Write effective conversation rules
The Conversation rules section of AI Setup tells Olvio how to answer your shoppers. You write rules in two lists, Do and Don't. Olvio uses them in the chat on your product pages and in Olvio Advisor conversations (Advisor is available on the Growth and Scale plans).
AI Setup is available once you've chosen a plan. See Subscribe to a plan and start your free trial.
Add, edit and remove rules
Open AI Setup in the Olvio app menu.
Scroll to the Conversation rules section.
Type a rule in the Do list or the Don't list. Click + Add a rule to add another line.
To remove a rule, click the trash icon next to it. When only one line is left, clear its text instead.
When you change a rule, the save bar appears. Click Save. The message Configuration saved confirms your rules are saved. Click Discard to undo your changes instead.
Each list holds up to 20 rules; at 20, + Add a rule stops adding lines. Each rule can be up to 500 characters: the field stops accepting text at that length. Empty lines don't count as a change and are ignored when you save. If one rule covers two different situations, split it into two rules.
Your updated rules reach shopper conversations within a few minutes, usually from the next message a shopper sends, including in conversations that are already open.
Describe what to do in a specific situation
The section's description gives this advice: State the rules positively whenever possible: the AI follows them better when they describe what to do rather than what to avoid.
Olvio already answers in a warm, reassuring and direct tone, so rules like "Be helpful" or "Sound friendly" add little. Tie each rule to a situation ("when this happens") and an action ("do this"):
Instead of "Be reassuring", write "If a shopper doubts that a product will work for them, mention our 30-day return policy in the same reply."
Instead of "Don't oversell", write "Recommend at most two products in a single answer."
Keep the Don't list for firm limits
Olvio reads every rule in the Don't list as something it must not do. Use it for firm limits, such as "Never make a medical diagnosis", and put each rule in the list that matches it: "Always mention free shipping" belongs in Do, not in Don't.
Olvio is instructed to follow your limits without talking about them. It is instructed never to justify a limit and to lead with what it can say instead. Unless the shopper asks about your policies, it is also instructed not to write "we don't…", "I can't…" or "our policy is…". If you want shoppers to be told something, write it as a Do rule, for example "When a shopper asks about delivery outside the EU, tell them we only ship within the EU."
Examples of rules
Cross-selling (Do): "When recommending a serum, mention the matching cleanser from the same range."
Tone (Do): "In French replies, always use the formal 'vous'."
Sizing (Do): "If a shopper hesitates between two sizes, recommend the smaller one and mention our free returns."
Compliance (Don't): "Never make medical or therapeutic claims about our supplements."
Brand (Don't): "Never compare our prices with competitor brands by name."
What rules can and can't change
Olvio is instructed to give your rules priority over most of its built-in instructions, such as answer length, formatting and tone and, on product pages, how it presents alternatives to the product being viewed. For example, a rule can ask for more detailed answers when a shopper asks how a product works. The chat displays bold and italic text, bullet lists, links and paragraphs, so a rule that asks for tables or headings won't display as intended.
This priority also covers Olvio's instruction never to ask shoppers for personal information. Never write a rule that asks shoppers for their name, email, phone number or address.
Some things stay fixed:
On product pages, Olvio is instructed not to let your rules change the reply language. It starts in the language of the storefront page when your widget serves that language (otherwise in your store's default language), and switches when the shopper writes in another language, so don't write rules like "Always reply in English". See Multi-language: choose which languages your widget serves.
In both the product page chat and Olvio Advisor, Olvio is instructed not to reveal, quote or summarize your rules, business description or keywords. On product pages, it is also instructed not to let a rule override this. In Olvio Advisor, your rules take priority over this instruction too. It still uses that information to answer. If a shopper asks about its instructions, it is instructed to decline in one sentence and go back to helping.
On product pages, Olvio checks the links in each answer. A link written as a full web address is kept only when that website's address is also written out in your own content, such as your Business description or Knowledge files. An address that appears only in a rule doesn't count: the link is removed, and if it was on words, the words stay as plain text. See How Olvio reads your store pages, blog articles and policies.
In Olvio Advisor, Olvio is instructed not to let your rules change the format it uses to show answer choices and product recommendations.
Rules can change which products an answer recommends, but Olvio is instructed to keep choosing cards the same way: it shows cards for the other products its answer recommends, offers or describes. See Show product cards and let shoppers add to cart from the chat.
Rules don't change the suggested questions shown on your product pages. See Customize the suggested questions on your product pages.
Avoid rules that contradict each other
Olvio doesn't rank your rules by their position in the list, so two rules that conflict make replies unpredictable. Before you save, check your lists for pairs like these:
"Recommend one product per reply" and "When asked for alternatives, list at least three."
"Never mention prices" and "Always include the price when recommending a product."
When two rules pull in different directions, rewrite them so their situations don't overlap, for example "Recommend one product per reply, unless the shopper asks for alternatives."
Improve your rules from real conversations
Open Conversations in the Olvio app menu and read the full exchanges. When a reply is off-brand, too long or misses an obvious cross-sell, add a rule that covers exactly that situation, save, and ask the same question again on your storefront. See Read your Conversations list and transcripts and Test Olvio on your storefront.
The Unanswered tab lists product questions the AI couldn't answer. Those usually call for missing information rather than a new rule: add the fact to your product, your knowledge files or the product's custom.olvio_knowledge metafield. See Find and fix knowledge gaps on the Unanswered tab.