Configure the start and exit behavior of an agentic virtual agent

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Genesys Cloud's AI Studio enables administrators to configure agentic virtual agents through five key sections: Agent, Tools, Knowledge, Configuration, and Guardrails. The Configuration tab manages starting context variables passed from Architect Virtual Agent flows, which must follow specific naming conventions using underscores for primitive data types (string, number, boolean). Starting context variables should be specific—such as customer_name or in_person_banking_available—while excluding sensitive data and complex structures. End context configuration allows agents to transmit data to external targets such as Architect Virtual Agent flows upon interaction completion, with output variables selectable from tool input, tool output, or start context tabs. Agents support up to 50 output variables with names up to and string values up to though strings exceeding this limit are truncated. Published agents cannot have previously selected output variables deselected, though additional variables may be added in subsequent publications. Exit and escalation behaviors are customizable through dedicated response fields in the Configuration tab. The Exit response field defines messages when interactions end or errors occur, while the Escalation response field specifies messages during transfers to human agents. Both responses should be clear, neutral, and contextually appropriate, delivered as paraphrased recommendations rather than verbatim text. Exit and escalation responses can be left empty to configure responses exclusively in Architect. Agent escalation settings are inherited from the bot flow's event handling configuration. When bot flow escalation is set to "Exit the flow," the agentic virtual agent uses its configured escalation exit response; if set to "Jump to Reusable Task," the escalation response is not used. The Preview widget always enables escalation regardless of settings, allowing testing of escalation functionality. Publication requires all five sections to be fully completed before deployment. Agents can be saved with incomplete sections, which are indicated by a specific icon, but cannot be published until all sections are fully completed. The platform integrates with Architect and digital bot flows while supporting multilingual deployment and brand-specific customization. Virtual Agent enablement and appropriate AI Studio permissions are required for deployment

Series: Create an agentic virtual agent

Next suggested step: Set guardrails for an agentic virtual agent

PrerequisitesClick to expand

You can provide any starting context that helps the agentic virtual agent at the start of an interaction. Then, define how the agent behaves when ending a session on the Configuration tab.

The start context originates from the Architect Virtual Agent flow. For example, if the flow author wants to pass some Participant Data to the agentic virtual agent.

Configure starting context

Click Menu > Orchestration > AI Studio > Agentic Virtual Agents.
(Optional) To search for a specific agent, start typing the name of the agent in the search box. As you type, the matching agents are shown.
To open an AI agent, click the agent’s tile. The Agent profile view opens.
Select the Configuration tab.
Under Start context, click Add. The right pane expands.
In the right pane, enter these details:
- Name: The name of the variable. For example, “customer_name.”
- Type: The data type of the variable.
- Description: A short description about the variable.
Click Create.
Add as many starting variables as needed for your agent.

Start context variable name examplesClick to expand

Do / Don’t	Example	Explanation
	customer_name customer_phone_number	Be clear and specific.
	in_person_banking_available (Boolean)	Provide any previously gathered information associating with the brand.
	credit card number	Data too sensitive to transmit. It also does not contain underscores.
	list of orders	The agent can only handle primitive data (string, number, and so on).

Start context variable description examplesClick to expand

Do / Don’t	Example	Explanation
	The user’s first name, which you should use when addressing them throughout the conversation.	Explains what it is and how to use it. For example, when referring to the customer’s name.
	The user’s phone number. It is eight digits long and is used to verify that you are speaking to the correct user.	Explains what it is and how to use it. Provides enough context. For example, when referring to the customer’s phone number.
	This does stuff.	Too vague and no context.

Configure ending context

The end context configuration allows you to optionally send data from the agentic virtual agent to an external target such as an Architect Virtual Agent flow, when an interaction ends.

For example, the configured output variables appear in the Call Agentic Virtual Agent action in Architect when the linked agentic virtual agent contains end context variables. The flow author can then use these output variables in the calling flow for further processing. For more information about the Call Agentic Virtual Agent action, see Call Agentic Virtual Agent action.

Set up output variables

You can optionally select the variables that you want to send to the calling flow in Architect from the tool input, tool output, or start context tab.

Under End context in the Configuration tab, click Select. The End context panel appears.
In the Tool Input tab, select the input variables that you want to send to the calling flow in Architect.
In the Tool Output tab, select the output variables that you want to send to the calling flow in Architect.
In the Start Context tab, select the start context parameters that you want to send to the calling flow in Architect.
Click Update.

Notes:

After you publish an agent, you cannot deselect the output variables that you previously selected. However, you can add more variables and publish the agent again.
An agent can send up to 50 output variables, with names up to 200 characters and string values up to 2000 characters. Strings exceeding 2000 characters are truncated, which is indicated by an ellipsis.

Define exit behavior

Under Session end in the Configuration tab, configure the following options:
1. In the Exit response field, enter the message that the agent sends when the participant ends the interaction or if an error occurs.
2. In the Escalation response field, enter the message that the agent sends while it transfers the interaction to a human agent.
  Note: If you do not want the agent to send any message and want to configure the response message exclusively in Architect, leave the Exit response and Escalation response fields empty.
Click Save.

Agent escalation settings

The agent escalation feature allows the agentic virtual agent to transfer the interaction to a human agent when the participant requests to speak to a human agent. The voice bot or digital bot flow that calls the agentic virtual agent dictates whether the agent escalation is enabled or not.

The following inheritance rules apply:

If you enable agent escalation in the bot flow’s event handling settings, the agentic virtual agent also enables it.
If you disable agent escalation in the bot flow’s event handling settings, the agentic virtual agent also disables it. Regardless of the bot flow’s event handling settings, the Preview widget in agentic virtual agent always enables agent escalation.

Also, if the bot flow has escalation handling set to Exit the flow, the agentic virtual agent uses the escalation exit response that is set in the Configuration tab of the agent. If the bot flow has escalation handling set to Jump to Reusable Task, then the escalation exit response from the agentic virtual agent is not used. For more information about agent escalation in bot flows, see Agent escalation in voice and digital bot flows.

Exit response examplesClick to expand

Do / Don’t	Example	Explanation
	Thanks for contacting us, have a great day!	Clear and neutral positive example.
	It was a pleasure talking to you. We look forward to helping you again!	You can bring branding into your response.
	An exit function response that we are exiting.	It is not helpful.

Escalation response examplesClick to expand

Do / Don’t	Example	Explanation
	Sorry I cannot answer that. Is there anything else I can help you with?	It is clear and neutral.
	I am afraid I cannot answer that. Let me know if you have any other questions.	Keeps the neutral tone while using a different phrasing.
	A violation of XYZ.	It is not within the context. Also, it is not a good experience.

Note: The exit instructions are not mandatory requirements but recommendations for the agent. They are not delivered verbatim but are paraphrased based on the conversational context.

Navigating the agentic virtual agent profile

The profile contains the following sections and a preview widget:

Show meClick to expand

You can switch to any of the sections of the agentic virtual agent while creating a new agent, editing an existing agent, or viewing an agent. Any incomplete section is indicated by the icon preceding the section name. You can save an agent with an incomplete section but you cannot publish the agent until all sections are complete.

After you have completed all necessary sections of the agent setup, you can click Publish to publish the flow.

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