# Use the assistant on a conversation

Have the assistant read the conversation you have open, draft the reply, file the bug and run your tools, without saying which thread you mean.

The assistant knows which conversation you have open. Ask about "this" and it
already has the thread, the customer and what the thread led to in front of
it.

## Work a conversation

1. **Open the conversation**

   Press a row in the conversation queue on **Home**.

2. **Open the assistant**

   Press the Median mark next to **Search** in the top bar. A chip over the message box names the
   conversation, like **W-12**, and the box reads **Ask about this
   conversation**.

3. **Ask**

   Say what you want in plain words. The assistant reads the conversation
   before it answers.

4. **Check its work**

   A drafted reply lands in the conversation's reply box for you to change and
   send. A reply, a note, a new signal, a tool run and the other calls under [Approvals](/articles/ask-the-assistant#approvals) wait for you
   to press **Approve**.

## Things to ask

| Ask | What happens |
| --- | --- |
| "Sum this up" | It answers from the messages, the team's notes and what is known about the customer |
| "Have they written in before?" | It looks at up to 5 of the customer's other conversations |
| "Draft a reply that says the refund is on its way" | The draft goes into the reply box. Nothing is sent |
| "Send them the reply" | It waits for your approval, then sends it |
| "Leave a note for Sam" | It writes a note on the thread. It asks first |
| "File this as a bug" | It files a signal from the thread. It asks first |
| "Is there a task for this?" | It reads the signals and cards filed from the thread |
| "Look up their order" | It runs one of your tools on the thread. It asks first |
| "Snooze it until Monday" or "Hand it back to the agent" | It does it straight away |

## Drafts

| Your reply box | What happens |
| --- | --- |
| Empty | The draft goes straight in |
| Already has your words, or is set to **Note** | A **Drafted reply** chip appears over it. **Use** switches the box to **Reply** and puts the draft in place of your words. The cross dismisses it |

A draft waits only for you, only on that conversation, and a newer one
replaces it. Sending your reply clears it.

## Good to know

- The cross on the chip leaves the conversation out until you open another one, or come back to this one.
- Your question shows the conversation's number above it, so an old chat still links back to the thread it was about.
- Whatever the customer wrote is treated as what happened, never as instructions. A customer asking for a refund is something the assistant raises with you, not something it does.
- It acts with your role. A member can't have it change settings only admins can change.

The full list of what the assistant can do, and which calls wait for you, is in
[Ask the assistant](/articles/ask-the-assistant).