This help file explains how to use eDesk's chatbot test tools.
Before you start
- eDesk's AI chatbots are powered by Ava. Ava is available as an Add-On.
To learn more, click here.
01 How do I test my chatbots?
You've created your chatbot and now you need to make sure it works. eDesk offers two handy test tools that enable you to thoroughly test your chatbots:- Chat Simulator
Enables you to experience the chat widget and chatbot as a customer would.
- Test Mode
Adds test tools to your chat simulator or chat widget. Useful for checking the hyperlinks shared with the customer by the chatbot AI and it enables you to test the personalised or follow-up support that would be delivered to the customer.
02 Chat simulator
The chat simulator allows you to chat with the chatbot in a chat widget simulation. This enables you to see exactly how your widget looks and how the chatbot behaves from the perspective of a customer. If a Create Ticket node is in the flow, the simulator will create a ticket in the Mailbox exactly as your Agents will see it. Learn about nodes and flows here.
To access the Simulator:
- Go to Settings > Smart Tools > Widgets to display a list of your widgets.
- Select the chat widget for which you want to use the Simulator. The widget Customization page is displayed.
- Ensure the widget is enabled by selecting the Chat Widget Enabled slider:
- Ensure the widget has a Chatbot attached by clicking into the Behaviour tab and selecting a Chatbot from the dropdown there.
- Select the Open chat simulator link at the bottom of the Customization or Behaviour pages, to open the simulator page:
- Select the chat icon:
- The chat widget opens in the simulator:
- Select Start a conversation to start chatting with the chatbot.
- If you want to change anything, edit the widget or chatbot settings and relaunch the simulator to show your changes.
03 Test Mode
Test mode should only be activated on a chatbot that is on a test widget or a test web page - ie. the widget code has not been copied over to a 'live' website. A chatbot on test mode shouldn't be accessible to customers, because test mode displays the test tools in the conversation.eDesk's chatbot test mode adds the following test features to either the chat simulator or to a real chat widget that you have added to a test web page:
- Test hyperlinks
When the chatbot gives the customer a link to a web page, e.g. "Learn more: www.edesk.com/", Test Mode displays a score for the accuracy of the link that is sent to the customer, and a name for the link (in the example below, the name is eDesk Link).
A high score (0.67 and higher) means that eDesk is confident that the link is appropriate to the customer's question.
A low score (0.66 and lower) means that eDesk has lower confidence that the link is appropriate to the customer's question.
The hyperlink score helps the chatbot to learn. If the chatbot displays a given hyperlink in response to a particular question and this produces a low score in Test Mode, then the chatbot won't display that hyperlink next time that same question is asked. If the score is 0.67 or higher, it will continue to provide this hyperlink in response to this question.
This enables you to make sure the chatbot AI is pointing the customer to the right web page that will help them answer their question.
- Test personalised/further support
Under some circumstances, eDesk needs to identify the customer in order to provide personalised support. These are when a customer asks about one of their orders, when eDesk needs to create a new ticket about their issue, or when the customer is transferred to an Agent. This is handled via the chatbot Ask for identity node, which asks the customer for an email address and verifies it by emailing them a code, which they then enter into the chat widget. Learn more about nodes and flows here.
Test Mode allows you to impersonate a customer by displaying the code in the chat widget instead of emailing the code, so that you don't need a valid email address to progress to the next node in the chatbot flow.
Setting up Test Mode:
Test Mode can be enabled for a chatbot in a Chat simulator or for a chatbot that's added to a Chat widget in a test web page:
To set up test mode in a test web page:
1. Create a web page that your customers will be unaware of (and therefore won't access).
2. Embed an eDesk chat widget in it and add the chatbot to this widget (instructions here).
3. Then follow the steps below to enable test Mode for that chatbot.
4. Test your chatbot.
5. When you have finished testing, disable test mode for this chatbot.
6. When you want to add the chatbot to your website for customers to use, copy the widget code and paste it in the web page that your customers can access. Instructions are in Section 04 of this article.
To set up test mode in a chat simulator:
1. Go to Settings > AI > Chatbots to display a list of your chatbots.
2. Select the chatbot for which you want to enable Test Mode. The chatbot Details page is displayed.
3. Select the Test mode slider to enable (or disable) Test Mode:
4. Go to Settings > Widgets > click the name of the Chat widget you want to test. Ensure this is not 'live' on any website.
5. Ensure the correct Chatbot is connected to this Widget under the Behaviour tab.
6. Click on the 'Open chat simulator' link to test your Chatbot.
Test Mode is now enabled for your chatbot. Don't forget to disable Test Mode when you have finished testing!
04 How do I monitor chatbot performance?
eDesk provides Report Extracts and Chat Insights that help you monitor your chatbot. You can learn about Report Extracts here, and Chats Insights here.Further Readings
Learn about connecting creating and editing Chatbots here.
Learn more about the Content hub here.
Learn about Instructions for your Content hub here.
