Your bot just got smarter: AI-Powered routing that reads between the lines

Your bot just got smarter: AI-Powered routing that reads between the lines

What if your bot could tell the difference? Between a visitor who just needs a quick answer, someone actively comparing options, and a frustrated customer one click away from leaving?

Most bots can't. They deliver the same response to everyone, missing the nuance that separates a casual question from an urgent problem or a buying signal.

But here's what's possible now: With AI that understands sentiment, intent, and context, your bot can actually recognize what each customer needs in real-time. Upset customers get immediate attention. Ready-to-buy visitors get routed to sales reps. Explorers get guided through their options without friction.

Enter Criteria router + AI filters

If you’re using SalesIQ’s Criteria router card in the Codeless bot builder, you already know the potential of routing chats based on conditions you define. Now, we’ve made it smarter with AI Filters - Sentiment, Intent, and Topic.
  1. Sentiment: Understands the tone of the visitor (positive, negative, neutral). You can split the conversation based on the sentiment. Example: If a visitor sounds frustrated, their sentiment is marked negative, you can route them directly to experienced agents.
  2. Intent: Detects the purpose of the conversation (like cancellation, purchase, or scheduling). You can mention the intent and split the chat that matches your intent. Example: If someone says, “I’m not happy with my order”, the intent could be cancellation, you can trigger a survey or escalation.
  3. Topic: Here you can define topics like, iPhone in ecommerce, 2bhk flat in Chicago for real estate, basically nouns. If the bot finds these topics, it will route accordingly. 
IdeaWebinar alert: Want to see more examples and deep-dive into use cases? Check out our AI-Powered engagement with SalesIQ webinar, where we covered all the new AI-based solutions in SalesIQ, including Criteria Router and AI Filters.


Let’s look at a few use cases across industries:

1. E-commerce: A customer types, “My package arrived broken. I want a refund.”
  1. Sentiment: Negative
  2. Intent: Cancellation/Return
Route this chat straight to your experienced support agents, skipping the bot’s small talk.



2. Real Estate: A visitor says, “Looking for a flat in Chicago near the lake.”
  1. Topic: Flat, Chicago
  2. Intent: Search 
Instantly connect them with the right sales rep covering that location, instead of bouncing them around.



3. IT / Tech Support: Someone writes, “The app keeps crashing whenever I try to upload a file.”
  1. Sentiment: Negative
  2. Intent: Technical Issue
  3. Topic : App
Route to your technical app support team, not the general help queue.


Implementation tips:

1. Use context variables: AI filters works only with bot context variables. Make sure to:
  1. Use the text input card to capture customer messages
  2. Enable "Save in bot context"
  3. Give a variable name
  4. Use the same in your Criteria router card
2. Prioritize your rules: When multiple rules match, the first one wins. Structure your rules by priority: Example:
  1. Rule 1: Sentiment: Negative + Intent: Cancellation
  2. Rule 2: Sentiment: Negative + Topic: App issues
If a customer says "The app is crashing again, I want to cancel," both rules technically match, but Rule 1 triggers because it's listed first.

Get started today

AI Filters are live in your Criteria Router.

With this, your bot is no longer just a gatekeeper, it’s a smart filter. It understands urgency, emotion, and intent, and directs conversations to the right place, faster. That means happier customers, less frustration, and more chances to convert. 

Set up your rules, test a few conversations, and watch how much smoother your chat flow becomes and let us know if how it works.


      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            Zoho Writer Writer

                            Get Started. Write Away!

                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ




                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • Desk Email reply - set default font / use custom font

                                    Hello, in our e-mails, which we send to our customers, a certain font must be used (Corporate Design): Segoe UI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segoe#Segoe_UI How can this be included? How can this be set as the default font to ensure that this font is
                                  • PDF Templates - Checkbox Borders

                                    Is there a way to remove the border of a radio/checkbox on a PDF? I'd like to use the function of checkbox but if there's no easy way to remove the border (the PDF form already has a rectangle so it gets cluttered), then I'm forced to create a single
                                  • Settings Icon No Longer in ZOHO Desk?

                                    In ZOHO desk, there has been a gear icon for settings. as of yesterday, it is no longer there. I showed up briefly this morning but is gone again. Anybody else experiecing this?
                                  • Introducing the all-new email parser!

