Rules: replies and actions in conversations
Set conditions, replies and actions. Learn when Knowledge takes over.
A visitor writes, "I need an invoice." Convor can tag the conversation billing, change its priority or send a prepared reply. That's what Rules are for. You decide what to match and what should happen next. Rules can also respond when AI starts handling a conversation, needs more information or hands it to your team.
Use a Rule when you want a specific action every time a message matches. For example, you can tag an invoice question as billing and let AI answer the customer's follow-up from a Knowledge article about downloading invoices. The rule handles the action. Knowledge supplies the instructions.
Rules or Knowledge? At a glance
When a customer message calls for a specific, predictable action.
A rule can apply a tag, change priority, send prepared text or hand off the case. It does not generate text with AI. Sending its prepared reply still depends on the bot being allowed to answer.
"I want to speak to a person" → hand off the conversation.
When a customer needs an explanation or asks about your policy.
Write and publish an article with the answer. AI may use it when a customer's question is relevant. You can direct sensitive topics to an operator instead.
"How do I install the widget?" → AI refers to the setup guide.
What if both apply? Convor checks Rules first. If one only adds a tag, AI can still find an answer in Knowledge. Sending a prepared message or handing the case to an operator ends automatic replies to that message.
Find and order your rules
Open Rules in the dashboard. The list shows activation and priority. From here you can create, edit, reorder, pause or delete a rule. Filter by channel or integration account when you need to find one that applies only to the widget or a connected service.
Order matters. If two rules could reply to the same message, put the narrower match first. A "VAT invoice" rule might sit above a general "invoice" rule. Disabled rules retain their settings.
Ready-made rules for each site
Convor creates four enabled rules when you add a site. Existing sites receive them with their saved wording and publication status preserved. Select the site whose behavior you want to change.
| Rule | When it can send a message |
|---|---|
| No operator available | AI starts handling the conversation while no operator is available. |
| AI introduction | AI starts handling the conversation. |
| Request more details | The reply policy allows clarification and AI needs more information. |
| Handoff to the team | AI passes the conversation to a person, including when it cannot prepare a reply. |
At startup, the first matching rule with an available reply wins. The unavailable-operator rule comes before the introduction by default, so the customer receives one startup message. Change their order to give your own introduction priority.
The Created by the system icon identifies the rule's origin. A short notice also appears in its editor. You can edit the wording and channels, disable the rule or delete it. Editing keeps the origin marker. Deleted rules stay deleted when you reopen settings.
All four ready-made rules cover the current channels except Email by default. To use one of these messages in email, add Email to that rule's scope. Each outgoing message is a separate email in the conversation.
Handoff still works when no message rule matches. If clarification is disabled for a channel and AI cannot answer, the conversation passes to the team without an automatic customer message. Creating these rules does not switch on the bot or unlock features outside your plan.
Choose when it runs
Select Create rule. Give it a name your team will recognize and choose whether to enable it. "Urgent refund requests" tells the next operator more than "Rule 4".
Under Scope, pick the channels you need. If you've linked several accounts to a supported integration, narrow the rule to the one that should receive these messages, rather than letting it fire for every customer conversation on that channel. Rules belong to the selected project.
Under Required conditions, choose All conditions met (AND) or At least one condition met (OR). You can nest groups when the message must satisfy a more specific combination. Available conditions include:
- Keywords: the phrases visitors use, such as
invoiceorpayment. - Regular expressions: for formats such as an order number. This is plan-dependent. Test the pattern first.
- Language: for example
plwhen a Polish-speaking team should handle the request. - No operator available: useful for collecting enquiries outside staffed hours.
- Allegro thread type: match a particular kind of Allegro conversation.
An empty top-level All conditions met group matches every visitor message. Add a condition if that is unintended. For an empty nested group, add a condition or remove the group. Test the result before enabling the rule.
Use Conversation event to match an incoming visitor message, the start of AI handling, a need for more information or handoff to the team. Combine AI startup with the unavailable-operator condition for your own out-of-hours message. Event rules run at the selected moment. Ordinary message rules do not run again during handoff.
Use Time and repetition if the rule should run only during a date range or certain weekly hours. This section also holds the timezone and cooldown, the minimum time between automated replies. A cooldown can stop the chatbot repeating the same message when a visitor sends several follow-ups.
Send a reply or run actions quietly
Some rules act without sending a message. To add one, enable Send a reply. The text is prepared in advance, so it needs no generative AI, but delivering it still depends on bot availability, plan access and whether an operator has taken the conversation. A matching rule can still tag or prioritize a case when its reply is blocked.
Under Response method, choose Text message for a plain reply, Message with options for up to 5 response buttons, or Message with a form for up to 8 fields. Form fields have unique keys, required/optional settings, localized labels, placeholders and validation messages. Don't ask visitors to share passwords or other secrets through chat.
If your site has several content languages, edit the reply on each language tab. The default version is required. Other versions can stay in draft until someone checks and publishes them. This is separate from the dashboard interface language. See Content languages.
You can combine a reply with these workflow actions:
- Add a tag: for example
billingon invoice questions. Choose a tag that already exists. - Set priority: low, normal or urgent.
- Assign an operator: send the conversation to a teammate. Requires workflow automation.
- Handoff: let the human team handle the conversation instead of the bot.
Which reply and action features are available depends on your plan.
Test it before you switch it on
The condition tester accepts a sample message, language, channel, account and operator availability. With timing enabled, you can also supply a test time and previous reply date. Try "I need an invoice", then a message that should not match. Check what happens when another rule could also apply.
The result shows matching and reply eligibility. It can't promise that someone will be online tomorrow.
Saving validates conditions, scope and message fields. Use Edit to change the same rule later. Disable is for a temporary pause. Delete is for rules you no longer need.
What runs first: Rules or Knowledge?
Scope, conditions, schedule and rule order.
Handled. AI does not send another reply.
Convor can add a tag or change priority, then check Knowledge.
Only when AI may reply. Check published articles, topic policies and match confidence.
Transfer the conversation to a person.
In required mode, ask for details or hand off to the team.
AI may answer using Knowledge.
Working hours, AI settings, plan limits and human-owned conversations still affect the result.
Convor checks matching rules in priority order. Several rules can run actions for one message. Distinct tags accumulate without duplication. The first eligible priority change wins, as does the first assignment or handoff action. Only one prepared reply is selected. A cooldown can block another reply, including an AI response.
Here's a useful case. A visitor asks for an invoice. The first rule adds billing without replying, so AI can still use an article from Knowledge. If the rule sends its own reply or hands the conversation to an operator, automatic answering stops for that message.
Knowledge then checks article relevance and confidence. In required mode, too little evidence leads to a clarifying question or handoff. AI availability, working hours, subscription and human ownership can also change the result.
Don't confuse these rules with conversation routing, proactive triggers or AI availability settings.
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