AI Guidance Settings

Basic Answer Personalization

The Basic answer personalization card contains two global formatting controls that apply to every AI response. These settings are quick to configure and take effect immediately without requiring a page reload or any additional confirmation step. The emoji toggle works as an on/off switch — when you click it, the setting saves automatically. The response length dropdown also auto-saves when you make a selection, so there is no separate Save button to click for either control.

• Find the Basic answer personalization card on the Guidance page (Leno AI → Settings → Guidance).
• Locate the Use emojis row and click the toggle to switch between ON and OFF. The setting saves automatically.
• When emojis are ON, the AI may include relevant emoji characters to make responses feel warmer and more expressive.
• Click the Response length dropdown and choose Short (1–3 sentences), Normal (4–7 sentences, default), or Long (8–10 sentences).
• The response length setting also saves automatically. No additional confirmation is needed.

Use Emojis

The emoji toggle controls whether Leno AI includes emoji characters in its responses. When emojis are enabled, the AI selects contextually relevant emoji to add warmth and expressiveness to replies. When disabled, all responses are plain text with no emoji characters. This setting applies globally to all AI conversations — you cannot enable emojis for one conversation and disable them for another. The toggle saves instantly when clicked; there is no need to refresh the page or click a separate save button. Emojis work well for consumer-facing brands but may feel out of place in formal or professional contexts. Match this setting to your audience and brand voice.

Response Length

Response length controls how many sentences the AI uses in each reply. There are three options. Short uses 1 to 3 sentences and is best for simple, direct answers where visitors expect fast replies. Normal uses 4 to 7 sentences and provides balanced detail for most support and sales use cases — this is the default setting. Long uses 8 to 10 sentences and delivers thorough explanations suitable for complex topics or detailed product questions. Choose your length based on the nature of questions your visitors typically ask. If your Knowledge Base articles are detailed, use Normal or Long so the AI has room to give complete answers. If visitors expect quick, direct replies — for example, on an e-commerce store — Short is often a better fit.

Tone of Voice

Tone of Voice is the base personality of your AI Agent. It is always active and cannot be deleted, but you can change it at any time. It controls the overall communication style — how the AI sounds in every response, regardless of the topic. To change the tone, click the Tone of voice row in the Communication style card on the Guidance page. You are taken to the Choose a tone that matches your brand page where you can select a preset or write a custom tone. A live chat preview on the right side shows how the AI would respond using your selected tone. The preview uses the sample question 'Do you offer free shipping?' — click Test to refresh the preview after writing Custom tone instructions. Click Save and Close to apply your changes, or Back to return without saving.

• Click the Tone of voice row in the Communication style card on the Guidance page.
• On the tone selection page, choose from Natural, Friendly, Professional, or Custom.
• For the Custom option, type your instructions (up to 2,000 characters) in the text area, then click Test to preview.
• Review the live chat preview on the right to see how the AI responds with your selected tone.
• Click Save and Close to apply the tone change. Clicking Back discards all changes.

Available Tones

Leno AI offers four tone options. Three are presets that are ready to use with a single click. The fourth lets you write your own tone instructions in free text. All four are available on every plan.

Writing a Custom Tone

The Custom tone option gives you full control over how the AI sounds. Instead of selecting a preset, you write your own instructions in plain language describing how the AI should communicate. Custom tone instructions can be up to 2,000 characters. After writing your instructions, click Test to see a live preview of how the AI applies them. Effective custom tone instructions describe how the AI should sound, not just what it should say. Use the Test button to confirm your instructions produce the voice you want before saving. Good custom tone instructions are clear, specific, and focus on style rather than content.

• Describe how the AI should sound, not just what it should say. Example: 'Always respond in a calm, empathetic tone as if speaking to a valued long-term customer.'
• Include specific words or phrases the AI should use or avoid. Example: 'Never use the word cheap. Always say affordable or great value instead.'
• Mention the formality level and whether contractions are acceptable. Example: 'Use contractions freely — do not, can not, and will not should always be written as don't, can't, and won't.'
• Specify how the AI should handle uncertain or sensitive situations. Example: 'When you are unsure, say I will connect you with a team member who can help rather than guessing.'
• Click Test after writing or editing your custom instructions to preview the AI's response before saving.

Communication Style Guidance Entries

Beyond tone, you can define up to five custom guidance entries. Each entry is a named rule set that gives the AI detailed instructions about how to communicate in specific situations — covering vocabulary, phrasing, topics to avoid, escalation language, formatting preferences, and any other behavioral rules your brand requires. Guidance entries are listed in the Communication style card on the Guidance page. Each entry can be toggled on or off independently without deleting it, making it easy to test rules or pause seasonal instructions temporarily. When multiple active entries are present, the AI tries to follow all of them simultaneously.

