Create Bot With Excel
Overview
The Create Bot with Excel feature is a bulk-creation tool designed to rapidly build and expand a chatbot's knowledge base. It allows administrators to define and upload multiple conversation flows (intents) at once using a structured Excel template. This method is significantly faster than creating each flow individually through the visual Flow Builder, making it the ideal solution for migrating existing FAQ documents or adding a large volume of content in a single operation.
Instead of manually clicking through the interface for each question and answer, you can organize all your content in a spreadsheet and import it directly into the platform. The system then automatically generates the corresponding flows, saving considerable time and effort during the initial bot setup and for large-scale content updates.
How to Create Bot with Excel
This guide outlines the typical process for using the Create Bot with Excel feature to bulk-upload conversational flows.
Note: As per the user manual, this feature is currently under implementation. The exact steps and template format may be subject to change upon final release.
1. Navigate and Download the Template
- From the main console menu, navigate to Workflow -> Create Bot with Excel.
- On this page, you will find an option to download an Excel template. It is crucial to use this official template, as it contains the specific columns and formatting the system requires to process the data correctly.
2. Populate the Excel Template
Open the downloaded template. You will see several columns that need to be filled out. The typical columns are:
- Intent Name: The primary name for the flow. This is what the user's query will be matched against. Each name must be unique.
- Training Questions: Alternative ways a user might ask the same question. Multiple questions should be separated by a specific delimiter (e.g., a comma).
- Bot Response: The answer the chatbot will provide when this intent is triggered.
- Category: The category to assign the new flow to for organizational purposes.
Fill out one row for each conversational flow you wish to create.
3. Upload the File
- Save your completed Excel file.
- Return to the Create Bot with Excel page in the console.
- Use the upload interface to select and import your saved file.
4. Review the New Flows
After the upload is complete, navigate to Workflow -> Flows. You will see all the newly created intents listed in the table. It is important to click into a few of them to ensure they were created correctly and test them using the Preview Bot feature.
Common Use Cases
- Initial Bot Setup: A company has an existing 200-question FAQ document. Instead of spending hours creating 200 individual flows, an administrator can format this data into the Excel template and upload it in minutes.
- New Product Launch: To prepare for a product launch, the support team compiles a list of 50 anticipated customer questions and answers. They use the Excel upload to add all this new knowledge to the bot at once.
- Migrating from Another System: When migrating from a different chatbot platform, the intents can be exported to a spreadsheet, formatted according to the template, and imported to quickly transition the knowledge base.
Best Practices
- Start with a Small Batch: Before uploading a large file with hundreds of entries, create a test file with only 5-10 rows. Upload this smaller file first to ensure the format is correct and the process works as expected.
- Validate Your Data: Carefully proofread the content in your Excel file for typos and formatting errors before uploading. An error in the spreadsheet is easier to fix than editing many individual flows later.
- Use Unique Intent Names: Ensure that the intent names in your Excel file do not clash with flows that already exist in your bot, unless you intend to update them.
- Keep a Backup: Always save a final copy of your Excel file on your local machine as a backup before initiating the upload.
Common Mistakes
- Modifying the Template Headers: Changing the column names (e.g., renaming "Intent Name" to "Intent") or deleting columns from the official template will cause the import to fail.
- Incorrect Delimiter for Training Questions: Using a semicolon or a pipe (|) to separate training questions when the system expects a comma will result in the questions being misinterpreted.
- Pasting Formatted Text: Copying and pasting text from a website or a Word document directly into Excel can carry over hidden formatting, which may cause processing errors. It's safer to paste as plain text.
- Uploading the Wrong File Format: Trying to upload a CSV file or a Google Sheet when the system specifically requires an .xlsx file (or vice-versa).