showing all configuration options

Here’s a field-by-field guide to creating effective intents. Each field plays a crucial role in helping your AI understand when and how to respond.

Intent Name

This is a clear, descriptive label for what the customer is trying to accomplish.

Character requirements:

✅ English letters only (A-Z, a-z)
✅ Spaces are allowed
❌ No special characters (no parentheses, commas, symbols, etc.)
⚠️ Keep it under 20 characters

Tips:

Use simple, action-oriented names
Make it easy to identify the intent’s purpose at a glance
Keep it short and memorable

Examples:

Greeting — When customers first start a conversation
Purchase — When customers are ready to buy
Product Question — When customers ask about products or policies
Complaint — When customers express dissatisfaction
Price Negotiation — When customers ask for discounts

Invalid names:

❌ “Greeting (First Time)” — Contains special characters
❌ “Purchase, Checkout, Buy” — Contains commas
❌ “Product Question and Information Request” — Too long (over 20 characters)

Intent Trigger

This describes the situation that should activate this intent. Be specific about what signals indicate this intent.

What to include:

Clear description of customer behavior or message content
Specific phrases or keywords that indicate this intent
The context or timing when this should trigger

Examples:

When a customer greets you for the first time in a conversation.

When a customer asks for a discount or tries to negotiate the price.

When a customer expresses dissatisfaction or complains about a product.

When a customer has confirmed they want to proceed with payment.

Important: Be specific enough to catch the right situations, but not so narrow that legitimate cases get missed.

Enable this intent

A simple on/off switch for this intent. If unchecked, your AI will ignore this intent completely — useful for testing or temporarily disabling specific behaviors.

Prompt Template

This is the most important field! ✨ This is where you define exactly how your AI should respond when this intent triggers.

You can approach this in two ways:

Approach 1: Goal-Oriented Instructions (Recommended)

Give your AI clear goals and guidelines, letting it adapt naturally:

Goal: Create an amazing first impression and discover what the customer needs

Guidelines:
- Start with a warm, enthusiastic welcome + cute pet emoji
- Ask about their pet immediately to build connection
- Show expertise to establish credibility

Example tone:
"Hey there! What can I help your furry friend with today? Let me know your pet's age and I'll recommend the perfect products! 😊"

Why this approach works best:

The beauty of goal-oriented instructions is flexibility. You’ll always encounter unexpected situations in real conversations. When you define principles instead of rigid scripts, your AI can adapt to whatever comes up — making responses feel natural, authentic, and conversational rather than robotic or scripted.

Approach 2: Structured Steps

Provide specific step-by-step instructions:

1. Kick things off with a super friendly and energetic welcome! Use a fun emoji. 🥳
2. Introduce yourself as 'the shop's AI buddy'.
3. End with a fun, open-ended question like, 'What awesome adventure are we shopping for today? ✨'

When to use this approach:

Use structured steps when you need your AI to follow a specific sequence — particularly useful for processes that must happen in order, like collecting customer information, confirming details, or following compliance requirements.

Approach 3: Information Collection

Define what information you need, and let your AI intelligently track what’s been collected and what’s still missing:

Goal: Collect all required delivery information from the customer

Required information:
1. Customer name
2. Phone number
3. Delivery address
4. Postal code

Instructions:
- Keep track of what information you've already received
- Let the customer know what you still need
- Allow the customer to provide information in any order or format
- If something is unclear, ask for clarification
- Once you have everything, confirm all details before finishing

Example:
"Great! I have your name and phone number. I just need your delivery address and postal code to complete your order. 📦"

Why this approach is powerful:

This method leverages the AI’s natural ability to track context across multiple messages. Instead of rigidly asking “Question 1, Question 2, Question 3,” the AI can accept information in any order, acknowledge what it has received, and naturally ask for what’s missing — making the conversation feel much more natural and conversational.

When to use this approach:

Perfect for checkout flows, contact information gathering, form completion, or any scenario where you need to collect multiple pieces of information but want the conversation to feel flexible and natural rather than like filling out a form.

