Conversation state is the collection of information tracked throughout a dialogue, including what has been discussed, what decisions have been made, and what context is relevant for future exchanges. State management enables coherent multi-turn conversations.
What does conversation state include?
State typically tracks identified intents, extracted entities (names, dates, account numbers), actions taken, pending tasks, and conversation history. For complex interactions, state may include information retrieved from external systems and intermediate results from multi-step processes.
Why does conversation state matter?
Without state, each exchange would be isolated. The agent would not remember what the caller said moments ago or what actions were already completed. Proper state management enables natural conversations where context carries forward and callers do not need to repeat themselves.
Conversation state in practice
A caller begins by identifying themselves and explaining they want to reschedule an appointment. The state captures their identity, the reschedule intent, and their original appointment details. As the conversation progresses, the state updates with new date preferences and finally the confirmed new time, enabling the agent to reference earlier information naturally throughout.