Read this article to learn how to create a chatbot in eCourtDate. Chatbots can be used to power two-way conversations in web portals, texts, emails, and calls.
Learn how to create a chatbot in eCourtDate to automate two-way conversations across various communication channels.
Overview
Chatbots in eCourtDate offer a powerful way to automate communication, streamline workflows, and provide instant responses to inquiries. By utilizing chatbots, government agencies can enhance their service delivery, reduce response times, and efficiently manage inbound communications across text messages, emails, voice calls, and web portals.
- Chatbots can be configured to handle a range of queries, providing self-service support and automated updates.
- They are particularly useful for agencies dealing with large volumes of client interactions, enabling scale without diminishing service quality.
- Typical users include court personnel, law enforcement agencies, probation officers, and IT administrators seeking to improve communication channels.
- Users can expect enhanced client interaction, reduced manual workload, and better data tracking and reporting capabilities.
Prerequisites
Before setting up a chatbot, ensure you have the following:
- Access to the eCourtDate platform with an understanding of its interface and basic functionalities.
- An eCourtDate agency that is already configured with a web portal
- Prepared content or responses for common client inquiries to populate the chatbot knowledge base.
How to Steps
Follow these step-by-step instructions to create a chatbot:
Step 1: Access the Chatbot Setup
- Log into the eCourtDate platform and navigate to the Admin dropdown in the top navigation bar.
- Select Automations from the dropdown menu.
- Within the automations page, locate the Chatbots tab and click on it to access the chatbot configuration interface.
Step 2: Create a Chatbot
- Locate the Create Chatbot form in the left column to begin creating a new chatbot.
- Enter the chatbot's name and click the Create button.
- You will be redirected to the edit screen of the new chatbot.
Step 3: Configure Chatbot Settings
Review the following chatbot settings. Click the Save button to apply any changes.
- Chatbot Name - the client-facing name e.g Juror Chatbot
- Chatbot LLM - the AI model to use for answer generation
- Instructions - any long form instructions for the LLM to consider
- Default Message - the message displayed when chatting in the portal
Step 4: Choose or Create a Chatbot Persona
Click on a pre-defined persona or click on the Custom Setup button. By default, new chatbots will use the Connie Court Clerk persona.
- Connie Court Clerk
- Paul Probation Officer
- Jennifer Jury Coordinator
- Carol Case Manager
- Peter Pretrial Services
- Vicky Victim Services
Step 5: Create Response Templates
(Optional) Use Response Templates to help your chatbot provide consistent responses for common scenarios.
You can specify the following for each response template:
- Language
- Template Type (Fallback, Escalation, General Response)
- Usage Guidance
- Subject
- Content
Step 6: Upload Knowledge Base
Upload any relevant files for the chatbot's knowledge base. Only upload files that don't have personal or private information as the chatbot will use the file as its primary data source. There's no limit to the number of files that are accepted. We recommend PDF files for most use cases though most file formats are supported.
Note: in addition to the chatbot's file based knowledge base, chatbots have access to the following information:
- Agency General Settings
- Agency Locations
- Public Files
- Public Forms
Step 7: Enable the Chatbot
Each chatbot can be used in a web portal or as an auto responder to inbound messages. We recommend using the chatbot preview to test the chatbot before enabling on each channel.
Web Portals
To use the chatbot in a portal:
- Click Admin > Portals in the top navigation bar
- Click "Edit" on an existing portal or create a new portal
- Scroll down to the Chatbot section and choose the chatbot in the dropdown
- Click the "Save" button
What to expect:
- The chatbot is enabled on the portal and ready to be used
- When viewing the portal, the chatbot will appear in the bottom right corner
- Clients can communicate directly with the chatbot
- If a portal allows clients to sign in, then the chatbot is aware of whether the client is authenticated and the chats are saved to the client's profile
Agency Phones
The chatbot can automatically handle responses to inbound texts. To forward inbound texts to the chatbot:
- Click Admin > Settings in the top navigation bar
- Click on the "Agency Phones" tab
- Click "Edit" on an existing agency phone or create a new one
- Locate the Inbound Settings section
- Change the Forward Inbound Texts to Chatbot setting to the chatbot
- Click on the "Save" button
What to expect:
- Any texts sent to the agency phone number are forwarded to the chatbot
- The chatbot will generate a response back to the sender as a text
- The chatbot is aware if an text is sent from a client
- The chatbot will ignore spam texts, auto responders, and other automated texts that don't need a response
Note: if you are in staging, the generated responses are simulated.
Agency Emails
The chatbot can automatically handle responses to inbound emails. To forward inbound emails to the chatbot:
- Click Admin > Settings in the top navigation bar
- Click on the "Agency Emails" tab
- Click "Edit" on an existing agency email or create a new one
- Locate the Inbound Settings section
- Change the Forward Inbound Emails to Chatbot setting to the chatbot
- Click on the "Save" button
What to expect:
- Any emails sent to the agency email address are forwarded to the chatbot
- The chatbot will generate a response back to the sender
- The chatbot is aware if an email is sent from a client
- The chatbot will ignore spam emails, auto responders, and other automated emails that don't need a response
Note: if you are in staging, the generated responses are simulated.