Best Practices for Writing Multi-Turn Questions 

When adding and editing content for VirtualAdvisor, you may decide to add follow-up prompts to a question to turn it into a multi-turn question. Follow-up prompts are often added when more information is needed from the student in order to provide the correct response. But, there are other ways multi-turn questions can enhance your content and your student’s experience. 

Multi-turn questions can give you a lot of flexibility with your content. We’ve identified best practices and a few recommend ways to use them. 

  • When to use a multi-turn: Multi-turns can be used in several ways and can be informative, conversational, and/or act as troubleshooting assistance. Below are common scenarios where a multi-turn may be a great content solution: 

  1. You need more information from your student in order to provide an answer. 
  2. Your answer is long or cumbersome and may not be needed in its entirety. 
  3. The question asked has multiple responses 
  4. You’re troubleshooting an issue and need an answer tree to assist your students 
  5. A follow-up question is desired to confirm answer or engage further 

  • How to Use: Below are examples of common ways to use multi-turn questions. 

  1. Multiple choice answers: multiple follow-up prompts are provided for the student to choose which answer they’re looking for. 
  2. Answer tree: more information is needed to provide the correct response, so there are multiple follow-up prompt paths that will lead a student to different responses based on their answers. 
  3. Quick Follow up: if you want a confirmation or to engage further on a certain topic, you could add a follow-up prompt or two that asks the student to confirm their question was answered and if not additional information to help them further. Another example would be if a student asked about a certain topic, you could provide existing responses that are related to that topic as a follow up prompt in case they wanted to learn more.
Prompt Text and Prompt Order: When deciding how to name your Prompt Text, remember that follow-up prompts on multi-turn questions will sort randomly. If possible, we recommend leading with the follow-up prompt you think is most useful or helpful to students. When possible try to avoid using “Yes” and “No” as Prompt Text. Try to simplify prompt text to key words, phrase, or clear calls to action.
 

Multi-Turn Question Tips: Multi-turns can be complex. Here are our tips for writing out your multi-turn content. 

  1. Map out and write down your answer tree and question flow before adding to VirtualAdvisor. 
  2. Once you’ve completed your Multi-Turn, use the Multi-Turn Response Stimulator tool to view your question flow from your student’s perspective. Learn more about this tool and how to use it on the question and response editing page. 
  3. As your multi-turn questions get used and responses come into your training workflow, it’s important to monitor their effectiveness. You may need to add or remove follow-up prompts or update the content of your multi-turn question’s follow-up prompt(s). 


Follow-Up Prompts Expanded Content 

Add Follow-Up Prompt Expanded Content 


“Upon selecting one of the options and clicking Save, users will be taken back to the Add/Edit Question and Response modal, and it will now display the follow-up prompt. At this point, users can add their response for the follow-up prompt.”

  • You’ll see a Parent Question? Box you can check or leave unchecked. If checked the follow-up prompt you’re editing becomes a question that can be asked outside the multi-turn. If left unchecked the follow-up prompt can only be used/selected within the multi-turn. 

 

Editing Child Question Follow-Up Prompts 

  • In Manage Content search for the multi-turn you want to edit.
  • Click “Edit” on your Multi-turn Question to Open the Edit Question and Response window. 


 


  • To Edit the prompt button text: Click the pencil icon next to the prompt and edit the prompt button text. 


 


  • To Edit the Child Question Response: Click on the prompt button itself to open the Edit Question and Response window for that Child question. Here you can edit the response. 


 


  • To Remove the prompt: Click the trashcan icon next to the follow up prompt. 


 


  • Review Your Updates: Once you’ve completed your Multi-Turn, use the Multi-Turn Response Stimulator tool to view your question flow from your student’s perspective. Learn more about this tool and how to use it on the question and response editing page. 


  • Click Save, Train, Test: Save your edits. Can then Train and Test your multi-turn to review your adjustments.  

 

 

Editing Parent Question Follow-Up Prompts 

  • In Manage Content search for the multi-turn you want to edit. 
  • Click “Edit” on your Multi-turn Question to open the Edit Question and Response window.


 


  • To Edit the prompt button text: Click the pencil icon next to the prompt and edit the prompt button text. 


 


  • To Edit the Parent Question Response: Click on the prompt button itself to open the Edit Question and Response window for that Parent question. Here you can edit the response, and alternate phrasing for the Parent Question. Note: Any edits to Parent questions will update the Parent question wherever it’s used in multi-turns or when asked alone. 


 


  • To Remove the prompt: Click the trashcan icon next to the follow up prompt. Note: This will delete the parent question follow up prompt from your multi-turn only. The Parent question will still exist in your knowledge base. 


 


  • Review Your Updates: Once you’ve completed your Multi-Turn, use the Multi-Turn Response Stimulator tool to view your question flow from your student’s perspective. Learn more about this tool and how to use it on the question and response editing page. 


  • Click Save, Train, Test: Save your edits. Can then Train and Test your multi-turn to review your adjustments.  

 

 

Best Practices for Editing Multi-Turn Follow-Up Prompts 

There are times when you may need to edit your existing multi-turn question answer tree. We recommend you write our outline your existing answer tree and the update you want to make to use as a guideline. 


Editing a Multi-Turn Question with Parent Question Follow Ups 

If your multi-turn answer tree has only Parent Question follow-up prompts and you want to adjust the question flow, we recommend removing your follow-up prompts and rebuilding your answer tree with your new follow-up prompts. We also recommend you write our outline your existing answer tree and the update you want to make to use as a guideline. 

  • In Manage Content search for the multi-turn you want to edit. 
  • Click “Edit” on your Multi-turn Question to open the Edit Question and Response window. 
  • Delete all your Parent Question follow-ups from your multi-turn. 
  • Add any new or re-add previously used Parent Questions as follow-up prompts. 
  • Click “Save” to save your changes. 
  • Train, test, and publish your content. 


Editing a Multi-Turn Question with Child Question Follow Ups 

If your multi-turn answer tree has only Child Question follow-up prompts and you want to adjust the question flow, you can write over existing prompts and adjust as needed. If easier, you may want to remove your follow-up prompts and rebuild your answer tree with your new follow-up prompts.  We also recommend you write our outline your existing answer tree and the update you want to make to use as a guideline. 

  • In Manage Content search for the multi-turn you want to edit.
  • Click “Edit” on your Multi-turn Question to open the Edit Question and Response window. 
  • Adjust Child Question Prompts by writing over/editing existing ones or delete all your prompts and create new Child Question prompts. 
  • Click “Save” to save your changes. 
  • Train, test, and publish your content. 

 

Editing a Multi-Turn Question with Parent and Child Question Follow Ups 

If your multi-turn answer tree has both Parent and Child Question follow-up prompts and you want to adjust the question flow, you can write over existing Child prompts and adjust as needed. If your parent question prompts need to be adjusted, we recommend removing your Parent follow-up prompts and rebuilding those follow-up prompts. We also recommend you write our outline your existing answer tree and the update you want to make to use as a guideline. 

  • In Manage Content search for the multi-turn you want to edit. 
  • Click “Edit” on your Multi-turn Question to open the Edit Question and Response window. 
  • Adjust Child Question Prompts by writing over/editing existing ones or delete all your prompts and create new Child Question prompts. 
  • Delete all your Parent Question follow-ups from your multi-turn. 
  • Add any new or re-add previously used Parent Questions as follow-up prompts. 
  • Click “Save” to save your changes. 

  • Train, test, and publish your content.