How to use the AI Answer node

The AI Answer node lets you add an AI-powered response step to your flow. You can use it to control how your AI agent answers customers, what tone it uses, what information it relies on, and whether it can use additional sources such as public information, uploaded images, or internet browsing.

What the AI Answer node does

The AI Answer node generates responses for customers based on the instructions and knowledge you provide.

You can use it to:

• Set the AI agent’s tone, style, and behavior
• Tell the AI what it should or should not do
• Add specific knowledge or content for the AI to use when answering
• Allow the AI to use general knowledge or public information
• Enable internet browsing for real-time information
• Allow the AI to include uploaded images in responses when relevant

When to use the AI Answer node

Use the AI Answer node when you want the AI agent to provide a direct answer to the customer.

For example, you can use it to answer questions about:

• Your product or service
• Pricing or plan details
• Company policies
• Frequently asked questions
• Troubleshooting steps
• General customer support topics
• Information you manually add into the AI Instructions field

The AI Answer node works best when the knowledge you want to provide is not too large. As a general rule, if your content is around five pages or less, adding it directly into the AI Instructions field is a good option.

If you need the AI to search through a large amount of content, such as long documents, manuals, policies, or knowledge bases, it is usually better to use the Document Search node instead.

How to configure the AI Answer node

1. Open your flow

Go to the flow where you want the AI agent to answer customer questions.

2. Add or open the AI Answer node

Add the AI Answer node to your flow, or click an existing AI Answer node to edit it.

The node settings panel will open.

3. Review the node name

At the top of the settings panel, you will see the Node Name field.

This field is display-only and helps identify the node in your flow. By default, it may be named AI Answer.

4. Add your AI Instructions

In the AI Instructions field, enter the guidance you want the AI to follow.

This is the most important part of the node. The instructions tell the AI how it should respond to customers.

You can use this field for two main purposes:

1. Guidelines — how the AI should behave, speak, and handle requests
2. Knowledge or content — the specific information the AI should use when answering customers

What to include in AI Instructions

You can include instructions such as:

• The tone the AI should use
• Whether responses should be short or detailed
• What topics the AI can help with
• What topics the AI should avoid
• When the AI should escalate to a human
• Specific answers to common customer questions
• Product, service, pricing, or policy information
• Company-specific rules or limitations

For example:

1You are a helpful customer support assistant. Respond in a friendly, clear, and professional tone. Keep answers concise unless the customer asks for more detail. If the customer asks about billing, provide the information below. If the issue is complex or account-specific, ask the customer to contact support.
2
3Billing policy:
4Customers can upgrade their plan from the Billing section of the portal. Upgrades take effect immediately. Downgrades are scheduled for the end of the current billing period.

How the AI uses instructions and knowledge

The AI Answer node can answer using different types of information depending on what you add to the AI Instructions field.

Option 1: Use general knowledge and public information

If you only add general guidelines, such as tone and behavior, and do not add specific knowledge or content, the AI will answer using general knowledge and publicly available information by default.

This is useful when you want the AI to answer general questions and do not need to restrict it to company-specific content.

Example:

1You are a friendly support assistant. Answer clearly and professionally. If a question is complex, recommend contacting support.

In this case, the AI has behavior guidance, but no company-specific knowledge to rely on.

Option 2: Use both your content and general knowledge

If you add specific knowledge or content but do not tell the AI to use only that content, the AI can use both:

• The content you added in the AI Instructions field
• General knowledge or publicly available information

This means that if a customer asks something covered by your instructions, the AI will use the information you provided. If the customer asks something outside of that content, the AI may still answer using public information or general knowledge.

This is useful when you want to give the AI important company-specific context, but still allow it to answer broader questions.

Example:

1Use the information below when answering questions about our plans. For other general questions, provide a helpful answer using your general knowledge.
2
3Plan information:
4The Starter plan includes basic automation features. The Pro plan includes advanced AI flows and additional monthly credits.

Option 3: Use only the knowledge you provide

If you want the AI to answer only from the content you add, make that clear in the AI Instructions field.

This is useful when accuracy and control are important, or when you do not want the AI to rely on public information.

Example:

1Only answer using the information provided in these instructions. If the customer asks a question that is not covered here, say that you do not have enough information and recommend contacting support.
2
3Product policy:
4Customers can upgrade their plan from the Billing section. Plan upgrades take effect immediately. Plan downgrades take effect at the end of the current billing period.

With this setup, the AI should not answer questions outside the knowledge you provided.

Using uploaded images in AI responses

The AI Answer node can use images that you have previously uploaded, if Include Photos in Responses is enabled.

When this option is enabled, the AI can include relevant uploaded images in its responses when the customer’s question requires them.

For this to work well, each uploaded image should have a clear description. The description helps the AI understand when the image is relevant.

For example, if you upload a screenshot of a billing page, the image description could be:

1Screenshot of the Billing page showing the Change Plan button on the right side.

Then, if a customer asks how to change their plan, the AI can recognize that this image may be helpful and include it in the response.

Allowing internet browsing

The AI Answer node can also use internet browsing if Allow Internet Browsing is enabled.

When enabled, the AI can look up real-time or current information, such as:

• Current weather
• Today’s date
• Recent news
• Publicly available up-to-date information

Use this option when your AI needs access to information that may change over time.

If you do not want the AI to use the internet, leave this option turned off and make sure your AI Instructions clearly explain what information the AI should use.

Best practices for AI Instructions

To get the best results from the AI Answer node, keep your instructions clear and specific.

Good instructions usually include:

• The AI’s role
• The tone it should use
• The type of questions it should answer
• The information it should rely on
• What to do when it does not know the answer
• When to escalate to a human or support team

Example:

1You are a helpful customer support assistant for our company. Use a friendly, professional tone. Answer clearly and avoid overly technical language. Use the information provided below when answering customer questions. If the customer asks something that is not covered, say that you do not have enough information and suggest contacting support.

When to use Document Search instead

The AI Answer node is best for smaller amounts of knowledge, such as short FAQs, basic policies, or a few pages of product information.

Use the Document Search node instead when you have a larger knowledge source, such as:

• Long help center articles
• Large policy documents
• Product manuals
• Technical documentation
• Multiple files or extensive knowledge bases

Document Search is better suited for larger content because it allows the AI to search through documents rather than relying only on text added directly into the AI Instructions field.