Centralize and Streamline Zobot and Flow Control Settings in Zoho SalesIQ

Centralize and Streamline Zobot and Flow Control Settings in Zoho SalesIQ

Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team,

We would like to suggest a crucial improvement to the current setup and configuration experience within SalesIQ.

Problem Statement

Zoho SalesIQ currently offers three primary mechanisms for handling customer chats:

  • Answer Bot – for automatic responses based on the knowledge base

  • Zobot – for building intelligent and customized chatbot flows

  • Flow Control – for managing agent-directed interactions

While each system serves its purpose, there is significant overlap and redundancy, especially between Zobot and Flow Control.

This leads to:

  • Duplicated settings (e.g., department selection, offline messages, busy responses)

  • Unclear precedence between Zobot and Flow Control configurations

  • Increased complexity when managing bot-to-agent handoffs

  • Unpredictable customer experience depending on which system’s settings are applied

This fragmented approach makes SalesIQ setup confusing and time-consuming, particularly for users who rely on Zobot but still need some agent interaction.

Proposed Solution

We recommend clear segregation and consolidation of settings based on the origin of the conversation:

✅ Zobot as the Configuration Hub for Bot-Initiated Chats

If a Zobot initiates a chat—even if an agent is involved later—all chat behavior and settings should be managed directly within the Zobot canvas, including:

  • Department Selection: Zobot should be able to define its own list of departments, independent of Flow Control.

  • Agent Handoff Behavior: Offline/busy messages, fallback messages, and delays should be configured directly in Zobot.

  • Post-Chat Feedback & Actions: Features like rating, feedback, or post-chat forms should be available as cards within the Zobot flow.

  • Agent-to-Bot Return Option: Agents should be able to return the conversation to the bot mid-chat if needed.

✅ Flow Control for Agent-Only Interactions

If a company chooses not to use Zobot (or Answer Bot), Flow Control should remain the single place to configure:

  • Pre-chat form settings and fields

  • Timeout durations for agent response

  • Default agent messages (busy, offline, etc.)

  • General department routing

Benefits

  • 🔍 Clarity: Removes confusion about which settings apply to which chat paths

  • ⚙️ Streamlined Setup: Simplifies onboarding and administration for new and existing users

  • 🎯 Improved Control: Gives bot builders full control over the entire conversation lifecycle

  • 📈 Better Customer Experience: Ensures predictable, seamless, and logical interactions

  • 🕒 Operational Efficiency: Reduces time spent troubleshooting and managing overlapping settings

This improvement will make Zoho SalesIQ significantly more user-friendly and powerful, especially for teams building intelligent bots with integrated agent support.

Thank you for considering this request, and for your continued effort in enhancing the platform.

Warm regards,
Ram

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