Best practices:

Focus on goals and outcomes, not word-for-word scripts
Include the tone you want (enthusiastic, professional, reassuring, etc.)
Provide examples to guide the AI’s style
Keep instructions clear and actionable
Match your overall brand voice

If you don’t want the droid to reply with text

Sometimes you want an intent that only triggers actions (like sending images or product carousels) without a text response. Check this box to disable the text reply for this intent.

When to use:

Sending visual content that speaks for itself
Triggering automated processes without commentary
Quick acknowledgments that don’t need explanation

Adding Visual and Interactive Elements

Beyond text responses, intents can trigger multiple types of actions to create rich, engaging conversations.

Reply this image

Upload images that should automatically send when this intent triggers.

Great for:

Welcome banners when customers first arrive
Visual guides for common questions
Product showcases or promotions
Step-by-step instruction images

Smart behavior: DealDroid won’t send the same image repeatedly in a short time, preventing annoying repetition.

Send product carousel

Enable this to automatically show customers a scrolling product catalog when this intent triggers.

Perfect for:

Showcasing featured products after greetings
Displaying relevant items when customers ask about categories
Presenting options during purchase conversations

Tip: You can configure which products appear in carousels in your product settings by marking items as “featured.”

Advanced Actions

These powerful options let your intents do more than just talk — they can trigger important business processes.

Send email to supervisor

When this intent triggers, DealDroid will automatically send an email notification to your supervisor address (configured in main settings).

Use cases:

Customer requests human assistance
High-value purchase detected
Complaint or sensitive issue raised
VIP customer identification

Turn droid off here

This pauses your AI for this specific customer, allowing human team members to take over the conversation.

When to use:

Customer explicitly asks to speak with a human
Complex situation requiring human judgment
After collecting information that needs manual processing
Sensitive issues requiring personal attention

Important: Make sure your team knows to monitor for these handoff situations!

Call third party API

For advanced integrations! This lets you connect to external systems via webhook when an intent triggers.

Configuration:

Third party URL: The endpoint DealDroid should call
API Secret Key: Authentication credential for the external service
Enable checkbox: Turn this integration on/off

Example use cases:

Generate unique payment links when purchase intent triggers
Update external CRM systems with customer information
Trigger custom workflows in your business systems
Sync conversation data to analytics platforms

Test endpoint available:

POST http://happy.dealdroid.net/api/message-provider/test

Note: The external service will receive conversation context and can return additional messages or instructions for the AI to follow.

Connecting Intents for Smooth Conversations

You can design intents that work together to create seamless, multi-step conversations that guide customers naturally through complex processes.

Example: Purchase Flow

Intent 1: “Purchase” — When customer is ready to buy

Goal: Close the sale and increase order value

Guidelines:
- Recommend the most cost-effective size and explain savings
- Offer bundles/promotions to add value
- Provide guarantees to reduce hesitation
- Cross-sell related items naturally
- Ask if they want to pay by bank transfer or cash on delivery

This intent ends by asking about payment method. The customer’s answer triggers the next specialized intent:

Intent 2: “Cash on Delivery” — When customer chooses COD payment

Goal: Collect all required customer information

Required information:
1. Customer name
2. Delivery address
3. Postal code
4. Phone number

Once all information is collected, thank the customer and confirm we'll ship ASAP.

Intent 3: “Bank Transfer” — When customer chooses bank payment

Goal: First, provide bank transfer details: Kasikorn Bank, Account 234-2234-3434, Name "Yummy Pet Store"

Then collect all required customer information:
1. Customer name
2. Delivery address
3. Postal code
4. Phone number

Once complete, thank them and confirm we'll ship once payment is verified.

The Magic of Intent Chaining

By setting the Intent Trigger to “When customer has confirmed they want this option,” you create goal-oriented intents that persist across multiple messages until the task is complete.

Benefits:

🎯 Focused conversations — AI stays on task until goal is achieved
📝 Complete information — Collects all needed data even across multiple messages
🤝 Natural flow — Doesn’t feel robotic or rushed
✅ Reliable results — Ensures nothing gets missed

Real-World Intent Examples

Here are practical, ready-to-use intent examples you can adapt for your business:

Intent: “Greeting”

Intent Name: Greeting

Intent Trigger: When a customer starts the conversation for the first time.

