> ## Knowledge Base Index > Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://help.crisp.chat/sitemap.xml > Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further. > Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash). # How does Hugo Routing work *Routing rules are used to describe situations you wish Hugo to detect. When he encounters these situations, he can then trigger the action of your choice, giving you flexibility in all kind of workflows.* **Hugo is a next-generation AI support agent, fully integrated with Crisp.** While conversational at its core, Hugo goes beyond answering questions. He understands customer intent and context to **proactively guide users toward resolution** — just like a human support agent. Built to autonomously handle a large share of incoming conversations, Hugo can also **perform real actions through your integrations**, such as fetching account details, tracking orders, or issuing refunds, always within the rules you define. By **engaging proactively and providing concrete guidance**, Hugo helps **resolve issues faster** and frees up your team to focus on complex cases. [Haven't met Hugo yet? Check out official resources](https://hugo.ai) --- # ${color}[#0080dd](What are Hugo routing rules) Routing rules allow you to describe **situations Hugo should detect** during a conversation. When Hugo encounters these situations, he can then **trigger the action of your choice**. They essentially answer the question “When this happens, what should Hugo do?” __With routing rules, you can for instance detect:__ * ${color}[#33c620](✔) **User intent** → sales inquiries, partnership requests, cancellation intent... * ${color}[#33c620](✔) **Topics** → billing issues, delivery problems, account access... * ${color}[#33c620](✔) **Emotions** → frustration, urgency, dissatisfaction... Once detected, Hugo can then **execute the action you choose**, such as escalating the conversation, triggering a workflow, or assigning it to a specific inbox. Routing rules are **evaluated continuously** during conversations while Hugo handles them. ||| Routing rules do **not** control how Hugo speaks or behaves. They only determine **when Hugo should perform an action**. __Routing rules should **not** be used to__: * ${color}[#ec491a](✘) **Control tone, style, or personality** → For that, you would use Instructions instead * ${color}[#ec491a](✘) **Store knowledge or factual information** → This would instead be Q&A snippet to train Hugo on * ${color}[#ec491a](✘) **Define how Hugo should reply in this situation** → This would also be an Instruction | If you wish to tell Hugo how to respond or behave in certain situations, you would need to use [Instructions](/en/article/how-do-hugo-instructions-work-1qc131v/) instead. __Hugo routing rules support 3 types of actions:__ * **Inbox** → Hands the conversation over to human agents, by moving it to the selected inbox * **Workflow** → Triggers the workflow if your choice * **Agent** → Used if you only wish to trigger Hugo for the situations you've described || The "Agent" action only takes effect if you've selected the default target "Directly route to inbox" in AI Agent → Agent → Activation. When that option is enabled, Hugo will only handle conversations if it encounters the situations you've specified your routing rules with the "Agent" action. --- # ${color}[#0080dd](How to create Routing rules) Routing rules can be managed by navigating to [**Crisp**](https://app.crisp.chat) then ⚡️ **AI Agent → Guidance → Routing** __Once you're there, simply hit the **Add a rule** button to create one, and:__ 1. Name your rule (choose a clear title to manage them more easily) 2. Describe the situation Hugo should detect and react to 3. Select the action you wish to perform when this situation is encountered 4. Save & enable your routing rule to activate it *And you're done! Hugo will now trigger your designed action if it encounters the situation you described.* ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/7/a/e/87ae2703583ac800/hugo-routing-rules-workflow-in_1jo0f82.png =800x680) --- # ${color}[#0080dd](Review and improve Routing rules with AI) You can now review your routing rules directly from Crisp using **Review with AI**. This helps you improve your setup without leaving the app. Hugo analyzes your existing routing rules and suggests changes when a rule is unclear, too broad, conflicting, or likely to trigger the wrong action. When the review is complete, you can choose which suggestions you want to apply. ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/7/a/e/87ae2703583ac800/hugo-routing-rules-review-with_1988xa8.png =800x581) __Review with AI can help you:__ * Make routing rules easier for Hugo to detect * Rewrite vague or overly broad situations * Detect rules that may create false positives * Remove instructions that should not belong in routing rules * Keep your routing setup cleaner and easier to maintain | Suggested updates are here to help, but you should always review them before applying changes. Routing rules can trigger actions such as moving conversations, starting workflows, or activating Hugo. --- # ${color}[#0080dd](Routing rule examples) Here are a few examples of **well-written** versus **problematic** routing rules. ${color}[#33c620](✔) __Example of a good routing prompt:__ > The customer asks about personalized cookies for events (e.g. weddings, birthdays, corporate gifts, bulk quantities). > Does not apply if the customer asks about the delivery status of an existing order. We could then select the routing action **Workflow** and select a workflow to collect information that we've prepared. ${color}[#33c620](✔) __Example of a good routing prompt:__ > The customer is very dissatisfied about: > - The quality or taste of the cookies we shipped > - The order accuracy or delivery time > - Their experience with our support We could then select the routing action **Inbox** to hand it over to the "Support" team's inbox. | A good routing rule clearly describes the situation to detect and explicitly excludes edge cases to avoid ambiguity. __Best practices when writing routing rules:__ * Describe **what Hugo should detect**, not the reply Hugo should send * Keep the rule **clear, concise, and specific** * Write the situation **positively first** (e.g. "The customer asks about refunds") * Add **explicit exclusions** when needed to avoid false positives (e.g. "Does not apply if the customer is only asking for the status of an existing refund") * If you want a message to be sent, route the conversation to a **Workflow** that sends the message, then performs the next action ${color}[#ec491a](✘) __Example of a bad routing prompt:__ > The customer is asking about an order. ${color}[#ec491a](✘) __Example of a bad routing prompt:__ > If a user is not satisfied with their order or the products they've received, please be empathetic and try to calm them down. > Suggest them to give us a phone call directly so we can help. ||| Descriptions shouldn't be too broad and unspecific. They should not contain instructions or suggest responses/information either. --- # ${color}[#0080dd](Routing Escalation Rule) Inside the "Routing Rule" section, you will also find a native **Escalation Rule** one. __This rule can be used to configure which action Hugo should take when the conversation must be escalated, such as:__ * Starting a workflow * Moving the conversation to a specific inbox * Using the default behavior (moving to the main inbox and triggering your inbox/operator rules) | You can learn more about Escalation in [this dedicated article](https://help.crisp.chat/en/article/how-to-configure-escalation-with-hugo-ai-agent-sqbm34/). --- # ${color}[#0080dd](Frequently Asked Questions) *Still have questions which were not covered in this article? Here is a collection of the most frequently asked questions on this topic.* ###### ${color}[#F08820](What is the difference between Hugo routing and Topic detection? They basically detect the same thing?) __The way you compose prompts and describe situations are similar indeed, but there is one key difference:__ * Topic are purely related to Analytics, they allow you to track and monitor the conversations handled by Hugo. * Routing rules on the other hand aren't used for tracking, they are used to perform an action when the described situations are encountered. ###### ${color}[#F08820](Can I import or export Hugo routing rules?) Yes. You can import and export routing rules from **AI Agent → Guidance → Routing** by clicking the **three dots** menu next to the **New** button. Exporting is useful if you want to back up your routing setup, share it with your team, or review it outside Crisp. Importing is useful if you want to reuse a routing setup in another workspace.