The Bot
The bot is the application that your end users interact with. Depending on your bot and deployment method, end users may view different interfaces and experiences.
Bot channels
Typically the bot is integrated with your application via the webchat element, however other popular channels are available. For example, the bot can be used with Skype, Cortana, Facebook, Slack and SMS.
The channel is simply a texting or voice application that interfaces with your health bot. The webchat is the easiest channel for deploying the bot and interacting with scenarios. Learn more about the webchat application
Scenarios
Scenarios are conversational flows that are pre-programmed into the bot. Typically, when a scenario is triggered by the bot, the user completes a series of questions and answers until the scenario is complete. There are two types of scenarios: system and custom scenarios.
System scenarios
System scenarios (or dialogs) are hard coded bot scenarios available out of the box to your end users. System scenarios enable important functionality, like showing a help menu or presenting the terms of service to your end users. There are many system scenarios, you will learn more about them later in this help section.
Custom scenarios
The Health bot platform provides tools in the management portal to build your own custom scenarios. Custom scenarios are very powerful and can integrate with external data sources to create engaging experiences for your end user. For example, you can build a custom scenario to give information on clinic opening times or for checking the status of a claim. Learn more about creating custom scenarios
User intents
Your bot will attempt to understand user intentions. Before triggering a scenario, the bot waits for initial input from the end user. Based on the input provided, the intent is understood using recognizers such as LUIS language models or Regex patterns.
Intents are mapped to system and custom scenarios in the management portal. When an intent is successfully recognized, the bot triggers the relevant scenario. Active scenarios typically expect input in the context of the conversation, however some intents can also interrupt this flow . Learn more about interruptions