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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dialai.ca/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

State editor with Thought tab in light mode
A Thought is the natural-language instruction attached to a state in a flow. It tells the AI agent what to do here: what to say, what data to collect, which functions to call, how to handle edge cases. Thoughts are the single biggest lever you have on agent behavior — well-written thoughts produce predictable, useful conversations; vague ones produce drift. This page is the field guide for writing thoughts that work.

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Anatomy of a thought

Every thought benefits from the same backbone:
  1. Context. One sentence on the agent’s role at this point in the conversation. “You are helping the customer book a meter exchange appointment.”
  2. Objective. What the agent must accomplish before this state can transition. “Confirm the customer’s service address.”
  3. Trigger. When this thought applies, if it’s not just “always”. “If the customer provides an address that matches multiple accounts…”
  4. Conversation moves. Specific things to say. Quoted phrases when wording matters. “Say: ‘I’ve found your account. Would you like to schedule the earliest available appointment?’”
  5. Function calls. Which functions to call and what parameters they need. Reference functions by their exact name.
  6. Error handling. What to do when a function fails, the customer goes off-script, or there are multiple matches.
  7. Special cases. Anything unusual — emergency routing, accessibility accommodations, regulatory requirements.

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Voice and phrasing

Use strong directives. “Must” and “will” produce more reliable behavior than “should” and “can”. Avoid telling the agent what not to do. Negative instructions can backfire. Instead, describe the action you want.
❌ “Do not ask for the customer’s name again.” ✅ “After you’ve received the customer’s name, move to confirming their account.”
Quote exact phrasing in single quotes when the wording matters — for greetings, legally required disclosures, brand-specific language. The agent will say what’s inside the quotes verbatim. Use placeholder variables in brackets for values that should be filled in: [Customer Name], [Service Provider].

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Multi-channel branching

Voice and text conversations need different instructions. Be explicit: 
If the customer is speaking over the phone:
  Confirm the spelling of their name by asking, "How do you spell that?"

If the customer is speaking over text:
  Skip the spelling confirmation and proceed to the next step.
For voice: spell numbers digit-by-digit, spell street names letter-by-letter, ask for confirmation. For text: trust what the customer typed and move on.

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Function references

Reference functions by their exact registered name and call out what they need:
“Call the Get Account By Address function. Before calling, confirm the street number, street name, and ZIP code with the customer.”
If a function emits events that drive transitions, you generally do not need to mention the events in the thought — the flow editor handles routing.

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Don’t do math in thoughts

LLMs are unreliable at arithmetic. Put any calculation in a function, call the function, then relay the result.
❌ “Add the installment amount to the current balance and tell the customer the total.” ✅ “Call Calculate Total Amount with InstallmentAmount and CurrentBalance, then relay the result to the customer.”

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Avoid embedded examples

Don’t put example values inside thoughts — the agent may treat them as real data.
❌ “Confirm the customer’s address (e.g., 123 Main Street, 90210).” ✅ “Confirm the customer’s street number, street name, and ZIP code.”

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Reference information block

When you need the agent to know facts that don’t justify a function call, list them as a reference block: 
Use the following information to answer customer questions:
- Appointments are scheduled with a 4-hour arrival window.
- Technicians require access to the meter and may shut off power briefly.
- For other assistance, customers can call +1-800-123-4567 (weekdays 7am–7pm).
Keep these blocks short — the agent has a limited attention budget for general context.

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Error handling

Every state that calls a function should declare what happens when the function fails or the customer goes off-script. Be specific:
  • The statement or trigger that activates the fallback.
  • The exact response to give the customer.
  • The function to call (or “end the conversation politely”).
  • The escalation if the function itself fails.
Worked example:
Customer issue: Water leak. Response: “I understand there’s a water leak. I’ll connect you with our emergency support.” Function call: Transfer to Emergency. Escalation: If the transfer fails, say “It seems I couldn’t connect you. Please call our emergency line at [Emergency Number] directly.”

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Common pitfalls

SymptomMost likely causeFix
Agent uses phrasing you don’t likeThe thought describes the goal but not the exact wordsSurround the wording you want with single quotes.
Agent keeps asking for spelling on SMSThe thought doesn’t branch on channelAdd explicit “If voice / If text” instructions.
Agent forgets to call a functionFunction isn’t referenced by exact name, or isn’t attached to the stateVerify the function is on this state’s Functions list and reference it by name.
Agent gets math wrongCalculation lives in the thoughtMove the math into a function.
Agent leaks placeholder textExamples in the thoughtReplace examples with parameter names.

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Thought template

A copy-paste skeleton for a typical initial state: 
You are [Agent Name], an AI customer service representative for [Company Name]. You assist
customers with [purpose].

Start the conversation by introducing yourself and indicating that you are an AI assistant. Use
this greeting: 'Hi, this is [Agent Name], an AI assistant from [Company Name]. This call is
recorded for quality. How can I help today?'

You can assist with:
- [Task 1]
- [Task 2]
- [Task 3]

For anything else, transfer the customer using the `Transfer to Agent` function. If the transfer
fails, fall back to `Schedule Callback`.

Languages: You can assist customers in [supported languages]. If a customer requests another
language, inform them you can only assist in [supported languages].

If the customer mentions a safety emergency:
- Tell them their safety comes first and direct them to call 9-1-1.
- For non-immediate safety concerns (outages, gas leaks), use the `Transfer to Emergency Line`
  function.

Caller ID:
- If the system returns an address, confirm it with the customer before using it.
- If not, ask the customer for their address.

Address collection rules:
- For voice calls, ask the customer to spell street names letter-by-letter.
- For text chats, accept the address as typed.
- For numerical street names (e.g., "22nd Street"), read it back without spelling each digit.
- Convert spelled-out numbers ("twenty-second street") to digits.

If at any point the customer is ready to end the conversation, confirm there is nothing else and
end politely.

Functions and events

What functions can do and how to declare events.

Flow configuration

Settings that affect every state.

Testing flows

Validate your thoughts before publishing.