Getting started with Hugo AI

...First time? This article will guide you step-by-step to get your AI Agent setup and deployed in just minutes.

Navigating the Hugo interface

Let's first draw a map of the Hugo interface to better understand how each part connect to the other, and get an overview of the configuration ahead of us.

In order to access Hugo, head over to Crisp and hit ⚡️ AI Agent from the main menu on the left.

You will find the following sections:

Evaluate

Playground → Quickly test your AI Agent and easily compare models
Analyics → Allows you to get insights on all AI behaviours (conversations handled, escalated, workflows triggered, topics encountered...)

Agent

Activate → To activate Hugo and decide how it should handle incoming conversations
Settings → All settings related to Hugo, ranging from its identity, model, sources to use, escalation handling...

Guidance

Instructions → Instructions are the prompts you feed the AI with to fine-tune its behaviour (tone, context, expectations...)
Routing → Describe a situation or topic, and decide what Hugo should do when it encounters it (starting a workflow, escalating to a human...)

Train

Questions & Answers → Create Questions/Answer snippets which the AI will use as its personal FAQ when answering common requests
Web pages → Crawl and import the content of your different websites, which the AI will be able to use as a resource
Files → Import additional training content as either TXT, CSV or PDF

Automate

Topic Detection → Describes topics that you would like to track in the Analytics, to get more insights on what your customers inquire about
Workflows Builder → Create your own custom workflows which the AI can then trigger through your "Routing" rules
Integrations & MCP → MCPs are the "tools" of AIs. Hugo offers native integration, but also allows you to connect to your own internal systems

Now with all that in mind, we're ready to start setting up Hugo!

Setting up Hugo

In order to get Hugo and up and running, just a few things are needed:

Configuring Hugo's identity and settings
Providing it with some guidance (our instructions and routing rules)
Importing some resources to train it for your use-case

Let's go through them step-by-step and share a few good practices to help you along the way.

Step 1 - Configuration

Inside Hugo, navigate to Agent > Settings.

The first step will be to configure the AI Agent's identity.

You can start by uploading an avatar (which users will see when interacting with it) and it's name.

The second step is crucial: we must specify a business description.

You'll want to provide an introduction to your business, just as if you were describing it online to a new audience unfamiliar with it yet.

✔ a good example of an efficient business would be:

We are « The Cookie Factory », an artisan consumer food brand specializing in freshly baked cookies made in small batches using high-quality ingredients.
Our brand emphasizes craftsmanship, freshness, and thoughtful presentation over mass production.

Products range includes classic staples and rotating seasonal recipes, with optional personalization for events, gifts, and celebrations.

We sell directly to consumers through our online store (thecookiefactory.shop) and via our physical flagship store in San Francisco.
We offer worldwide shipping as well as in-store pickup.

The business description allows the AI Agent to familiarize with your business and the services it provides. It plays a major part in the AI's ability to understand and infer proper context when interacting with your customers.

Select your preferred AI model among the available options

Hugo works with any of the models available (GPT, Claude, Gemini, Mistral...), pick your poison! Don't worry, you can change at any time, and you will be able to test them all out in the Playground later.

In that section, you can also decide if Hugo should be able to read and understand images sent by users, and transcribe audio messages.

Finish up the configuration in that menu as you best see fit for your use-case

Enable the data sources you wish Hugo to use
Enable the default escalation rules when the Hugo doesn't have an answer or thinks the user might be getting frustrated
Choose the delay after which Hugo should auto-resolve the conversation if the user didn't follow up to its response

Satisfied users commonly continue their journey without acknowledging that their issue was solved, hence auto-resolving them can be handy to keep your inbox tidy.

Step 2 - Providing Guidance to Hugo

Guidances are the instructions (behavioural prompts) we give Hugo to personalize the way it replies to users, and where we configure routing actions for certain situations.

Navigate to Guidance > Instructions to create your first instruction.

Instructions are where you prompt the behaviour Hugo should adopt when replying to your customers and handling certain situations, this is essentially the AI's playbook it will follow at all times.

To create one, simply name it and write down your prompt.

✔ a couple of efficient instructions would be:

Always use the pronoun "we" when referring to the support team.

Never offer medical advices if a customer reports an allergy or ask if our cookies match their diet program. They should refer to a health professional instead.

Good instructional prompts should be imperative and avoid ambiguity. Be specific and provide the necessary details to Hugo for the best results

✘ a wrong instruction example would be:

We ship our cookies worldwide. Estimated delivery is between 2 and 4 days in the US, and 5 to 10 days for the rest of the world.

Instructions define how the AI thinks and behaves, they should not be used to dump knowledge or facts. These would instead be training resources (e.g. Question/Answer snippets)

We can now also create our first routing action in Guidance > Routing

Routing actions are used when you wish Hugo to perform a specific task when it encounters certain situations. It can for instance be used to automatically escalate conversations when users are inquiring about quality issues with your products, or start a workflow when they request a marketing partnership.

To create one, simply name your rule, describe the situation (a topic, an emotion...), and select the desired action you wish Hugo to execute.

✔ an example of a good routing rule can be:

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 their personalized cookies order.

We could then select the routing action Escalate > Inbox "Sales"

A good routing prompt describes a situation clearly and precisely. It also covers potential cases where you wish to make exceptions to avoid ambiguity.

✘ an example of a bad routing rule can be:

The customer is inquiring about their order.

Your description shouldn't be too broad and unspecific. In this example, it isn't clear what we are referring to: Issues to place an order? refunds? delivery information? Always be specific.

Step 3 - Importing training resources

We now need to provide Hugo with data and resources to help him accurately answer your customer's questions.

In Hugo, head over to the Train section.

Question & Answers allow you to create short snippets

Snippets are an essentials source of information for your AI Agent, use them without moderation.

They should contain two information: a question (the title/context of your snippet) and its answer (similarly to a short article).

✔ an example of a good Q&A snippet is:

Question: What are your opening hours?
Answer: We are open Monday to Saturday, from 9:00 to 18:00 local time. Our store is also closed during public holidays.

Updated on: 18/01/2026

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