The Conversation AI Flow Builder is a visual canvas inside Captivation Hub that lets you map out exactly how your AI bot should guide a contact through a conversation. Instead of relying purely on free-form replies, you design a structured path — each step has a goal, the bot works toward it, and the flow branches based on what the contact says.
Bots in Conversation AI can either operate inside a Flow Builder for these structured, goal-oriented chats, or be triggered directly through workflows, depending on how you set them up. The Flow Builder gives you the flexibility to define conversation logic, automate replies, and assemble multi-step experiences that fit how your business actually talks to leads and customers.
Step 1 — Access the Flow Based Builder
Open account > Conversation AI > Bots, then create a new bot or open an existing one. From the bot's Goals tab, click the Launch Flow Builder button.
You'll know you're in the AI Flow Builder (and not the standard Automation Workflow builder) because the top of the screen reads Back to Conversation AI and includes a Test Bot button instead of the usual Workflow controls.
Step 2 — Bot Settings
Bot Settings hold the core details about your bot: its name, the language it uses, the personality you want it to adopt, and the channels it's allowed to respond on. These settings shape every reply the bot will generate inside this flow.
Within Bot Settings you can also fine-tune how the bot speaks (concise versus more detailed), which knowledge sources it can pull from, and any guardrails on what it should and shouldn't discuss with contacts.
Step 3 — Bot Goals
Bot Goals are the high-level objectives you want the bot to accomplish — things like qualifying a lead, booking a meeting, or answering product questions. Each goal anchors a section of your flow and tells the bot what success looks like before it moves on.
You can add multiple goals to a single bot. As the contact moves through the conversation, the bot evaluates which goal is most relevant and routes them down the matching path in the Flow Builder.
Each goal has a description that helps the AI understand the intent behind it. The clearer your description, the better the bot will be at recognizing when a contact is heading toward that goal.
You can also configure ordering and priorities, which determines how the bot picks between competing goals during a single chat.
Once you've set the goal up the way you want, you can launch its dedicated flow from this same tab and start mapping out the actual steps.
Goals live alongside Bot Settings, so you can iterate on either side without losing your work in the other.
Step 4 — Inside the Flow Based Builder
Inside the Flow Builder, every flow starts with a trigger and then unfolds as a series of AI Actions connected by branches. Click the plus (+) icon to add an action and the canvas will surface the available choices.
It's worth noting where flows naturally end. When the flow reaches an [END] node, that means you've reached the end of the objectives — but the chat itself doesn't necessarily stop. The conversation can continue without an active objective unless you explicitly end it (for example, with the End Conversation action, a max-message limit, or a timeout).
The default trigger for any flow is Chat Initiated. This is the entry point and the only way the flow can begin. You can layer custom triggers on top later (more on those below), but every flow starts with Chat Initiated as the root.
Step 5 — AI Actions
AI Actions are the building blocks of the flow. Click the plus (+) on the canvas to choose one. Many of the available actions overlap with what you'd see in a regular Workflow, but the Flow Builder also exposes a dedicated set of AI Actions designed specifically for conversational logic. Scroll to the AI Actions section to see them.
The AI Actions you'll work with most often are:
- AI Capture Information (Capture & Qualification)
- Book Appointment
- End Conversation
- AI Splitter
- AI Message
- Custom Message
- Transfer Bot
- Continue Conversation
The Capture & Qualify and Book Appointment actions are special — they keep working autonomously until the goal is met (information collected, appointment booked) or the contact clearly opts out. The other actions execute once and move on.
AI Action — Capture Information (Qualify)
The Capture Information action is how the bot collects details from the contact, such as their name, email, the type of service they're interested in, or any custom field you want filled in. The bot keeps trying — within reason — until it gets a workable answer.
AI Action — Book Appointment
Book Appointment lets the bot schedule a meeting on a connected calendar without breaking out of the chat. It walks the contact through availability, confirms a slot, and books it. Like Capture Information, this action loops until the appointment is booked or the contact bows out.
AI Action — End Conversation
End Conversation is how you formally wrap things up. A few notes on the configuration:
- NOTE: By default, when a contact reaches an [END] node in the flow, they stay there and any further messages happen in that context. The End Conversation action goes a step further — it ends the chat definitively and it will not be continued.
- End custom message — Define a literal message to send to the contact. The AI won't rewrite it.
- Reactivate after bot — Toggle on if you want the bot to reactivate after a delay.
- Reactivate after value — How many time units to wait before reactivation.
- Reactivate after unit — The unit itself (for example, hours).
AI Action — AI Splitter
AI Splitter is a router. It doesn't send a message and it doesn't ask the contact for new information — it analyzes what's already been collected and decides which branch the flow should follow.
