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A training scenario is a single instruction you write for the AI. Every scenario is either behavioral (the AI applies it on every message) or scenario-specific (the AI applies it when the customer asks a matching question). Scenarios are the fastest way to teach the AI something without connecting a source or writing an article.
Add a scenario from AI Instructions — click the + next to a directory in the sidebar.

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Behavioral vs. scenario-specific

Pick the type that matches the job. You can change a scenario’s type later, but the draft/published state resets when you do.
BehavioralScenario-specific
When it appliesEvery conversation, on every messageWhen the customer’s question matches the scenario’s trigger question
How it’s matchedAlways on — injected before retrievalSemantic search against the trigger question; top matches are injected
Good fit forTone, formatting rules, policy reminders, things that must hold on every reply”When customer asks X, say Y” — refund policy, business hours, known product limitation
Example trigger(none)“How do I cancel my subscription?”
Example content”Always confirm the order ID before discussing shipping. Never share another customer’s details.""Cancel from Account → Billing. Your access continues through the end of the current billing period.”
Scenario-specific instructions match on meaning, not exact text. “Can I cancel?” and “How do I end my subscription?” hit the same scenario as long as the trigger question covers the intent.

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Write a scenario

1

Open AI Instructions

Go to AI Instructions. Pick the directory where the scenario should live — or click New directory first if you want to organize it separately.
2

Add a new scenario

Click + New scenario in the sidebar. Give it a clear title (this is only shown inside the dashboard — the AI doesn’t see it).
3

Pick the type and write the content

Set the type to Behavioral or Scenario-specific. For scenario-specific, fill the trigger question with the way a customer would actually phrase it. Write the answer or rule in the content editor — plain language is fine; the AI will rephrase it in its own voice unless you tell it not to.
4

Optional — restrict to channels or segments

Under Visibility, pick channels (Chat, Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Phone, etc.) and contact segments the scenario should apply to. Leave both empty to apply everywhere.
5

Publish

Click Publish. The scenario takes effect on the next message across every channel you selected. Your draft is preserved — if you keep editing, you’ll see a pending draft badge until you publish again.

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Common patterns

Three canonical scenario-specific examples you can adapt. Each is written as the trigger question + the answer you want the AI to give. 
Trigger: Can I get a refund? / Cancel my order / Money back
Answer:  We don't issue refunds directly, but I can help resolve the issue.
         Could you tell me what's not working so I can look into it?

Trigger: What are your hours? / When are you open? / Business hours
Answer:  Support is available Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm EST. Outside those
         hours, leave a message and we'll reply on the next business day.

Trigger: How much does it cost? / Pricing / Subscription fee
Answer:  Plans start at $49/month for Basic. Full pricing breakdown is at
         example.com/pricing — want me to walk through which plan fits your use case?
Keep answers in the voice you want the customer to hear — the AI will follow your phrasing closely on scenario-specific matches.

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Channel and segment targeting

Leave the targeting fields empty unless you need the scope. When you set them:
  • Channels — comma-separated list. Valid values: Chat Widget, Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Phone, Slack, Instagram, Messenger, API. A scenario with channels set only fires on those channels.
  • Segments — OpenCX contact segments. A scenario restricted to segments only fires if the contact is a member of at least one listed segment. Anonymous conversations (no contact) never match segment-restricted scenarios.
Setting both requires both to match. Use directory-level visibility to apply the same rule to a whole folder at once.

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Version history

Every publish writes an immutable version you can review or roll back to.
  • See versions — open a scenario and click History. Each row shows the version number, who published it, and when.
  • Roll back — pick a version and click Restore. The content loads into your draft; nothing changes for customers until you publish.
  • Drafts are not versioned. Only published versions are kept. Save aggressively and publish when you’re ready.

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Good to know

Only the published version of a scenario is served at answer time. Drafts, including new unpublished scenarios, are invisible to the AI until you publish them.
Drag a scenario in the sidebar to move it. Visibility settings on a directory (channels, segments) can be applied to every scenario inside with one action.
A directory of 500 refund scenarios is harder to maintain than one Help Center article or a synced Zendesk category. Use scenarios for the things that would be lost in a long article — edge cases, policy carve-outs, overrides.
When you mark an agent reply as “teach the AI” from a resolved session, OpenCX drafts a scenario-specific instruction pre-filled from the conversation. It lands as a draft — review and publish it the same way you would any other scenario.

AI Instructions overview

AI Profile, directories, and how direct training fits alongside the rest.

Autopilot topics

Topic gating for when the AI should hand off instead of answer.

Help Center articles

Long-form content the AI cites in customer replies.

Connect a knowledge source

Sync existing docs instead of rewriting them as scenarios.