Content on this page is for a product or feature in controlled release (CR). If you are not part of the CR group and would like more information, contact your CXone Account Representative.
Amazon Lex is a platform you can use to develop virtual agent bots for your organization. You can integrate them into CXone for voice and CXone chat channels. Digital First Omnichannel chat channels aren't supported at this time.
Virtual agent bots interpret what your contacts say or type and respond appropriately. They do this using technologies such as:
- Speech-to-text
Also called STT, this process converts spoken language to text. (STT) - Text-to-speech Allows users to enter recorded prompts as text and use a computer-generated voice to speak the content. (TTS)
- Natural language processing Also called NLP, this process understands human speech or text and responds with human-like language. (NLP)
- Artificial intelligence (AI)
Virtual agents are flexible and can provide a range of functions to suit the needs of your organization. For example, you can design your virtual agent to handle a few simple tasks or to serve as a complex interactive digital agent.
Requirements
To use Amazon Lex
- Amazon AWS account.
- Amazon Lex virtual agent A software application that handles customer interactions in place of a live human agent. bot configured with the responses that fulfill the contact's requests. In the context of Amazon Lex, these responses are called intents. This definition differs from the meaning of intent What the contact wants to communicate or accomplish elsewhere in the CXone online help.
Amazon Lex Management
You can manage Amazon Lex virtual agent bots in Virtual Agent Hub. To access Virtual Agent Hub, you need to use CXone Studio. If you don't have Studio installed, you can download and install it.
Amazon Lex Configuration
Before you can add a
When your Amazon Lex bot is ready, you can add it to CXone Virtual Agent Hub and create or modify Studio scripts to use it. To configure this bot in Virtual Agent Hub, you need the following information:
View information about Amazon Lex configuration fields
|
Field |
Details |
|---|---|
| Access Key | Enter the access key ID for this Amazon Lex bot. You can find or create access keys in your AWS Management Console. This field is required. |
| Secret Key | Enter the secret key that corresponds to the access key ID you provided. If you didn't copy your secret key when you created it, you must create a new secret key. This field is required. |
| Region | Select the region where your Amazon Lex bot is hosted from the dropdown list. This field is required. |
| Lex Version | Select the version of Amazon Lex that you're using from the drop-down list. This field is required. |
| Bot Name | Enter the bot name (for Lex V1) or bot ID (for Lex V2), as configured in the settings in the Amazon Lex console. This field is required. |
| Bot Alias | Enter the name (for Lex V1) or ID (for Lex V2) for the alias that you want this bot to use, as defined in the Amazon Lex console. Aliases allow you to specify which version of an Amazon Lex bot you want to use. This field is required. |
| Locale | Select the language and locale that this bot is configured to use from the drop-down list. The options in the list are in the format language_locale (Language (Locale)). This field is required. |
| Use Lex Account Text to Speech | If this is a voicebot, click the slider to On. If you use this option, text-to-speech is billed to your Amazon Lex account. If this is a chatbot, set the slider to Off. |
| Welcome Intent |
The name of the intent that you want this bot to use for the initial greeting at the start of a conversation. In the context of Amazon Lex, an intent is an action that fulfills the contact's request. This definition differs from the meaning of intent This field is case-sensitive. |
| Timeout Intent |
The name of the intent that you want this bot to use when the contact times out during a conversation. In the context of Amazon Lex, an intent is an action that fulfills the contact's request. This definition differs from the meaning of intent This field is case-sensitive. |
| DTMF Break Pattern | Enter the characters that, when pressed during a call, cause the virtual agent to skip to the DTMFBreakout branch of the Studio script. Complete this field only if this is a voicebot. |
Scripting Guidelines
Before integrating a virtual agent A software application that handles customer interactions in place of a live human agent., you need to know:
- Which script you want to add a virtual agent to.
-
The Studio actions
Performs a process within a Studio script, such as collecting customer data, playing a message or music, or routing a contact to an agent. you need to use for your bot. - VoiceBot Exchange and TextBot Exchange—Use these actions for complex bots or for when you need to customize the bot's behavior from turn to turn. Your script must include at least two instances of the action.
- Voicebot Conversation and Textbot Conversation—Use these actions for very simple bots. They don't allow for customization of the bot's behavior from turn to turn.
- Where the Studio actions must be placed in your script flow.
- The configuration requirements specific to the virtual agent you're using.
- How to complete the script after adding the virtual agent action. You may need to:
- Add initialization snippets as needed to the script using Snippet actions. You can do this to customize your bot.
- Re-configure the action connectors to ensure proper contact flow and correct any potential errors.
- Use the OnReturnControlToScript branch to handle hanging up or ending the interaction. If you use the Default branch, your script may not work as intended.
- Complete any additional scripting and test the script.
Ensure that all parameters in the Virtual Agent Hub actions you add to your script are configured to pass the correct data. See the online help topic for the action you're using for information about how to configure each parameter.
If you need assistance with scripting in Studio, contact your CXone Account Representative, see the Scripting Reference Material sections of the online help, or visit the NICE CXone Community site.
Supported Action for Voicebots
Voicebot Exchange Action
This action is for complex bots or for when you need to customize the bot's behavior from turn to turn.
Voicebot Exchange monitors the conversation between the contact and the bot turn by turn. It sends each utterance What a contact says or types. to the bot. The bot analyzes the utterance for intent What the contact wants to communicate or accomplish and context and determines the response to give. The action returns the bot's response to the contact. When the conversation is complete, the action continues the script.
Supported Action for Chatbots
Textbot Exchange Action
This action is for complex bots or for when you need to customize the bot's behavior from turn to turn.
TextBot Exchange monitors the conversation between the contact and the bot Virtual agent designed to handle specific interactions turn by turn. It sends each utterance What a contact says or types. to the bot. The bot analyzes the utterance for intent What the contact wants to communicate or accomplish and context and determines which response to give. TextBot Exchange returns the bot's response to the contact. When the conversation is complete, the action continues the script.
