You can now test your Conversation AI agent in EveryCatch exactly the way your customers will experience it, before you turn it on. Replies appear in the format of each channel, including buttons, quick replies, lists, images and files. You can also test the first outbound message your agent sends to a new lead without sending anything to a real contact. The Deploy tab has been redesigned so channels, outbound settings and triggers are all together in one place.
See what your customers see, test outbound safely and go live from a single, clear view.
What changed
Rich elements on every channel
When you use Preview as to pick a channel, the test chat now mirrors how that channel actually looks for your customers.
- Live chat shows buttons your agent uses
- Facebook and Instagram show quick replies
- WhatsApp shows reply buttons and list pickers
- SMS shows plain text, matching what your contacts receive
- Images appear as previews, and any files your agent sends show up directly in the chat
- You can tap a reply like a customer or type your own message to see how your agent responds
Test outbound before it goes live
To test outbound behavior, set Starts with to Outbound, then click Set up next to Outbound test setup.
- Trigger: choose what event makes your agent reach out first, such as a Facebook lead form, a form submission or a missed call
- Test contact: pick a contact to populate fields like {{contact.first_name}}. This test contact never receives a message from this test
- Test values: set any field value specifically for this test. If you leave a value empty, the contact's own saved value is used
- Opening message preview: review the first outbound message with every field filled before you start the test chat
When you start the test, your agent sends the opening message, and you reply as the lead so you can follow the full conversation flow end to end.
Redesigned deploy tab
EveryCatch now lets you review and configure channels, outbound behavior and triggers in one place before you turn your agent on.
- Inbound: see which channels your agent currently answers on and connect new channels from here
- Outbound: view Channels & activation and Triggers together, with each status visible at a glance
- Schedule: manage your agent's working hours
- Agent details: review model, mode, actions and knowledge base, with an Edit in Build shortcut one click away
- A reminder appears when outbound is enabled but no trigger is set to start it yet, along with a shortcut to Triggers so you can fix it immediately
How to use this feature
- Go to AI Agents → Conversation AI and open the agent you want to test
- Open the Test your agent panel on the right side of the Build tab
- Use Preview as to choose a channel, then chat with your agent to see the rich elements as your customers will
- To test outbound, set Starts with to Outbound, click Set up, choose a trigger and a test contact, then click Test your agent
- Once you are happy with the behavior, open the Deploy tab to turn the agent on and go live
Why it matters
- Launch with clarity about what each customer will see on every channel you use
- Find broken or confusing flows during testing instead of discovering them in real customer conversations
- Run outbound tests safely with no chance of sending a test message to an actual contact
- Handle setup and go live from one organized place in the deploy experience
Notes
- Test messages are never sent to your contacts, and your agent's live settings remain unchanged while you test
- Preview as is available when Enable Rich Elements Support is turned on under Response behavior. Each element only appears if it is enabled under Allow this bot to send
- Outbound testing requires Conversation AI | Outbound AI Agents to be turned on under Settings → Labs, and your agent must have an Outbound opening message configured
- Outbound tests preview as SMS, which is the channel outbound messages send on
- Outbound testing is unavailable for agents created in the flow-based builder
