Guide: Agents and keyword automations: which one for what
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/ai-agents/agents-and-keyword-automations-which-one-for-what
Topic: AI agents
Time: about 3 minutes
Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/settings/agents
Result when done: You use the right tool for each job and they do not fight each other.
Context: An agent understands and composes. An automation matches and repeats. Use the agent for real questions, and an automation for the phrase you answer identically a hundred times a week.

Before you start:
1. An agent reads meaning and writes a new reply each time.
2. An automation matches words and sends one of the replies you wrote.
3. Both can run on the same page; an automation acts on what it matches, the agent on the rest.

Steps:
Step 1 of 3: Use an agent for questions.
Where: Anything where the answer depends on what was asked: shipping to a specific country, whether a product suits a use, what a plan includes. The agent uses your knowledge and writes for that comment.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/settings/agents (Open AI agents)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agents.en.webp (An agent, for questions.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agents-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: A different, correct reply for each question.

Step 2 of 3: Use an automation for the phrase you know by heart.
Where: On the page, the Automation tab. A word or phrase triggers one of the replies you wrote, optionally sent privately, optionally archived afterwards.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-list.en.webp (An automation, for the phrase you know by heart.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The same approved wording every time, with variations so it does not look copied.

Step 3 of 3: Let them share a page.
Where: An automation acts when its words match. The agent handles what is left, according to its audience setting. Excluding the automation keywords in the agent Do not reply to keeps them from overlapping.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agent-detail.en.webp (Both can cover the same page.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/agent-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: One comment gets one reply, from whichever is the right tool.

If something is off:
Problem: A comment got two replies
Fix: Both matched. Add the automation keywords to the agent Do not reply to.
Problem: Which one is cheaper
Fix: Neither costs extra: replies never count towards your comment allowance.
Problem: My automation reply sounds repetitive
Fix: Add variations, and use AI rewrite to generate more of them.

Common questions:
Question: Can an AI agent and a keyword automation run on the same page?
Answer: Yes. The automation acts when its words match and the agent handles what is left, according to its audience setting. Add the automation keywords to the agent's Do not reply to so one comment gets one reply.
Question: Should a shipping question for a specific country go to an agent or an automation?
Answer: The agent. Anything where the answer depends on what was asked, such as shipping to a country, whether a product suits a use or what a plan includes, is written fresh by the agent from your knowledge.
Question: Can a keyword automation reply privately rather than in public?
Answer: Yes. On the page's Automation tab, a word or phrase triggers one of the replies you wrote, optionally sent privately and optionally archived afterwards.

Related guides:
- Create an automation: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/create-an-automation
- Who gets a reply, and who never does: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/ai-agents/who-gets-a-reply-and-who-never-does
- Reply variations and AI rewrite: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/reply-variations-and-ai-rewrite

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/ai-agents/agents-and-keyword-automations-which-one-for-what.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt