Configure Fallback Topic

[ChittiS]

Hi Team,

I'm currently working on a Virtual Agent requirement where I need to implement a multi-level fallback experience when the bot is unable to answer a user's question.

Environment

We have two Service Portals:

IT4U Portal
HR4U Portal

Each portal has its own Virtual Agent Assistant:

IT4U Assistant
HR4U Assistant
Business Requirement

The requirement consists of three fallback experiences:

Fallback 1

When the Virtual Agent cannot find an answer for the first time, the user should be presented with a custom fallback guidance message, for example:

"I couldn't find a matching answer. Let's try that another way..."

followed by guidance to help the user rephrase or provide additional information.

Fallback 2

If the fallback occurs again on the next interaction (second consecutive fallback), the user should be presented with an escalation experience such as:

"Still need help? If you couldn't find the information you were looking for, choose the support option that's right for your request."

with options such as:

Chat with an IT Specialist
Submit an HR Request
Fallback 3

If a user explicitly asks for a Live Agent, Live Chat, Support Agent, etc., the Virtual Agent should present support connection options and route the user appropriately.

What I Have Implemented So Far
Fallback 1

For the first fallback experience, I updated the fallback messages in the sys_cs_context_profile_message table (CS Context Profile Message table).

I modified the records where the message type is Fallback for both assistants:

IT4U Assistant
HR4U Assistant

After testing, this is working as expected.

Whenever the Virtual Agent cannot find a matching answer, the updated fallback message is displayed correctly in both portals.

✅ Fallback 1 is successfully implemented.

Investigation for Fallback 2

To implement the second fallback experience, I created a Custom Fallback Topic containing:

"Still need help? If you couldn't find the information you were looking for, choose the support option that's right for your request."

along with the buttons:

Chat with an IT Specialist
Submit an HR Request

I then configured it through:

Assistant → Chat Experience → Legacy Fallback

and:

Enabled Custom Fallback
Associated the custom topic I created
Configured the Custom Fallback Button
Expected Behavior

My expectation was:

First Fallback

Only the customized fallback message from sys_cs_context_profile_message should be displayed.

Example:

"I couldn't find a matching answer. Let's try that another way..."

Second Consecutive Fallback

Only after another fallback occurs consecutively, the escalation topic should be displayed:

"Still need help?"

with:

Chat with an IT Specialist
Submit an HR Request

In other words, the escalation experience should appear only on the second fallback occurrence.

Actual Behavior

After enabling the Custom Fallback configuration, I'm seeing different behavior.

When the bot hits the very first fallback:

The custom fallback message from sys_cs_context_profile_message is displayed successfully.
Immediately below that message, the content from the Custom Fallback Topic is also displayed.
The buttons configured within the Custom Fallback Topic are displayed as well.
The Custom Fallback Button configured in Legacy Fallback is also displayed.

As a result, the following are all shown together during the first fallback:

First fallback message
"Still need help?" message
Chat with an IT Specialist button
Submit an HR Request button
Custom Fallback Button

The escalation experience that is intended for the second fallback is being presented during the first fallback itself, so the fallback stages are not separated as expected.

Questions

What is the recommended approach for implementing multiple fallback experiences in Virtual Agent (first fallback, second fallback escalation, and live-agent escalation)?

Is configuring a Custom Fallback Topic under:

Assistant
Chat Experience
Legacy Fallback
Custom Fallback

the correct approach for implementing a second-level fallback experience?

Is there an out-of-the-box way to distinguish between:

First fallback occurrence
Second consecutive fallback occurrence

and display different experiences accordingly?

How can I ensure that:

The first fallback only displays the message from sys_cs_context_profile_message
The second fallback displays the "Still need help?" escalation topic
Both experiences remain separate

When using a Custom Fallback Topic, can the additional Custom Fallback Button be hidden or suppressed?

Has anyone implemented a similar three-stage fallback flow and can share the recommended design or configuration approach?

Any guidance, best practices, or implementation examples would be greatly appreciated.