Configuring Call Intents

Viewing Intents

Go to Knowledge Base → Intents tab. You'll see the list of intents your agent uses to recognize and handle calls. The Call handling step of Build your agent shows the same list as "Call types" and offers a library of ready-made intents you can add with one click.

Adding an Intent

1. Click New Intent
2. Enter a Name: human-readable label (e.g., "Schedule Appointment")
3. Enter a Description: this is the most important field. Write natural language instructions for how your agent should handle this type of call.
4. Click Create Intent

Writing Good Descriptions

The description IS the workflow instruction. Your agent reads it and follows it. Write it like you're training a new employee:

• "When a caller wants to schedule, reschedule, or cancel an appointment. Ask for their preferred date and time. If we have a scheduling integration, check availability before confirming. For cancellations, ask for the reason and offer to reschedule instead."
• "If a caller asks about a refund, verify their order number first. Check our refund policy before confirming eligibility."
• "For emergency calls, transfer immediately — don't try to handle it."

You can include conditional logic in plain language: "If the caller has a reservation number, look it up first. If not, ask for their name and date."

Pure lookups like hours or address don't need an intent; they're handled by Schedules and Locations.

Editing and Disabling Intents

Click any intent to edit its name or description. Use the switch on the intent's row to disable it without deleting it — a disabled intent is no longer given to your agent during calls.

How Intents Connect to Other Features

• Escalation rules decide when a human is needed. If an intent should always go to a person, say so in its description ("transfer immediately") and make sure a matching escalation rule exists.
• Call summaries show the detected intent for each call
• Knowledge complements intents: the description tells the agent what to do, while facts, FAQs, and documents provide the detailed procedures and business rules

Tips

• Start with 4-6 intents that cover 80% of your calls
• Write clear, specific descriptions: the agent follows these as instructions
• Review call summaries weekly to see if the agent is classifying correctly
• If many calls show intent "other", you may need to add or refine intents

You Can Also Ask Allison

You can manage intents by asking Allison — add new ones, update descriptions, enable or disable them, or delete them. For example: "Add an intent for price quote requests" or "Update the scheduling intent description to mention our 24-hour cancellation policy."