We've all been trapped in the "I'm sorry, I didn't get that" loop. It is the modern equivalent of "Press 9 for more options." It is frustrating, dehumanizing, and it brands your company as incompetent. The reason? You built a Decision Tree, not an AI.
The Trap of Scripted Flows
Traditional chatbots (Intercom circa 2018) are built on rigid logic: "If user says 'Refund', show Refund Button. If user says 'Shipping', show Tracking Link."
But users don't speak in keywords; they speak in messy, emotional stories.
"My package arrived but it was crushed and I want my money back, also the driver was rude."
A rigid bot sees "Money" and "Driver" and breaks. It asks: "Are you asking about Billing or Careers?" The user screams.
The Intent Layer (Semantic Routing)
Modern "Agentic" bots don't use scripts. They use an "Intent Layer." They take the messy user story and classify it into an Intent.
- User: "My package was crushed."
- AI Internal Monologue: "Intent: Damaged Goods. Sentiment: Angry. Urgency: High."
- Action: Route directly to the 'damaged_goods_flow'.
Dynamic Slot Filling
Instead of a rigid script ("What is your order number?"), the AI engages in "Slot Filling." It knows it needs 3 pieces of info to process a refund: Order ID, Photo of Damage, and User Confirmation.
If the user says: "Here is a photo of the crushed box for order #12345," the AI doesn't ask for the Order ID again. It checks that box off effectively. It only asks for what is missing. "Thanks for the photo (Order #12345). Can you confirm you want a refund to the original card?"
This feels like a conversation, not an interrogation.
Conclusion
Stop building trees. Start building agents. The goal isn't to deflect the customer; it's to resolve their problem.