Start Building AI Agents for Free | Introduction to Voiceflow [2024]

Welcome to Voiceflow! My name is Daniel, and in this guide, we'll walk you through creating a free account on Voiceflow and give you an overview of the platform so you can start building your first AI agent.

Creating Your Free Account

To begin, visit voice.com and click the "Get Started" button. Creating an account on Voiceflow is free and does not require a credit card. On the sign-up page, enter your first name, last name, and email address. You will receive a verification email to complete the account creation process. Once your email is verified, you'll be led to the onboarding screen.

Onboarding Process

On the onboarding screen, select "Customer Support" as your main use case or choose another relevant use case. Specify your team size and mention if you are working with developers. For the referral source, you can indicate how you heard about Voiceflow, for instance, through YouTube. It's worth noting that Voiceflow is most powerful when working with a developer, as this allows you to leverage the various APIs and developer tools to connect to your internal stack.

Name your workspace (for instance, "Voiceflow") and add a quick image. After signing up, you’ll be dropped into a sample project that showcases how to build and provides a reference as you create your own AI agent.

Understanding Voiceflow's Interface

Voiceflow comprises several main parts:

Canvas: The canvas is where you drag and drop steps to create your AI flow. For instance, your agent can have multiple workflows like "simple workflow" and "complex workflow." Workflows are essentially tasks your agent can accomplish, such as "talk to sales" or "get support."
Workflows: In a simple workflow, you might present a message to the user, give them buttons, capture a question, and answer it using the assistant's knowledge base. In a complex workflow, you might capture the user's email, capture their question, check the question's length, and use a function to integrate with a tool like Zendesk, among other advanced tasks.

Content Management System

The Content Management System (CMS) in Voiceflow is where all the content for your AI agent resides. It includes:

Workflows: Add more workflows as needed.
Knowledge base: The brain of your assistant where data sources power the assistant’s conversation.
Components: Reusable sets of blocks.
Variables and Functions: For data handling and building integrations.
Intents and Entities: Define specific user intents and corresponding entities.

Adding Data Sources to the Knowledge Base

Start with the Knowledge Base, as it acts as the brain of your assistant. You can add data sources in various ways:

Plain text,
Uploading files,
Adding URLs,
Scraping the website,
Integrating with tools like Zendesk API.

For support bots, importing help documentation from Zendesk is highly efficient and accurate. For example, after connecting Zendesk, you can import documents into Voiceflow’s vector database, which the AI agent uses to answer questions.

Testing the AI Agent

Once documents are imported, you can test your AI agent by asking questions. The AI agent uses the knowledge base and generates summarized answers using AI models like GPT-3.5.

Prototyping the AI Agent

In the workflow, add an AI step to handle user questions. Use the prototype feature to run tests and see the workflow in action. You can customize responses using different AI models and prompts.

Conclusion

This guide gives a quick overview of Voiceflow, setting you up to build your first AI agent. In the next guide, we'll cover building your AI agent from scratch, utilizing various steps in Voiceflow’s step menu.

Keywords

Voiceflow
AI agent
Free account
Onboarding
Developer tools
Workflows
Knowledge base
Content Management System (CMS)
Zendesk integration
GPT-3.5
Vector database
Prototyping

FAQ

What is Voiceflow? Voiceflow is a platform that allows you to build AI agents with ease, providing tools for developers to connect APIs and internal stacks.
Is creating an account on Voiceflow free? Yes, creating an account on Voiceflow is completely free and does not require a credit card.
What is the purpose of the onboarding survey? The onboarding survey helps customize your experience based on your primary use case and team size.
How can I import data into Voiceflow’s knowledge base? You can import data using plain text, file uploads, URLs, website scraping, or integrations like Zendesk API.
What is the purpose of the vector database in Voiceflow? The vector database stores information specific to your AI agent, allowing it to retrieve relevant data and generate AI responses.
Can I customize AI responses in Voiceflow? Yes, you can customize AI responses by selecting different models and modifying system prompts.
How to test an AI agent in Voiceflow? Use the prototype feature to run tests and see how your AI workflow performs in real-time.