# Custom Theme query guide

Tips & tricks on writing queries for Custom Themes

Written by Mikhail Dubov  
November 23, 2022

## What is a query?

A query is what our Machine Learning engine uses to build the model that tags the responses with that theme

- Our model recognises synonyms, so don’t worry if your customers have lots of names for the same thing
- Between 2 to 4 words works best, but our model will run on up to 6 words
- The search results will differ from what gets tagged (our search function is only intended as a guide)

## How to create a Custom Theme query

1. **Provide context** – “Bank transfer” instead of “Transfer”. Avoid generic words such as “transfer” as this could have lots of meanings, instead use “bank transfer”.

2. **Provide detail** – “Cotton card damage” instead of “damage” Our model only uses what you put in this field; if you’re looking to create something specific, be specific.

3. **Avoid noise** – “Ripe apples” instead of “Ripeness of apples” The model will think that the noise is part of your query, no need for grammatically correct phrases here.

## Examples

Queries that work well…

- “Tracking number delivery”  
- “Lost work autosave recover”

Queries that don’t work well…

- “Apple” - no context, the model needs disambiguation  
- “Existing user tries to open a new account” - user-based filter, no overarching theme to follow.