How Agent Conversations Work
How scripts, your knowledge base, and FAQs work together to drive every conversation.
When a lead texts your agent or gets Lilly on the phone, the conversation feels natural. Behind that is a system made up of three building blocks: scripts, your knowledge base, and FAQs. Each one does a different job. Scripts control the flow. The knowledge base gives the agent facts about your business. FAQs handle specific situations that come up again and again. This guide explains what each piece is and how they work together.
The Three Building Blocks
| Building Block | What It Does | Think of It As |
|---|---|---|
| Scripts | The conversation flow: what to say, in what order, and when to branch. | The playbook your agent follows. |
| Knowledge base | General facts about your company, services, and policies. | Background the agent can reference anytime. |
| FAQs | Specific question-and-answer pairs for common situations. | Prepared responses for predictable moments. |
Rule of thumb: Scripts are for flow. The knowledge base is for facts. FAQs are for specific situations. If you put everything in one place, the agent gets confused. Keep each piece in its lane.
Scripts
Scripts are the conversation playbook. They tell the agent how to open, what questions to ask, and how to handle different paths the conversation might take.
What Goes Into a Script
Every agent's scripts include at least these pieces:
- Opening message. The first text the agent sends when a conversation starts. This is often something like "Hi, this is Evan with ABC Roofing. I saw you were interested in a free inspection."
- Call greeting. For voice-enabled agents like Lilly, this is what the agent says when it picks up or places a phone call.
- Branches. Named conversation paths, each with a "use when" description (for example, "use when the homeowner asks about pricing") and a list of talking points or questions to work through.
- Channel. Each branch can apply to texting only, phone calls only, or both.
Simple vs. Advanced Scripts
Alivo offers two script modes:
- Simple scripts. A lighter editor with up to five branches and three questions per branch. Good when you want a straightforward conversation without a lot of branching.
- Advanced scripts. Separate text and call script paths, more branches, and deeper customization. This is the default for most agent presets.
You can switch between modes, but moving from advanced to simple may simplify or remove some of your existing branches, so plan ahead before switching.
How Scripts Shape a Conversation
During a live conversation, the agent uses your scripts to decide what to say next. It reads the "use when" descriptions on each branch and picks the path that best matches what the homeowner just said or asked. Within that branch, it works through your talking points while staying conversational.
The agent's goal also influences the script. An agent trying to book an appointment will steer toward scheduling. An agent trying to get a review will steer toward feedback. The scripts and the goal work together.
Knowledge Base
The knowledge base is general background information about your business. It lives under the Knowledge section of your agent, on the General tab.
This is where you put facts the agent might need during any conversation, such as:
- What services you offer (roofing, siding, gutters, etc.)
- What areas you serve
- Warranty and financing information
- Company history or certifications
- Your process for inspections and estimates
The knowledge base is not a script. You are not writing lines for the agent to read word for word. You are giving it reference material so it can answer questions accurately and stay on brand. When a homeowner asks "Do you do metal roofs?" or "How far out are you booking?", the agent pulls from your knowledge base to give a real answer.
Knowledge base content can be saved as a template and shared across multiple agents, or each agent can use its own.
FAQs
FAQs are specific question-and-answer pairs for situations that come up often. They live on the FAQ tab under Knowledge.
Each FAQ has three parts:
- Question (trigger). What the homeowner might say or ask. For example, "Are you a real person?" or "Can I talk to someone?"
- Answer. The response you want the agent to give.
- Use when. Which channel the FAQ applies to: only while texting, only on a phone call, or always (both).
FAQs are more targeted than the knowledge base. Instead of general business facts, they handle predictable moments in a conversation. Alivo seeds a few default FAQs when your account is set up, including disclosures like "I'm an AI assistant for [your company]" and responses for when someone asks to speak with a human.
Why Channel Matters for FAQs
The same situation can call for different responses on text vs. phone. On a text thread, the agent might offer to have someone call the homeowner back. On a live phone call, it might transfer them right away. Setting the "use when" channel on each FAQ makes sure the right response shows up in the right context.
How They Work Together During a Conversation
Here is what happens when a lead reaches out:
- Step 1: The script opens. The agent sends its opening message (text) or greeting (phone) and starts working through the conversation flow.
- Step 2: The lead responds. The agent reads what they said and picks the best script branch based on the "use when" descriptions.
- Step 3: Facts and FAQs kick in. If the lead asks a factual question ("Do you serve my zip code?"), the agent draws on the knowledge base. If they hit a common situation ("Are you a bot?"), the matching FAQ fires.
- Step 4: The goal drives the close. As the conversation moves forward, the agent steers toward the goal you set (booking, review, signing, etc.) and sends the destination link when the time is right.
All three building blocks are active at the same time. The script provides structure. The knowledge base provides substance. FAQs handle the edge cases.
Text Conversations vs. Phone Calls
The same three building blocks power both channels, but a few things work differently:
- Scripts are split by channel. In advanced mode, you have separate text scripts and call scripts. A branch can be texting only, call only, or both.
- FAQs can be channel-specific. You control whether each FAQ applies during texting, phone calls, or both.
- The knowledge base applies everywhere. Business facts are available in both text and phone conversations.
- Voice agents use call scripts and a call greeting. Lilly and other voice-enabled agents rely heavily on call scripts and the call greeting. Text scripts are typically hidden for Lilly since her main job is answering the phone.
Templates and Sharing Across Agents
Scripts, knowledge base content, and FAQs can each be saved as templates in your account. A template is a reusable version that multiple agents can link to. For example, you might have one company knowledge base template shared by Lilly, Evan, and Alex, but separate script templates for each agent's job.
If you update a shared template, every agent linked to it gets the update. If an agent needs its own version, you can duplicate the template and link the agent to the copy.
Scripts, knowledge, and FAQs are the three layers that make your agent sound like your business and handle real conversations. Get the knowledge base right so the agent knows your company. Use FAQs for the moments that come up every week. Build scripts that move the conversation toward your goal. Together, they turn a generic AI into an agent that sounds like it works for you.
Still have a question this didn't answer? Reach out to our support team support@alivo.ai and we'll be glad to help.