                                    Greetings, We are pleased to introduce to you, a brand-new, upgraded version of the Zoho CRM Email Parser, which is packed with fresh features and has been completely redesigned to meet latest customers needs and their business requirements. On that note,
                                  • Tip #43 - Track, Review, and Analyze Your Assist Sessions with Reports-'Insider Insights'

                                    Did you know you can generate detailed reports for both remote support sessions and unattended access sessions in Zoho Assist? This makes it easy to monitor technician activity, measure efficiency, and review customer interactions. Let us now take a closer
                                  • Function #20: Custom calculation in item table of invoices

                                    When you create an invoice in Zoho Books, the 'Amount' of a line item is typically calculated as the product of the "Quantity" and the "Rate" of the item. For instance, if an item has a sales rate of $50 and a quantity of 5 is sold, then the amount would
                                  • CBSA - GST CHARGES on imports

                                    Hi there, We have a questions about landed cost categorization. We received a shipment from overseas. CBSA invoiced us for the GST on the items. Now we entered the CBSA-GST as a separate bill and attached it as landed cost to the main invoice based on
                                  • Simplified Call Logging

                                    Our organization would like to start logging calls in our CRM; however, with 13 fields that can't be removed, our team is finding it extremely cumbersome. For our use case, we only need to record that a call happened theirfor would only need the following
                                  • Sub form doesn't as formula field

                                    Is it possible to get formula field in sub form in futures?
                                  • Week date range in pivot table

                                    Hello, I need to create a report that breakouts the data by week.  I am using the pivot table report, and breaking out the date by week, however the date is displayed as 'Week 1 2014' format.  Is there anyway to get the actual dates in there? ex. 1/6/2014-1/12/2014 Thanks,
                                  • How do I get Status History data of my Projects?

                                    I want to build a table in Zoho Analytics that Groups by Date, when Projects entered a certain status. I cannot find Status History or any such useful data available in the Setup of my Data Source sync. Please advise how I can achieve this?
                                  • Is it possible to hide fields in a Subform?

                                    Since layout rules cannot be used with Subforms, is there another way, or is it even possible, to hide fields in a subform based on a picklist fields within said subform? For example, if the Service Provided is Internet, then I do not want to see the
                                  • Weekly Tips :Instantly find what you need with Attachment Viewer

                                    Your inbox must be packed with project emails, shared notes, and scattered attachments. You are looking for one specific file—a presentation slide or maybe a media clip from a team update—but don’t want to dig through endless email threads or switch between
                                  • Putting Watermark on Zoho Sheet

                                    Can this be done?
                                  • Missing Zoho Desk integration option for form workflows

                                    According to the help page "Configure Zoho Desk integration in form workflows" we should be able to select Zoho Desk as an integration target but when I open the integrations list then Zoho Desk is not being listed in it. We are on the Premium plan which should already support Zoho Desk integrations.
                                  • Gantt for 2 or more projects

                                    Hello, I'm trying the free version of your produtc. It is veryyy good!!!! I don't know if in the Standard plan, I can overview a Gantt Graph for 2 or more Projects Milestone. This would be very helpfull for managing teams and taking decisions about who I will assign a task to. In the paid plan Do I have this possibility? Thank you.
                                  • Integrating a Zoho Project Gantt Chart into Reports

                                    Is is possible to integrate a Zoho Project Gantt Chart into a Zoho Report Dashboard. I am in the process of creating Project Status Dashboards for the projects that we track in Zoho Projects and I would like to incorporate the gantt chart within Reports.  Please let me know! Thanks
                                  • ZOHO BOOKS - EXCESSIVELY SLOW TODAY

                                    Dear Zoho Books This is not the first time but it seems to be 3 times per week now that the system is extremely slow. I work on Zoho Books 95% of my day so this is very frustrating. Zoho you need to do something about this. I have had my IT guy check
                                  • Gantt Chart - Zoho Analytics

                                    Are there any plans to add Gantt Charts capabilities to Zoho Analytics?
                                  • Displaying related quotes in sales order and back

                                    Hi, My colleague liked to see to which sales orders, the quote has been converted. Quote shows Invoices, but not SO. Same, they would like to see the quotes in the sales order, as they can see invoices, packages, shipment, How can we achieve this ? Thank
                                  • Tip of the Week #71–Auto-move incoming messages to the right inboxes with keywords

                                    We all know that customer-facing teams, especially your sales and support teams, can’t afford to miss even a single customer conversation. But sometimes, sales queries or support requests can easily get lost in a crowded inbox or even end up in the wrong
                                  • Clearing Fields using MACROS?

                                    How would I go about clearing a follow-up field date from my deals? Currently I cannot set the new value as an empty box.
                                  • Migrating a Zoho Forms form into Zoho Creator

                                    Hi, How can I migrate my Zoho Forms form into Zoho Creator? Thanks. Truly, Emad
                                  • Is there any way to recall an email sent using Zoho CRM?

