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Configure AI Agents in Knock

Configure AI Agents in Knock

Configure AI Agents in Knock

Knock AI Agents are specialized virtual teammates that handle chats with your leads in real time on LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or Slack. Each agent detects intent, answers questions from your data, and routes the conversation to the right rep.

This guide explains what Knock AI Agents are, how they work, and how to configure each one for buying, support, partnerships, and hiring conversations.

What are Knock AI Agents?

Knock AI Agents are automated assistants that:

  • Engage leads across any messaging app they use
  • Detect intent (buying, partnership, support, hiring)
  • Provide immediate answers based on your company data
  • Qualify leads against your ICP using Knock Enrichment and Knock Intent Signals
  • Route chats to the right rep using your Routing Rules

Unlike generic chatbots, Knock AI Agents only use the data sources you provide. They do not guess or answer outside your configured knowledge.

Meet your AI agent team ✌️

  • Intent Agent
  • Detects why a lead reached out, directs them to the right workflow, and filters out spam.

  • Buying Agent
  • Answers buyer questions, qualifies against your ICP, books demos, and adds the right rep based on routing rules.

  • Partnership Agent
  • Handles partnership requests, answers common questions, adds reps from your partnership routing, and suggests actions like registering for a webinar.

  • Support Agent
  • Responds to support questions, adds your support team via routing rules, and suggests actions like signing up or joining your community.

  • Hiring Agent
  • Answers questions about open roles, routes to your hiring team, and suggests actions like following your company on LinkedIn.

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How Knock AI Agents personalize conversations

AI Agents combine multiple Knock signals to make every interaction personal:

With this context, the agent starts conversations as if it already knows the lead’s history and context.

Funnel with Knock AI Agents

  1. A lead clicks a Knock Link from your website, ad, or marketplace.
  2. The AI Agent responds, identifies intent, and qualifies the lead.
  3. Knock applies your Routing Rules to add the right rep.
  4. The rep joins the ongoing chat to close the deal.

This replaces lead forms and fragmented email threads with one continuous DM conversation and a seamless handoff between ai agent to human reps. Full sales cycle in the same thread.

How do Knock AI Agents know what to answer?

  • Add domains (entire websites) or pages (specific URLs) as data sources.
  • Knock crawlers refresh content frequently.
  • Use the Update button for real-time updates.
  • Remove sources to restrict answers.

Agents never answer beyond the sources you provide.

How do I set this up?

1. Open the AI Agents area

  1. Open the Knock Dashboard.
  2. In the sidebar, select AI Agents.
  3. Review the overview card to see each agent and the number of chats handled.

Why this matters: This is your control center. You’ll configure each agent, manage knowledge sources, and confirm that routing works as expected.

2. Add and manage data sources (what agents can answer from)

  1. Click Data Sources.
  2. Click Add Source. Choose one of:
    • Domain — Knock will crawl all publicly available pages under the domain.
    • Page — Knock will crawl only the specific URL you add.
  3. Knock crawlers update content periodically. To refresh immediately, click Update on a source.
  4. To remove a source, click Delete.

Why this matters: Agents only answer from the sources you add. This keeps responses accurate and on-brand.

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3. Configure the Buying Agent

  1. Open Buying Agent.
  2. Knowledge
    • Toggle Use Data Sources on to allow answers from your added sources.
    • If off, the agent will defer questions to your reps.
  3. Self-Service Action (you can choose up to one action)
    • Knock Scheduling — Set Meeting Name, Duration, and Scheduling Routing Rules for demo booking.
    • Custom Action — Add Action Name, Link URL, and Context (what is this action and why should the lead click on it).
  4. Routing
    • For the buying journey, Knock always uses the Chat Link Routing

5) Configure the Support Agent

  1. Open Support Agent.
  2. Knowledge: Toggle Use Data Sources on for product/docs answers.
  3. Self-Service Action (choose one)
    • Knock Scheduling — Set support meeting details (CSM/Support calendar and routing).
    • Custom Action — e.g., “Visit Community”, “Check Status Page”; add Action Name, Link URL, Context.
  4. Routing
    • You can create a dedicated routing rules for support intent (customer success/ support/ specific monitoring channel instead of Knock Knock Updates). Learn more how to create a new routing here
    • In the Support Agent, set Routing to Override routing and select your support rule. For conversations classified as Support, the agent will use this rule and ignore the chat link’s default routing.

Why this matters: Support inquiries should not follow sales routing. A dedicated support route gets customers to the right team quickly.

6) Configure the Partnership Agent

  1. Open Partnership Agent.
  2. Toggle Enable Agent.
  3. Knowledge: Toggle Use Data Sources on so the agent can answer partner FAQs (program tiers, co-marketing, etc.).
  4. Self-Service Action (choose one)
    • Knock Scheduling — Route meetings to Partner Managers.
    • Custom Action — e.g., “Register for webinar”, “Apply to program”; add Action Name, Link URL, Context.
  5. Routing
    • You can create a dedicated routing rules for partnership intent. Learn more how to create a new routing here
    • In the Partnership Agent, set Routing to Override routing and select your partnership rule. For conversations classified as Partnership, the agent will use this rule and ignore the chat link’s default routing.