Prompt Template:

Goal: Create an amazing first impression and discover what the customer needs

Guidelines:
- Start with a warm, enthusiastic welcome + cute emoji
- Introduce yourself as the shop's AI assistant
- Ask an engaging question to understand their needs
- Show excitement about helping them

Example:
"Hey there! 🎉 I'm your AI shopping buddy here to help you find exactly what your furry friend needs! What kind of adventure are we shopping for today? 🐾"

Enable: ✅ Yes

Intent: “Price Negotiation”

Intent Name: Price Negotiation

Intent Trigger: When a customer asks for a discount, tries to negotiate price, or says the product is too expensive.

Prompt Template:

Goal: Maintain pricing integrity while keeping the customer engaged

Guidelines:
- Acknowledge their concern warmly
- Explain the value they're getting (quality, benefits, guarantees)
- Offer alternative options (smaller sizes, bundles, payment plans)
- Emphasize what makes the product worth the investment
- Never directly discount without approval

Example approach:
"I totally understand! Quality products are an investment. Here's why customers love this one: [benefits]. If budget is a concern, we also have [smaller size] or I can show you similar products that might work better for your budget?"

Enable: ✅ Yes

Intent: “Product Question”

Intent Name: Product Question

Intent Trigger: When a customer asks about product details, ingredients, usage, or specifications.

Prompt Template:

Goal: Provide complete, accurate product information that builds confidence

Guidelines:
- Answer the specific question clearly and completely
- Add relevant details the customer might not have thought to ask
- Relate information to benefits for their pet
- Offer to show the product or provide more details
- Be the expert — confident and knowledgeable

Keep answers focused but thorough. If you don't have specific information, say so honestly and offer to connect them with the team.

Enable: ✅ Yes

Intent: “Complaint”

Intent Name: Complaint

Intent Trigger: When a customer expresses dissatisfaction, disappointment, or reports a problem with a product or service.

Prompt Template:

Goal: Acknowledge the issue, show empathy, and resolve the situation

Guidelines:
- Start with genuine empathy and apology
- Ask for specific details about what happened
- Take ownership — never make excuses
- Offer clear next steps to resolve
- Reassure them you'll make it right

Tone: Caring, professional, solution-focused

Example:
"I'm so sorry to hear that happened! That's definitely not the experience we want for you and your pet. Can you tell me more about what went wrong? I want to make sure we fix this for you right away."

Actions:

✅ Send email to supervisor
✅ Turn droid off here (so human can take over)

Enable: ✅ Yes

Intent: “Other” — The Catch-All Fallback

Intent Name: Other

Intent Trigger: When the customer’s message doesn’t clearly match any other intent.

Prompt Template:

Goal: Respond helpfully without making assumptions

Guidelines:
- Acknowledge their message politely
- Ask clarifying questions to understand what they need
- Stay friendly and helpful
- Guide them toward common topics (products, orders, questions)

Example:
"That's a great question! Let me make sure I understand exactly what you're looking for so I can help you best. Are you asking about [option A], [option B], or something else?"

Enable: ✅ Yes

Critical: Always create an “Other” fallback intent! Without it, your AI won’t respond to unexpected messages, leaving customers confused. This intent ensures your bot always has something helpful to say.

Pro Tips for Success 💡

1. Start Simple, Then Expand

Begin with these essential intents:

✅ Greeting — First impressions matter
✅ Purchase — Close those sales
✅ Question — Answer inquiries confidently
✅ Other — Catch everything else

More complex intents can follow sales funnels:

Top of Funnel (Awareness & Interest):
- ✅ Greeting — First impressions matter, welcome new customers
- ✅ Question — Answer inquiries and build interest
Middle of Funnel (Consideration):
- ✅ Product Question — Address specific product concerns
- ✅ Price Negotiation — Handle pricing objections professionally
Bottom of Funnel (Conversion):
- ✅ Purchase — Close those sales and collect information
Post-Purchase & Support:
- ✅ Complaint — Handle issues with empathy
Safety Net:
- ✅ Other — Catch everything else that doesn’t fit above

Add specialized intents as you learn what your customers need most.

