The bot opens the encounter, establishes footing, and proposes the first topic.
- A → U: Greeting + brief capability/role statement.
- A: Offer or propose a topic and optionally preview next/alt. topics.
- U: Accept topic or propose a different one.
- A: Transition into the chosen activity (e.g., open request, information capture).
- Include optional welfare check/name request and capability giving where appropriate.
- Ensure accessibility: text + voice greetings, clear affordances.
Support & transitions
- If user response is ambiguous, use bot repair.
- On user refusal, allow abort or offer help in a shape of extended telling.
Metrics
First-topic acceptance rate; time-to-first-action; bounce rate after opening.
Related patterns
Precedes
- Abort — if the user disengages before reaching the first activity
- Open request — typical first activity after a bot-initiated opening
Enables
- Conversation — the bot speaks first — establishing footing and proposing the first topic
Alternatives
- Extended telling — offered on user refusal as an alternative to immediate engagement
Preceded by
- Disengage without closing — if the bot re-opens after a prior session was abandoned
Enabled by
- Capability & scope — capability giving is often embedded within the opening