This glossary defines key terms used across the respond.io platform. Use it as a reference when navigating the help center or configuring a Workspace.
Platform Terms
AI Agent
An automated assistant that handles customer conversations on your behalf. AI Agents can reply to messages, follow custom instructions, and take actions such as assigning conversations, updating Lifecycle stages, or closing conversations.
AI Assist
A tool in the Inbox that generates context-aware reply suggestions based on your knowledge sources. AI Assist helps agents respond faster by drafting a suggested reply they can review, edit, and send.
Assignee
A user to whom a Contact is assigned.
Assignment
The action of assigning a Contact to a user in the Workspace.
Broadcast
A feature to transmit specified content to a group of Contacts through a specified Channel.
Channel
A messaging medium connected to the platform for receiving and sending messages. For example, Facebook Messenger can be connected to respond.io as a messaging Channel to engage with Contacts.
Closing Notes
Conversation summaries provided by users when closing a conversation. Closing Notes support reporting and analytical purposes.
Comment
An internal note added to a conversation in the Inbox. Comments are visible only to Workspace users and are never sent to the Contact. Used to share context or coordinate with teammates during a conversation.
Contact
A person who has interacted with a messaging Channel connected to the platform. A Contact profile is created when someone sends their first message on any connected Channel.
Contact Field
An attribute type that collects facts about Contacts relevant to the business. Custom Contact Fields can be added in addition to the defaults. For example, a custom Contact Field could track the plan a Contact subscribes to.
Contact Search
A filtering tool to search and sort Contacts in the different Inboxes. Filter by open, closed, and snoozed conversations.
Conversation
The interaction between a Contact and the platform. A Contact can have multiple conversations with a Workspace, and each conversation has its own metrics and context.
CSAT
Customer Satisfaction survey. A short survey sent to Contacts after a conversation closes to measure how satisfied they were with the interaction. Responses can be captured and stored automatically via Workflow.
Custom Inbox
A collection of Contacts and their conversations based on a set of criteria. Custom Inboxes filter Contacts in the Contacts and Inbox modules according to selected criteria.
Dynamic Variables
Placeholders that pull Contact-specific data into outgoing messages at send time. For example, $contact.firstname inserts a Contact's first name. Dynamic Variables are used in Workflow messages, Broadcasts, and Snippets to personalize communication at scale.
Growth Widget
An embeddable widget placed on a website that lets visitors connect with the business via their preferred messaging app. Growth Widgets can be configured for a single Channel or multiple Channels.
Inbox
The module in the platform where users manage all conversations with Contacts across connected Channels. The Inbox provides views such as All, Mine, Unassigned, Team, and Custom Inboxes.
Integration
An active connection configured with a third-party product. A common use case is connecting Dialogflow as a bot to respond to messages.
Knowledge Source
Content — such as PDFs, URLs, or Snippets — used by AI Agents and AI Assist to generate accurate, context-aware responses. Knowledge sources are indexed automatically and can include documents, FAQs, product guides, and website pages.
Lifecycle
A feature that tracks Contacts through the stages of a sales process. Contacts are assigned to a Lifecycle Stage (such as New Lead, Hot Lead, or Customer) that can be updated manually or via Workflow as they progress.
Messages
Written communications sent to or by a Contact via any messaging Channel. A Contact may send multiple messages at a time in various forms, such as text or multimedia.
Organization
A collection of users from the same group or company who share a subscription. In an Organization, user roles include Admin, Billing Admin, or Member. A user can belong to multiple Organizations.
Segment
A saved group of Contacts in the Contacts module, filtered by specific criteria such as tags, channels, or lifecycle stage. Segments allow users to re-apply the same filter without reconfiguring it each time.
Snippet
A message template for sending standardized replies and canned responses to Contacts. Snippets can be shared with other users across the Workspace.
Tag
A manual attribute to group Contacts on the platform. Tags can be added via automation or manual tagging and used to filter Contacts and create Contact segments.
Team
A group of users who share a common goal in the workforce.
User
A person with access to a Workspace on the platform.
Workflow Trigger
The event that initiates a Workflow. Every Workflow must have exactly one Trigger, and it fires only when all specified conditions are met. Examples include Conversation Opened, Contact Tag Updated, and Click-to-Chat Ads.
Workflows
A visual builder for automating processes. Workflows incorporate Contact data to build automations such as automated messaging, auto-assignment, and more.
Workspace
An independent sub-account within an Organization. Each Workspace has its own database, users, Channels, and settings.
