Connect your systems
Living Context: custom connectors and field mapping
Living Context is a vital feature in the Unless platform that enables your Customer Agent to access real-time customer data by connecting to external systems such as CRMs, billing platforms, support tools, and custom APIs. This capability allows the agent to understand the current situation of each conversation, complementing the static knowledge stored in Living Knowledge. Custom connectors and field mapping are key components to tailor this data access to your specific needs.
what are custom connectors in Living Context
Custom connectors are integrations built using the Unless connector framework to connect systems that are not supported by the standard pre-built connectors. While Unless provides many standard connectors for popular platforms like Salesforce, Zendesk, Hubspot, and others, custom connectors allow you to extend real-time data access to proprietary or less common systems. These connectors enable the Customer Agent to query live data during conversations, ensuring up-to-date context without caching inside Unless.
Building a custom connector typically involves development work, either by your team or with assistance from your account manager or Unless Studio professionals. This flexibility ensures that your Customer Agent can access all relevant data sources necessary for your business processes and customer interactions.
how field mapping works and why it matters
Field mapping controls which specific data fields from your connected systems are exposed to the Customer Agent through Living Context. This selective exposure is crucial for privacy, compliance, and operational efficiency. By mapping only the necessary fields, you limit the agent’s access to sensitive or irrelevant data.
Sensitive fields can be tokenized using the Privacy Vault, a set of privacy safeguards in Unless that anonymizes or masks personally identifiable information (PII) before it reaches any third-party generative AI models. This ensures compliance with regulations like GDPR and the EU AI Act while maintaining the usefulness of the data for the agent.
You can adjust field mappings at any time to add or restrict data exposure, helping you maintain control over what the Customer Agent can see and use during conversations.
configuring and managing custom connectors and field mapping
To connect a new system or configure a custom connector, navigate in the Unless dashboard to Train > Living Context > Connectors > Add connector. Here you can select from standard connectors or initiate the process for a custom connector.
Once connected, you define field mappings to specify which data points the Customer Agent can access. Mark sensitive fields for tokenization to activate Privacy Vault protections. You can also inspect live data samples from the connector to verify correct configuration and data quality.
If a connector fails or is slow to respond during a conversation, the Customer Agent gracefully degrades by answering without that data, ensuring uninterrupted service.
best practices and use cases for custom connectors and field mapping
Custom connectors and precise field mapping are especially useful when:
- Your organization uses systems not covered by standard connectors.
- You need to expose additional or restricted data fields beyond default configurations.
- You want to support new customer lifecycle moments that require extra contextual data.
- You must comply with strict privacy and data protection regulations by controlling data exposure and tokenizing sensitive information.
By carefully configuring custom connectors and field mappings, you empower your Customer Agent with relevant, real-time context while maintaining strong privacy and security controls.
conclusion
Custom connectors and field mapping in Living Context provide powerful tools to tailor your Customer Agent’s access to real-time customer data. They enable integration with any system, control over data exposure, and compliance with privacy regulations. Proper configuration ensures your agent acts with the most relevant context, enhancing customer interactions and operational effectiveness.