What Are Intents?
An intent is the goal or purpose behind a customer’s message. It’s what the customer wants to achieve when they interact with your business.
Examples of common intents:
Unsubscription Intent: Customers want to stop receiving messages
Support Intent: Customers need help with a product or service
Coupon code intent: Customers ask for a coupon code
How to Use Customer Intents
TL;DR
Customer Intents help you understand and act on the purpose behind a customer’s message.
Create intents by specifying phrases customers might use.
Use these intents in automation flows to personalize customer journeys.
Prerequisites
Access to the Charles Agent UI.
A clear understanding of the types of customer interactions you want to address (e.g., unsubscribe requests, order tracking).
Step 1 – Navigate to the Intents Section
Click the Intents icon on the left-hand menu.
Step 2 – Create a New Intent
Click the Create Intent button in the top-right corner.
Enter a name for your intent (e.g., "Unsubscription Intent").
In the "What users might say" field, add sample phrases that represent this intent (e.g., "I want to unsubscribe").
Use the Generate samples button to automatically generate additional phrases. You can choose between 5, 10, or 15 sample phrases.
Tip: Include as many variations as possible to improve intent recognition accuracy.
Once done, click Save.
Step 3 – Confirm Intent Creation
After saving, you’ll see a success message. Click Use in Journeys to immediately start using this intent in a flow, or close the dialog to return to the intents list.
Step 4 – Map the Intent in a Flow
Go to the Journeys section in the Charles Agent UI.
Create a new flow or edit an existing one.
Add a Trigger block to the flow.
Select Intent-based trigger as the trigger type.
Choose the intent you just created (e.g., "Unsubscription Intent").
Outcome
Congratulations! You’ve successfully created and mapped a customer intent. Now, when customers send messages matching the phrases you defined, the automation flow will trigger, delivering a personalized experience.
Next Steps
Test your flow by sending a message that matches the intent.
Refine intents over time by adding new phrases based on customer interactions.
Explore other flows where intent-based triggers could enhance customer engagement.