                                    If an email is sent using Zoho Mail, there is a recall option/functionality that is available to the sender. Is there any way to recall an email if it was sent using Zoho CRM? I can't seem to find that option. Any help would be appreciated.
                                  • Quick Create needs Client Script support

                                    As per the title. We need client scripts to apply at a Quick Create level. We enforce logic on the form to ensure data quality, automate field values, etc. However, all this is lost when a user attempts a "Quick Create". It is disappointing because, from
                                  • is it possible to add more than one Whatsapp Phone Number to be integrated to Zoho CRM?

                                    so I have successfully added one Whatsapp number like this from this User Interface it seems I can't add a new Whatsapp Number. I need to add a new Whatsapp Number so I can control the lead assignment if a chat sent to Whatsapp Phone Number 1 then assign
                                  • Problem with reports due to "Connected" items change - Yes this IS a problem

                                    Now that the change has been made to use "connected" items I can no longer run the reporting I need in CRM. I should be able to start with Deals as the parent, connect down to the Account (Account_Name) on the deal as the child, then to any child items
                                  • Introducing notifications in the vendor portal

                                    Imagine this: You're a recruiter working with multiple vendors on a high-volume hiring project. You’ve just updated a job description after a last-minute change from the hiring manager. One of your vendors, however, is still working off the older version
                                  • CRM limit reached: only 2 subforms can be created

                                    we recently stumbled upon a limit of 2 subforms per module. while we found a workaround on this occasion, only 2 subforms can be quite limiting in an enterprise setting. @Ishwarya SG I've read about imminent increase of other components (e.
                                  • LESS_THAN_MIN_OCCURANCE - code 2945

                                    Hi I'm trying to post a customer record to creator API and getting this error message. So cryptic. Can someone please help? Thanks Varun
                                  • How to update "Lead Status" to more than 100 records

                                    Hello Zoho CRM, How do I update "Lead Status" to more than 100 records at once? To give you a background, these leads were uploaded or Imported at once but the lead status record was incorrectly chosen. So since there was a way to quickly add records in the system no matter how many they are, we are also wondering if there is a quicker way to update these records to the correct "Lead Status". I hope our concern makes sense and that there will be a fix for it. All the best, Jonathan
                                  • Analytics for notes created

                                    Is there a way I can see how many notes were created per day? Via reporting or analytics?
                                  • No TDS Deduction

                                    In some of our case, where we are reselling items at the same rate we purchased. In this scenario, Indian IT Law has a provision to request customer not to deduct TDS if the transaction value is same. TDS is paid by us (intermediary reseller) before we
                                  • Cannot update Recurring_Activity on Tasks – RRULE not accepted

                                    Hello, I am trying to update Tasks in Zoho CRM to make them recurring yearly, but I cannot find the correct recurrence pattern or way to update the Recurring_Activity field via API or Deluge. I have tried: Sending a string like "RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;INTERVAL=1"
                                  • Add image to report...

                                    Greetings, I send a weekly color coded report via Creator email. I would like to add the legend somewhere in the report. Header, footer where ever. I have the legend saved on Google Drive and can access it via shared link. Sure someone has wanted to add
                                  • More controls for User Fields in CRM

                                    Dear All, We are here with a minor but crucial enhancement to the user fields—now set accessibility permissions to the records for user field. User field allows you to extend co-ownership of records to your peers. You can collaborate with them for certain
                                  • Calls to accounts rather than leads or contacts?

                                    So..... We have a dilemma and I'm hoping someone has encountered this before and figured out a fix. We have just migrated to Zoho. It's great.....expect for how "Calls" are handled.... We are B2B. We do not use the leads module. A "Lead/Prospect" for
                                  • Image Upload Field | Zoho Canvas

                                    I'm working on making a custom view for one of our team's modules. It's an image upload field (Placement Photo) that would allow our sales reps to upload a picture of the house their working on. However, I don't see that field as a opinion when building
                                  • Power of Automation :: Automated 'Delayed & Closed' Status Update Based on Due Date

                                    Hello Everyone, A custom function is a software code that can be used to automate a process and this allows you to automate a notification, call a webhook, or perform logic immediately after a workflow rule is triggered. This feature helps to automate
                                  • Lead Blueprint transition in custom list view

                                    Hi, Is It possible to insert the Blueprint transition label in a custom Canvas list view? I am using Lead module. I see the status, but it would be great if our users could execute the Blueprint right from the list view without having to enter the detailed
                                  • Next Page