While building and deploying bots, testing the bot using the preview module is essential. This tests whether the bot behaves as intended for deployment across all channels. Some feature functionality used to be locked behind an extra step – such as assigning it to a Topic or setting up custom properties (for locale or the user ID) – to preview all of the bot's configuration.


To improve the speed of publishing a bot that works as intended, admins can use the preview configuration module to simulate a channel-specific preview option and different deployment mechanisms and use both custom & default properties. Admins can evaluate how their bots function on multiple platforms.


Note: Preview configuration works on all channels where bots can be deployed: conversation, self-service, and third-party channels.



TABLE OF CONTENTS


How to preview the bot configuration in the widget?


Note: The following section is applicable for both the conversation widget and the self-service widget.


  • After building out the bot, click on the preview button to start previewing the bot. You can converse with the bot to understand how your customers will experience your bot. 


  • You can also personalize the bot conversation to suit a specific customer, locale, and other default and custom properties. Here's how.


  • Navigate to Settings > Preview Configuration:


  • Previewing a bot built for the conversation widget using the preview configuration is particularly useful as the end customers need not be exposed to the draft versions of the bot.


How to preview the bot configuration on messaging channels?


Note: Messaging channel refers to third-party channels, such as Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc.


  • To publish your bot, it has to be mapped to a Topic; that Topic will be mapped to a specific messaging channel. Learn more. 


  • You can preview the bot experience for specific contacts using preview configuration. By default, the draft versions of published bots can be previewed on your messaging channels. This means that all your customers will be experiencing the published version, while you can use specific contacts to preview the newest changes in the draft version.


  • We recommend adding one of your team members as a contact and using their conversations to test the bot. If you're unable to add your team as a contact, they can instead initiate a conversation with the bot on these messaging channels. 
  • To add new contacts who will preview the latest version of the bot, navigate to Settings > Preview Configuration.


  • Add the contacts from the top-right button. These contacts will only preview the new configuration when they reach out via the specific messaging channel.


  • After building out the bot, click on the preview button to start previewing the bot. You can converse with the bot to understand how your customers will experience your bot. 


  • You can also personalize the bot conversation to suit a specific customer, locale, and other default and custom properties.


  • Previewing a bot built for specific messaging channels using the preview configuration is particularly useful as the end customers need not be exposed to the draft versions of the bot.


Note: While trying to set up the preview for an existing customer, the customer should have had a conversation in the same channel, to preview the bot conversation with this contact.