Why this matters: Partners need different answers and a different team. This agent keeps those paths separate and clear.

7) Configure the Hiring Agent

  1. Open Hiring Agent.
  2. Toggle Enable Agent.
  3. Knowledge: Toggle Use Data Sources on to answer recruiting FAQs (roles, locations, process).
  4. Self-Service Action (choose one)
    • Knock Scheduling — Route to recruiting coordinators or hiring managers.
    • Custom Action — e.g., “View open roles”; add Action Name, Link URL, Context.
  5. Routing
    • You can create a dedicated routing rules for hiring intent. Learn more how to create a new routing here
    • In the Hiring Agent, set Routing to Override routing and select your partnership rule. For conversations classified as hiring, the agent will use this rule and ignore the chat link’s default routing.

Why this matters: Candidate conversations should reach your hiring team fast, without clogging sales channels.

8) (Optional) Add AI to your routing logic

For leads that aren’t qualified for a human handoff, assign the AI agent as the Knock: chat owner. The conversation stays with the agent, no human is added.

  1. Go to Routing Rules.
  2. Edit or create the rule used by a given Knock Link.
  3. In Assignment, choose AI Agent instead of a human rep.
  • These leads are automatically set to Knock Status: Rejected (no human handoff).
  • You can still monitor these chats in your monitoring channel and join at any time.
  • If a rep joins, Knock Status updates to In Discovery and Knock: chat owner is reassigned to the rep who joined.

Why this matters: You can decide exactly when the agent should assist versus when a human rep should lead.

How to monitor AI Agent chats

  • Slack monitoring channel
  • In your Slack workspace, the monitoring channel shows every conversation a lead has with an AI Agent in real time (with full lead details). You can join any chat at any time—once you join, Knock: Chat Owner is set to you and the AI Agent stops responding.

  • AI Agents dashboard
  • In the Knock Dashboard, the AI Agents view shows how many chats each agent handled and how many were routed to a rep.

  • Accounts table
  • Filter the Accounts table by Knock: Chat Owner = AI Agent to see which leads chatted with an agent. You can also view conversation counts per Knock Link.

Style and tone of Knock AI Agents

Knock AI Agents are designed to feel like a trusted teammate, not a script. Their communication style follows these principles:

  • VIP treatment
  • Every lead is treated with respect and priority. The agent assumes each conversation is valuable and responds in a professional, helpful way.

  • Value before qualification
  • The agent always gives useful answers first, before asking qualification questions. This keeps the flow natural and avoids the “form disguised as chat” experience.

  • Contextual questions
  • When the agent does ask a question, it’s tied directly to what the lead just said or did. This makes qualification feel relevant, not intrusive.

  • Respectful and on-topic
  • The agent never answers questions outside the company’s scope or the data you provided. It politely directs the lead back to the right topics when needed.

  • Seamless handoff
  • Once a human rep joins, the agent stops replying and lets the rep take the lead, preserving a smooth buyer experience.

  • Consistent presence
  • Agents stay available in the same chat thread, so leads can return at any time, whether on desktop or mobile, and always pick up where they left off.

How does Knock’s AI Agent technology work?

Knock AI Agents are built on Knock’s own infrastructure—not on generic third-party chatbots. The technology combines:

  • Identity detection – Knock Reveal identifies who the lead is as soon as they click a Knock Link.
  • Real-time enrichment – Knock Enrichment provides company and contact details (industry, size, status, HQ, etc.) instantly.
  • Intent signals – Knock tracks every first-party action (page views, clicks, chats) to calculate Knock: Intent Type and Knock: Intent Score.
  • Routing engine – Conversations are routed according to your Routing Rules or overrides, so the right rep joins at the right time.
  • Continuous thread design – The same chat thread follows the lead across desktop and mobile, keeping context intact from AI to human rep.
  • Messaging app native experience – The chat feels natural inside any channel the lead prefers—LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or Slack—matching the tone and interaction style of that app.
  • Slack-native engagement – Agents post in your monitoring channel with full context. When a rep joins, the agent steps back automatically.

FAQ (quick answers)

Can one agent have multiple self-service actions?

No. Each agent supports one self-service action at a time.

Do agents use information outside my sources?

No. Agents answer only from your configured data sources plus Knock enrichment/intent context.

Will agents replace reps?

No. Agents handle the first mile and if the lead is qualified to chat with a rep, hand off. When a rep joins, the rep leads.

Can I use different routing per agent?

Yes. Use Override Routing for Support/Partnership/Hiring as needed.

Where can I see metrics?

See AI Agents for chat counts, Accounts for activity by account, and your CRM for synced fields.