• Brand vocabulary — 'Always call our product LenoChat, never the chatbot or the bot. Never use the word cheap.'
• Topics to avoid — 'Do not discuss competitor pricing. If asked, say you are not able to compare pricing with other products.'
• Escalation language — 'When a visitor is frustrated, always acknowledge their frustration before offering a solution. Start with I understand this has been frustrating.'
• Industry-specific rules — 'Always include a disclaimer that our advice is informational only and does not constitute legal guidance.'
• Formatting preferences — 'When listing steps, always use numbered lists. Never use bullet points.'

Adding a New Guidance Entry

To add a new guidance entry, scroll to the Communication style card on the Guidance page and click the + Add button. You are taken to the Communication style guidance form where you fill in a name and your instructions. The name is a short label to identify the entry — keep it concise so you can recognize it in the list later. The instructions field is where you write the actual rule in detail. You must write at least 3 sentences in the instructions field before you can save. After filling in both fields, use the live chat preview on the right side to test how the AI applies your instructions. Type messages in the preview chat to have a real conversation and check edge cases. When satisfied, choose how to save.

• On the Guidance page, scroll to the Communication style card and click + Add.
• Fill in the Name field with a short label (up to 100 characters). Example: Brand vocabulary rules.
• Fill in the Instructions field with your rule or behavioral guidance (at least 3 sentences, up to 2,000 characters).
• Use the live chat preview to test — type realistic visitor messages and review how the AI responds.
• Click New Session at any time to reset the preview conversation and start fresh with a clean context.
• Choose Save and Close (saves as inactive) or Activate (saves and immediately enables the entry).

Editing a Guidance Entry

To edit an existing guidance entry, click the entry row in the Communication style list on the Guidance page. The entry form opens pre-filled with the current name and instructions. Edit the name, the instructions, or both as needed. Use the live chat preview on the right to verify your changes produce the intended behavior before saving. When you are satisfied, click Save and Close to save without changing the active or inactive state. Click Activate to save and immediately enable the entry if it was previously inactive.

• On the Guidance page, click any entry row in the Communication style card.
• The form opens with the current name and instructions pre-filled.
• Edit the Name or Instructions fields as needed.
• Test your changes using the live chat preview panel on the right.
• Click Save and Close to save (keeps current active/inactive state) or Activate to save and enable.

Enabling and Disabling Guidance Entries

Each guidance entry can be toggled on or off independently without deleting it. An enabled entry is active — the AI follows its instructions in every conversation. A disabled entry is ignored — it remains in your list but has no effect on the AI until you re-enable it. Disabled entries appear faded in the Communication style list so you can quickly identify which rules are currently active. Use the toggle to disable a rule temporarily without losing the instructions — for example, to pause a seasonal promotion rule or to A/B test with and without a specific instruction.

• Find the entry in the Communication style list on the Guidance page.
• Use the ON/OFF toggle on the right side of the entry row to enable or disable it.
• The change saves automatically. No additional confirmation step is required.
• Disabled entries appear faded — the AI ignores them until you re-enable them.

Deleting a Guidance Entry

To delete a guidance entry permanently, click the delete icon (trash can) on the right side of the entry row in the Communication style list. A confirmation dialog appears asking you to confirm the deletion. Click Delete to remove the entry, or Cancel to keep it. Deletion is permanent — there is no undo. The AI immediately stops following the deleted entry's instructions. If you are unsure whether you still need a rule, disable it first and monitor for a few days before deleting it permanently.

• Click the trash can icon on the right side of the entry row you want to delete.
• A confirmation dialog appears. Click Delete to confirm or Cancel to keep the entry.
• Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. The entry's instructions are removed immediately.

Using the Chat Preview

Every screen in Guidance — the tone selection page and every guidance entry form — includes a live chat preview panel. This lets you test your settings interactively before they go live in real visitor conversations. On the tone selection page, the preview shows a single AI response to the sample question 'Do you offer free shipping?' each time you switch between tones. After writing Custom tone instructions, click the Test button to refresh the preview with your new instructions. On a guidance entry form, the preview is fully interactive — you can type your own messages and have a multi-turn conversation with the AI under your new rules. This lets you test edge cases and check how the AI handles complex or unusual questions. Click New Session at any time to reset the conversation history and start fresh. The preview uses sample data and your Knowledge Base. Results may vary slightly from live chat responses because the preview uses a lightweight model version for faster responses.

• Tone page preview — shows one response to 'Do you offer free shipping?' each time you select a different tone.
• Custom tone preview — click Test after writing your instructions to see a preview of the AI's response.
• Guidance entry preview — fully interactive. Type your own messages and have a real conversation under your new rules.
• New Session — click to reset the preview conversation history and start fresh with a clean context.
• Preview timeout — the preview service has a 60-second timeout. If the preview shows an error, click Retry or reload the page.