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      How to Use Actions

      Actions is a powerful feature that allows you to automate conversations by connecting with other tools you're using. This article will guide you through using this feature effectively.

      Note: Actions are only available for Business and Enterprise licenses.

      What is Actions?

      Actions allow you to create custom actions that dictate how your chatbot responds to user inquiries and performs tasks in- or outside the conversation, by making a connection with another tool you're using. These actions can range from retrieving specific information from to executing complex operations in this tool. 

       

      Check out this video:

      Examples of Actions

      These are a few examples of how Actions can be utilized to streamline interactions, automate tasks, and provide valuable assistance to you and your chatbot's users. 

      1. Order Status request: Customers can ask the chatbot about their order status by providing their order number and relevant details. The chatbot retrieves the order information from your database and delivers it to the customer.

      2. Appointment Scheduling: Users can schedule appointments with your business through the chatbot. The chatbot checks availability, books appointments, and sends confirmation details to both parties.

      3. FAQ Retrieval: When users ask common questions, such as operating hours or product information, the chatbot can instantly retrieve the relevant FAQ data and provide accurate responses.

      4. Data Entry Automation: Chatbots can assist users in completing forms or surveys by guiding them through the process and automatically populating fields based on user input.

      5. Database Scraping for Recommendations: By accessing your product database, the chatbot can analyze user preferences and browsing history to offer personalized product recommendations.

      Activating Actions

      To start using Actions, follow these steps:

      1. Navigate to the Pulse Chatbot Menu: Upon logging in to your Watermelon account, go to the Pulse chatbot menu.

      2. Access Actions: In the menu, you will find the "Actions" item. Click on it to access Actions.

      3. The Overview: Once in the Actions section, you'll see an overview of all your actions, including published, draft, and template actions.

      4. Creating a New Action: To create a new action, click on the "Create new Action" card or use the "+" button in the top right corner. 

      Setting Up Your Action

      When creating or editing an action, you can configure various settings:

      • Action Name: Give your action a descriptive name (up to 250 characters).
      • Description: Provide a brief description of your action (up to 250 characters).
      • BaseURL: Set the base URL for your action. This is the URL where your API is hosted. It's the address where the information can be extracted from, added, changed or deleted by the action. Note that this field is mandatory and essential for the action to function properly.
      • Authentication: Choose from different authentication methods, including no authentication, API key, or basic authentication. Use the API Documentation of the tool you're connecting with to check which authentication method is used. This article explains more about the authentication methods.
      • Health Check: Define a health check URL to monitor the external server's status. This will check if the server is still online. Add an instruction in which you instruct the chatbot on how to respond when the server is not online and the action fails due to that. An example of an instruction: You should respond with the following message or a similar variation: Sorry, something went wrong on our end. Can I assist you with anything else? Please let me know how I can help.
      • Schema: Paste your schema (also known as Open API specification) in .YML format. The schema must be at least OpenAPI version 3.0.0 compliant. You can add maximum 5 requests to one schema. This article explains more about the schema.

      Validating Your Action

      After filling in the required details and schema, you can validate your action:

      • Click on the "Validate" button to ensure your schema is correct.
      • Upon validation, available actions will be displayed, or errors will be shown for correction.

      Saving, Publishing, and Unpublishing Actions


      • Save: You can save your action at any point, even with an invalid schema. However, required fields must be filled.
      • Delete: To delete an action, click on the delete option. A confirmation popup will appear before deletion.
      • Publish: Once your action is ready, you can publish it. Published actions are available in the interactive tester and connected channels.
      • Unpublish: If needed, you can unpublish an action, making it available only in the interactive tester.

      Testing and Using Actions

      • Interactive Tester: Test your actions in the interactive tester to ensure they function correctly.
      • Connected Channels: After publishing, actions are available in all the channels you connected to your chatbot. 

      Frequently Asked Questions

      After validating, I get available actions, but when testing, I do not get the expected answer. How is this possible?

      There could be several reasons why you're not receiving the expected answer during testing. One possibility is that the descriptions provided in the schema are too vague, lacking clarity on crucial properties such as dialogue names or input patterns. Additionally, there might be conflicts between the new actions and existing information in the chatbot, including web scraping, document scraping, domain knowledge, or instructions.

      Another factor to consider is the nature of the response. If the response is empty, indicated by {} brackets, the chatbot lacks context to provide a meaningful reply and may fallback to its existing knowledge or history. Additionally, missing request names in the schema table, typically due to the absence of a summary item, can lead to confusion and incorrect behaviour during testing.

      To address this issue, ensure that the schema descriptions are clear and informative, allowing both humans and chatbots to understand the intended actions. Test the response to ensure it contains the necessary information for the chatbot to provide an accurate and relevant answer. If the problem persists, consider revising the schema and consulting with our support team for further assistance.