- NOTE: The AI Splitter does not send messages or collect information. It only analyzes context that's already been gathered.
- Description — Describe the branching logic in plain language. Example: What type of car does the Contact own?
- No condition met — The default catch-all branch. The contact follows this path if none of the other branches clearly match.
- Branches — Define the named options the AI can choose from (for example, [option 1] [option 2] [option 3]).
AI Action — AI Message
AI Message tells the bot to compose a single message based on a prompt you write. The bot uses the conversation context up to that point to craft the reply.
- NOTE: This action runs once. It does not loop or chase an objective.
- Enter the prompt for the message — Describe the kind of message you want the AI to write. Example: "Tell the user that we are the best insurance provider."
- Wait for contact reply — If checked, the flow pauses on this step until the contact responds.
AI Action — Custom Message
Custom Message sends a fixed, hand-written message exactly as you typed it — the AI does not rephrase it. Use this when wording matters and you want full control.
- NOTE: This action runs once and does not chase an objective.
- Enter the message — Type the exact message the contact will see. Example: "We are the best insurance company according to Awards 2024."
- Wait for contact reply — If checked, the flow waits for a reply before moving on.
AI Action — Transfer Bot
Transfer Bot hands the conversation off to a different bot. Once the transfer happens, the contact exits the current flow and the new bot takes over. They won't return to the original flow unless another transfer action sends them back.
AI Action — Continue Conversation
Continue Conversation keeps the chat open without forcing it down a specific path. Use it when you want the bot to stay engaged — answering follow-up questions, for example — without committing to a new goal.
Step 6 — AI Triggers
By default, every flow starts on Chat Initiated. AI Triggers let you bring contacts back into the flow — or jump them to a specific path — based on what they say next.
Custom Trigger
- NOTE: You can have up to 3 custom triggers per flow.
- Choose Custom Trigger — Use the dropdown to pick a pre-built custom trigger (for example, Book Another Appointment) or build your own.
- Describe the trigger condition — Spell out, in plain words, what should fire this trigger. Example: "The user wants to know about our policies."
- Priority — A number from 1 to 10. If more than one custom trigger could fire at the same moment, the higher number wins.
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Sensitivity — Low, Medium, or High. This controls how willing the AI is to break out of the current flow mid-conversation:
- Low — The AI rarely interrupts the current flow to follow the trigger.
- Medium — The AI decides on a case-by-case basis.
- High — The AI almost always breaks out of the current flow and moves the contact to the Custom Trigger.
Custom Triggers & If/Else
You can pair Custom Triggers with an If/Else condition to build a router — a single decision point that sends contacts down different paths depending on which trigger fired. Connect each Custom Trigger into the If/Else and then configure the branches.
- Branch — Workflow Trigger Is Chat Initiated — Follow this path if the default Chat Initiated trigger started things.
- Branch — Workflow Trigger is Custom Trigger 1 — Follow this path if Custom Trigger 1 fired.
- Branch — Workflow Trigger is Custom Trigger 2 — Follow this path if Custom Trigger 2 fired.
- Branch — Workflow Trigger is Custom Trigger 3 — Follow this path if Custom Trigger 3 fired.
Change Custom Trigger Path
If you decide a Custom Trigger should send contacts to a different action, you can re-route it without rebuilding the flow:
- Click the break link icon at the bottom of the Custom Trigger.
- In the modal that appears, click Remove Path.
- Click on the action you want the new path to lead to. Acceptable destinations are highlighted in green.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can a Flow Builder bot start from any trigger other than Chat Initiated?
No. Chat Initiated is the default trigger and the only way the flow can begin. Custom Triggers come into play after a contact reaches an [END] node and then sends another message that matches one of your trigger conditions.
Q: Does reaching an [END] node stop the conversation completely?
Not on its own. Reaching an [END] node ends the current objective path, but the chat can keep going unless you explicitly end it — using the End Conversation action, hitting a max-message limit, or a timeout.
Q: Which AI actions keep trying until the goal is completed?
The Capture Information (Qualify) and Book Appointment actions both loop on their own until the goal is met or an exit condition kicks in (for example, max attempts or a clear refusal from the contact).
Q: What's the difference between AI Message and Custom Message?
AI Message generates a reply based on your prompt and the conversation context — the bot writes the message. Custom Message sends the exact text you typed without any AI rewriting. Either action can wait for the contact to reply before moving on.
Q: Can I send a contact from one bot to another inside a flow?
Yes. Use the Transfer Bot action to hand the contact over to a different bot. Once that happens, the contact exits the current flow and won't come back unless another transfer action sends them back later.
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