Prediction Mode for Field Value Direct Answers (May '21 Release)

Product/Library Releases & New Features Summer '21 Release
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Field Value Direct Answers now have what is called a Prediction Mode (formerly introduced for Featured Snippets in the Spring ’21 Release) which allows you to configure how assertive the algorithm is when surfacing a Field Value Direct Answer.

For example, if you are a single location business and you want to surface Field Value Direct Answers for queries like “what are your hours?” (where the query does not mention or resolve to a single entity), you can set up a Field Name prediction mode which shows Field Value Direct Answers regardless of which entities are returned, if any.

Here are the three prediction modes available for Field Type Direct Answers:

  • Field Name (Assertive): The algorithm will show a direct answer whenever it detects an eligible field name, regardless of which entities are returned, if any. This is recommended for single-location businesses.

  • Classifier (Default): The algorithm uses an NLP classifier to decide whether the user is seeking a direct answer.

  • One Entity (Conservative): The algorithm shows a direct answer only if the search returns one entity and a field name is detected.

In addition to the Configuration UI, you can set the prediction mode in JSON in your Search Configuration. Here is a sample snippet showing how you can add hours as a Classifier prediction mode:

  "directAnswers": {
    "fieldValues": {
      "eligibleFields": [
        "hours"
      ],
      "predictionMode": "CLASSIFIER"
    }
  },

By introducing Prediction Modes to Field Value Direct Answers, Yext Administrators now have even more control over the Algorithm and can fine-tune Direct Answers to achieve business specific goals.

To learn more about this feature visit the Direct Answers training unit.