# Information collection Information is always being collected during a conversation, with every question, story, or any other exchange. But sometimes specific information is needed to accomplish the goal of the interaction. The information collection process could be system-driven, where the bot leads the user through specific areas of interest. It could also be user-driven, where the user provides an extended account. With user-driven information collection, the system must be capable of processing and handling the diversity of incoming information appropriately. In addition to conversationally collected information, it is also possible to use external sources like a user profile or an API pass-through to collect information. In the components below, we discuss some common approaches to information collection with conversational bots. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.opendialog.ai/opendialog-platform/conversation-designer/conversation-design/conversational-patterns/information-collection.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.