> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.voxworks.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Thinking Effort

> Thinking Effort controls how deeply the AI reasons when generating responses. Higher effort produces more thoughtful responses but takes longer; lower effort is faster but more straightforward.

## Why Thinking Effort Matters

Language models can struggle with certain types of reasoning, particularly:

* **Numbers and calculations** — Arithmetic, quantities, totals, percentages
* **Dates and scheduling** — Day of week calculations, time differences, availability checks
* **Logic and comparisons** — If/then reasoning, comparing options, eligibility checks
* **Multi-step reasoning** — Tasks requiring several logical steps to reach a conclusion

These quantitative and logical tasks benefit significantly from deeper thinking. When the model has more time to reason, it makes fewer errors with numbers, dates, and complex logic.

However, deeper thinking comes with a direct tradeoff: **increased latency**. Every step set to deep thinking adds delay before the assistant responds.

In Voxworks, the latency differences between effort levels are subtle:

* **Fast** — Approximately 200ms faster than normal
* **Normal** — Baseline latency
* **Deep** — Approximately 500ms slower than normal

These differences are small enough that they won't be obviously discernible on individual steps, but the cumulative effect matters if many steps use deep thinking.

The key is to use deep thinking strategically — on steps what will benefit most from accuracy.

***

## What is Thinking Effort?

When the assistant generates a response, it can use different levels of reasoning:

* **Fast** — Quick, direct responses for simple situations
* **Normal** — Balanced reasoning for standard interactions
* **Deep** — Deep reasoning for complex or important moments

***

## Effort Levels

| Level      | Response Speed | Reasoning Depth | Best For                               |
| ---------- | -------------- | --------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| **fast**   | Fastest        | Surface-level   | Simple acknowledgments, quick replies  |
| **normal** | Balanced       | Moderate        | Standard conversation, most steps      |
| **deep**   | Slower         | Deep            | Complex questions, important decisions |

***

## When to Use Each Level

### Fast

Use for steps where you want quicker responses:

* Acknowledgments and confirmations
* Simple follow-up questions
* Transitions between topics
* Routine conversation

```text theme={null}
User: "Yes, that time works."
Assistant: "Great! I'll send you a confirmation." [fast effort sufficient]
```

### Normal (Default)

Use for:

* Standard questions requiring context
* Responses that need to incorporate multiple factors
* Most conversational turns

```text theme={null}
Assistant: "What time works best for you next week?"
User: "How about Thursday afternoon?"
```

### Deep

Use for:

* Complex questions or objections
* Sensitive topics requiring careful handling
* Important decision points
* When accuracy is critical

***

## Interaction with Other Settings

| Combined With                 | Effect                                         |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| **Patient eagerness**         | Wait longer + think deeper = very deliberate   |
| **Keen eagerness**            | Fast effort is typical; deep effort adds delay |
| **Patient silence tolerance** | Deep effort makes sense — user is thinking too |

***

## Best Practices

1. **Default to normal** — Start with normal effort and adjust from there
2. **Elevate strategically** — Use deep effort for moments that matter
3. **Consider step complexity** — If a step has more than 3 conditions or requires quantitative/logical reasoning, consider using deep effort
4. **Test response quality** — Verify fast effort responses are still good

***

## Next Steps

* [Response Eagerness](/conversation-dynamics/response-eagerness) — Control response timing
* [Silence Tolerance](/conversation-dynamics/silence-tolerance) — Handle idle users
* [Overview](/conversation-dynamics/overview) — See all conversation dynamics