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Community Forum

The Community Forum monitor allows support teams to review forum threads from external community platforms and see AI-generated draft responses. This page is accessed under App Channels and provides a centralized interface for managing community support across multiple forum platforms.

Overview​

The Community Forum integration connects to your organization's public community forums via API, automatically categorizing threads and providing AI-powered draft responses to help support agents provide faster, more consistent community support.

Key Capabilities​

Forum Selector​

A dropdown at the top lets you choose which external forum to monitor:

Supported Forum Platforms:

  • Discourse Communities: Integration with Discourse-based forums
  • Custom Forum Platforms: API integration with proprietary forum systems
  • Community Platforms: Integration with platforms like Circle, Mighty Networks, etc.

Forum Configuration:

  • Multiple forums can be configured and monitored simultaneously
  • Each forum requires API credentials and proper permissions
  • Forum selection affects which knowledge sources are used for AI responses
  • If only one forum is configured, it is selected automatically

Search and Filters​

  • Search Bar: Filters threads by title or content
  • Status Tabs: View All, Unsolved, or Unresponded threads
  • Filters Button: Opens additional options such as:
    • Date range filters
    • Label filters
    • Category filters

Thread List​

Threads appear in a scrollable list with pagination. Each row shows:

  • Thread title
  • Status indicators
  • Last activity date
  • Number of responses

Clicking a row opens the thread details.

Thread Detail View​

A split-pane view shows:

  • Left Panel: Original post and thread conversation
  • Right Panel: AI-proposed responses and suggestions
  • Back Link: Return to the thread list

How It Works​

Forum Integration Process​

  1. API Connection: System connects to external forums via authenticated APIs
  2. Thread Synchronization: Automatically pulls recent threads from public community forums
  3. Content Analysis: AI analyzes thread content, user questions, and existing responses
  4. Status Classification: Threads are automatically categorized based on resolution status
  5. AI Response Generation: System generates draft responses using configured knowledge sources
  6. Agent Review: Support agents review, customize, and approve responses before posting

Automatic Thread Categorization​

The AI categorizes threads into distinct statuses:

  • Unsolved: Threads marked as unresolved in the external forum system
  • Unresponded: Threads that have no official support agent response
  • All: Complete view of all threads regardless of status

AI Response Generation​

Draft responses are generated based on:

  • Thread Context: Full conversation history and user's specific question
  • Knowledge Sources: Information from the forum channel's configured knowledge repositories
  • Forum Guidelines: AI adapts tone and style to match forum community standards
  • Previous Responses: Learning from past successful forum responses

External Forum Integration​

Important: Response posting happens outside the Ept AI interface:

  • AI provides draft responses for agent review and customization
  • Agents copy approved responses to the external forum platform
  • Original thread tracking maintains connection between AI drafts and posted responses
  • Forum activity is monitored to track response effectiveness

Real-Time Monitoring​

  • Continuous Sync: Regular synchronization with external forums for new threads
  • Status Updates: Automatic updates when thread status changes in the external forum
  • Activity Tracking: Monitor which threads receive responses and user engagement

Thread Status Definitions​

StatusDescription
AllEvery thread regardless of status
UnsolvedThreads marked as unresolved in the external forum
UnrespondedThreads that have no official agent response

Troubleshooting​

Forum Integration Issues​

If forum integration is not working properly:

  1. API Credentials: Verify forum API credentials are current and have proper permissions
  2. Network Connectivity: Check that the system can reach the external forum's API endpoints
  3. Rate Limiting: Ensure API calls are not being rate-limited by the forum platform
  4. Permission Scope: Verify API credentials have read access to forum threads and posts
  5. Forum Platform Updates: Check if the external forum platform has changed its API

Forum Not Configured​

If no forum is configured, you'll see a message indicating that the community forum channel is unavailable:

Solution Steps:

