Business Rules define what happens when a widget conversation escalates to a human. Use them for escalation-time logic that should run reliably every time, such as creating a ticket, returning ticket metadata, posting a final message, or routing the customer based on attributes and conversation context. Business Rules live under Rulebook → Business Rules. They are separate from Intent Rules, which decide which workflow should run during normal conversation handling, and from Reply Rules, which decide whether the agent should reply, leave an internal note, or stay silent.
Business Rules currently run for the widget source on the On Escalation trigger. That means they execute when a widget user escalates to a human agent.
Business Rules page in the Fini Demo workspace showing Use Default Rule and Create Custom actions plus a Zendesk Email Widget Escalation template rule with source Widget, trigger On Escalation, and mapped fields.

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What Business Rules are for

Use Business Rules when escalation itself needs business logic. Common examples:
  • Create or update a ticket when the customer asks for a human.
  • Include conversation history and user attributes in the handoff.
  • Set escalation state on the conversation after a rule runs.
  • Send a final customer-facing message with ticket or handoff details.
  • Apply different escalation behavior for different bots.
The runtime evaluates published Business Rules for the conversation’s bot. If a rule sends a message, the widget posts that message back into the conversation. If a Tool returns escalation metadata, Fini updates the interaction with the external ticket ID or ticket URL.

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How Business Rules run

Business Rules run from a configured business event, not from message intent. The current supported source is widget, and the current supported trigger is on_escalation. The Business Rules backend is separate from Intent Rules: Business Rules are stored and updated directly, use their own agent assignment junction, and expose dedicated /business-rules API routes. The shared rule engine handles behavior-tree validation and execution.

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The Business Rules page

The Business Rules page lists the rules in your workspace. Each rule card shows:
  • Rule name and description.
  • Whether it is Template or Custom.
  • Source, such as Widget.
  • Trigger, such as On Escalation.
  • Created date.
  • For custom rules, the number of nodes in the behavior tree.
  • For each rule, how many bots it is assigned to, or whether it is still unassigned.
  • For template-based rules, a preview of mapped input fields.
From a rule card, you can:
  • Test to evaluate the rule with sample context.
  • Edit to update the template mapping or custom behavior tree.
  • Open the overflow menu to Duplicate Rule for custom rules, or Delete the rule.

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Create from a default rule

Default rules are pre-built templates. They are the fastest way to configure a standard escalation workflow without building the full tree from scratch. Widget escalation templates currently cover Zendesk, Front, Salesforce, HubSpot, and Gorgias destinations when the matching integration is connected. HubSpot templates can create a ticket directly or submit a published HubSpot support form. Support-form templates only show forms that include Fini’s interaction ID ticket property, so the submitted form can be tied back to the widget conversation that escalated.
Create Business Rule modal in the Fini Demo workspace showing the Rule Template picker, Choose a default rule control, Cancel, and Save Rule buttons.
1

Click Use Default Rule

Open Rulebook → Business Rules and click Use Default Rule.
2

Choose a rule template

Select the default rule that matches the workflow you want. The modal shows the template description, source, trigger, and required field count so you can confirm what it does before creating it.
3

Map required fields

Each template declares an input schema. Map each required field to a context field, or provide a fixed value when the template allows it.
4

Assign bots

Select the bots this Business Rule should apply to. The rule only runs for escalations from assigned bots.
5

Save

Saving creates the Business Rule from the selected template.

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Field mappings

Template fields can be filled in two ways: The field picker can include standard Business Rule context, such as:
  • Interaction History Transcript
  • Interaction ID
  • Formatted User Attributes
Some integration-specific fields are available to the runtime but hidden from template mapping, such as provider bearer tokens, HubSpot portal IDs, and internal integration IDs. For HubSpot support-form rules, the form picker uses the connected HubSpot account and lists eligible published forms. Map the form fields you want HubSpot to receive, including the required Fini interaction ID field.

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Create a custom rule

Use Create Custom when you need full control over the escalation workflow. Custom Business Rules use the same behavior tree editor as Intent Rules. You can add nodes, configure conditions, call Tools, and send messages. The editor also shows Business Rule metadata:
1

Click Create Custom

Open Rulebook → Business Rules and click Create Custom.
2

Describe the rule

Give the rule a clear name and description. The description is required for new custom Business Rules.
3

Confirm source and trigger

Set Source to Widget and Trigger type to On Escalation.
4

Build the behavior tree

Add the steps the escalation should run, such as Checks, Tools, and Send Message actions.
5

Assign bots and save

Select the bots that should use the rule, then save.

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Testing a Business Rule

Use Test from the rule card before relying on a rule in production. Testing runs the rule against sample input context and shows the execution result. For Business Rules, the test context is built from the fields the rule needs. Template-based rules use their mapped inputs. Custom rules can preview the fields required by the current tree. The test modal opens with Runtime inputs, a form generated from the rule’s required fields. Use Advanced JSON when you need to paste or edit the full input context directly. Typical test fields include interaction context and user attributes. Use testing to verify:
  • Required fields are mapped.
  • Fixed values have the expected type.
  • Checks pass or fail for the right conditions.
  • Tool outputs are available to downstream nodes.
  • The final send-message behavior is correct.
If a Business Rule depends on a field from your User Attributes API, make sure the field is available in the rule’s context before testing. Missing fields usually cause Checks to fail or template mappings to be incomplete.

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What happens at runtime

When a widget conversation escalates:
  1. Fini finds Business Rules assigned to the conversation’s bot with source Widget and trigger On Escalation.
  2. It evaluates the matching rules with the interaction context, user attributes, transcript, and interaction ID.
  3. If a rule sends a message, Fini creates a new widget message from the agent.
  4. If a Tool returns escalation metadata, Fini updates the interaction with the external ticket ID or ticket URL.
  5. If no Business Rule applies, no destination ticket is created by the Business Rules runtime. Add or assign a matching Business Rule when widget escalations should create a ticket in an external helpdesk.
Business Rules are evaluated during escalation, not during every normal customer message.

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Best practices

  • Start from a default rule when the workflow matches a standard escalation pattern.
  • Use custom rules when the escalation logic has real branching or provider-specific behavior.
  • Assign rules only to the bots that should use them.
  • Keep field mappings explicit. Required fields should map to stable context fields or fixed values.
  • Test each rule before relying on it for customer escalations.
  • Keep Business Rules focused on escalation. Use Intent Rules for normal in-conversation workflows.

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Troubleshooting

Confirm the rule is assigned to the bot, has source Widget, and has trigger type On Escalation. Business Rules do not run on normal messages.
Required template fields must be mapped to a field or filled with a fixed value. Open the template modal and check every required field.
Check whether the field exists in the test context and whether the value type matches the operator. For example, number fields need numeric values and boolean fields need true or false.
The rule may have run without producing a send-message result. Inspect the rule tree and confirm the success path includes the message you expect.

Intent Rules

Build deterministic workflows that run during normal conversation handling.

Reply Rules

Decide whether the agent replies, leaves an internal note, or stays silent.

Attributes

Configure user fields that rules can reference.

Inbox

Inspect conversations and debug what happened during escalation.