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.