  1. Administrator Access: Contact system administrators to configure forum integration
  2. Channel Setup: Forum integration is configured under Channels settings
  3. API Requirements: Gather necessary API credentials and permissions from forum platform
  4. Knowledge Source Assignment: Ensure appropriate knowledge sources are assigned to the forum channel

Thread List Empty or Outdated​

If you see no threads or threads seem outdated:

  1. Sync Status: Check when the last forum synchronization occurred
  2. Date Range: Expand the date range filter if set too narrowly
  3. Check Filters: Ensure search filters aren't hiding relevant threads
  4. Switch Status Tabs: Select the All tab to see all threads
  5. Forum Activity: Verify there is recent activity on the external forum
  6. API Limits: Check if API rate limits are preventing data synchronization
  7. Permissions: Verify you have access to view forum data for your role

Poor AI Response Quality​

If AI-generated responses are not helpful:

  1. Knowledge Sources: Check that relevant knowledge sources are configured for the forum channel
  2. Thread Context: Ensure the AI has enough context from the thread content
  3. Channel Configuration: Verify the forum channel is linked to appropriate knowledge source configurations
  4. Forum Guidelines: Ensure knowledge sources include forum-specific guidelines and tone
  5. Response History: Review whether the AI is learning from successful past forum responses

Synchronization Problems​

If forum data isn't updating properly:

  1. Connection Status: Check the forum integration connection status
  2. Sync Frequency: Review how often the system pulls data from the external forum
  3. Error Logs: Check system logs for synchronization errors or warnings
  4. Forum Platform Status: Verify the external forum platform is operational
  5. Manual Refresh: Try manually triggering a forum data refresh if available

Best Practices​

For Support Agents​

  1. Response Customization: Always review and customize AI-generated responses to match your organization's voice and forum community culture
  2. Personal Touch: Include personalized greetings, sign-offs, and acknowledgments of the user's specific situation
  3. Link Verification: Check that any links in AI responses are working, current, and appropriate for the forum context
  4. Community Guidelines: Ensure responses comply with your forum's posting guidelines, tone, and community standards
  5. Thread Follow-up: Monitor threads after posting to see if users need additional clarification or support
  6. Escalation Awareness: Know when to escalate complex issues beyond what AI-generated responses can address

For Administrators​

  1. Integration Maintenance: Regularly verify forum API connections and credentials are functioning properly
  2. Knowledge Source Curation: Keep knowledge sources current and relevant to common forum topics
  3. Response Quality Monitoring: Review AI-generated responses periodically to ensure quality and relevance
  4. Team Training: Train support agents on effective use of AI-generated draft responses
  5. Performance Analytics: Monitor metrics like response time, thread resolution rate, and user satisfaction
  6. Forum Platform Updates: Stay informed about changes to external forum platforms that might affect integration

For Knowledge Managers​

  1. Forum-Specific Content: Ensure knowledge sources include forum-specific guidelines, common questions, and community standards
  2. Response Templates: Develop and maintain response templates for common forum scenarios
  3. Community Insights: Use forum thread patterns to identify knowledge gaps and content opportunities
  4. Tone Guidelines: Maintain knowledge about appropriate communication style for different forum communities
  5. Troubleshooting Resources: Keep comprehensive troubleshooting guides accessible for complex technical issues

Integration Optimization​

  1. API Monitoring: Set up monitoring for API health, rate limits, and synchronization success
  2. Data Quality: Regularly audit thread categorization accuracy and AI response relevance
  3. Performance Tuning: Optimize synchronization frequency based on forum activity levels
  4. Backup Procedures: Maintain backup access methods in case primary API integration fails
  5. Security Reviews: Regularly review API permissions and security configurations
  6. Scalability Planning: Plan for handling increased forum activity and response volume
  • Channels - Configure forum integrations and knowledge source mappings
  • Knowledge Sources - Manage the content that powers AI forum responses
  • Responses - Monitor and analyze AI-generated forum responses