2. Keep Prompts Flexible

Don’t write rigid, word-for-word scripts. Instead:

❌ Too rigid:

Say exactly: "Hello! Welcome to our store. How can I help you today?"

✅ Flexible and effective:

Greet the customer warmly and ask how you can help. Be enthusiastic and welcoming.

The flexible approach lets your AI adapt naturally to different situations while maintaining the right tone.

3. Match Your Brand Voice

Your intent prompts should reflect your overall brand personality (set in Advanced Settings → Bot Personality).

If your brand is:

Playful → Use fun language, emojis, and casual tone
Professional → Use polished language, formal tone, clear structure
Empathetic → Use warm language, show understanding, ask caring questions

Important: Inconsistent voice confuses customers. If your main personality is “Professional Assistant” but your greeting intent sounds like “Bubbly Shopping Buddy,” your bot will feel disjointed.

4. Test Thoroughly

After creating intents, test them using the chat preview panel:

Try these tests:

Type greetings in different ways
Ask about products using various phrasings
Try to negotiate or ask for discounts
Express complaints or problems
Type random or unexpected messages

What to check:

✅ Does the right intent trigger?
✅ Does the tone feel appropriate?
✅ Are responses helpful and natural?
✅ Does the fallback intent catch unusual cases?

5. Monitor and Improve

Your intents are living documents. Keep improving them:

📊 Review real conversations regularly
🤔 Identify where the AI struggles and refine those intents
➕ Add new intents for common situations you didn’t anticipate
✏️ Update prompts based on what works in real conversations

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ No Fallback Intent

Problem: Without an “Other” intent, your AI won’t respond to unexpected messages.

Solution: Always create a catch-all “Other” intent for situations that don’t match specific intents.

❌ Overly Specific Triggers

Problem: Triggers that are too narrow miss legitimate cases.

Bad example: “When customer types ‘I want to buy the 10kg duck dog food’”

Better example: “When customer indicates they’re ready to make a purchase”

❌ Too Many Intents

Problem: Having 20+ intents makes management difficult and can confuse the AI.

Solution: Start with 5-8 core intents. Add more only when you identify clear, distinct situations that need special handling.

❌ Inconsistent Tone Across Intents

Problem: Greeting sounds playful, but purchase sounds robotic — creates a jarring experience.

Solution: Review all your intents together to ensure consistent brand voice even as tone shifts appropriately.

❌ Overly Long Prompt Templates

Problem: Writing extremely long, detailed instructions with too many rules and conditions overwhelms the AI, making it unclear what to prioritize.

Bad example:

Goal: Welcome the customer and make them feel special and also ask about their pet but also mention our store history and our values and also tell them about current promotions and also ask if they need help and also introduce yourself and explain all our product categories and mention our return policy and ask about their budget...

Better example:

Goal: Create a warm first impression and discover what the customer needs

Guidelines:
- Welcome them enthusiastically
- Ask about their pet to build connection
- Offer to help them find what they need

Solution: Keep prompts focused and concise. Break complex scenarios into separate intents rather than trying to handle everything in one overwhelming instruction set. Clear, focused guidance produces better results than lengthy, complicated instructions.

Pro Tip: If you have lots of detailed information (product specs, policies, FAQs), put it in Knowledge (Documents) instead of intent prompts. Knowledge can be accessed across all intents and situations, while intent prompts should focus on behavior and tone, not storing information.

Add Knowledge Learn how to add documents and FAQs to teach your AI about your business policies, return policies, and other important information.

That’s It! 🎉

Your AI now has emotional intelligence!

With well-crafted intents, your Droid will handle every conversation with the right tone, appropriate responses, and natural flow. This is what transforms a basic chatbot into a trusted sales assistant that customers actually enjoy talking to.

Remember: Intents are living documents. As you learn more about your customers and their needs, keep refining your intents to create even better experiences.

As always, we’re here if you need help. Happy selling! 😊

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