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How to Build a Chatbot from a Template – A Step by Step guide

February 4, 2021

Hardik Makadia

CEO, WotNot

Table of Contents

Software is not always hard to build. Chatbots are an example! This is why companies are increasingly adopting its use, and it is predicted that by 2026, chatbot market size will be greater than $10 billion. If you’re wondering how to build a chatbot, you’re at the right place. Building a chatbot is pretty straightforward with a no-code chatbot building platform, but that’s just the technical aspect of it. For chatbots to enhance customer engagement, you need creativity too.

So how to build a chatbot that is engaging with its text and bound to qualify your leads? Chatbots are marketing tools; hence, conversations on chatbots need to be strategic. You have to ensure a conversational outcome that will enhance your sales in the near run, and chatbot templates facilitate just that. 

WotNot has numerous templates that you can use for different business scenarios. Let me guide you through the process of building a chatbot on WotNot using a template.

How to Build a Chatbot Using a Ready-made Template?

Let’s get started!

First, go to the WotNot home page and click on ‘Try for free.’

Register for free on WotNot’s no-code bot builder. Once your account is created, you can go to the bot builder on the left side’s navigation panel, as shown below.

After going to the bot builder, you click on ‘build a bot.’ You will get two options; inbound bots and outbound bots. Select inbound bots here.

You will further get an option on where you want to deploy your chatbot- on the web, on Facebook, or WhatsApp. Click on the channel you want to deploy your bot to. Here, for example, let’s build for Web. 

Once clicked, you will be loaded to the range of free chatbot templates offered by WotNot! Here, you have two options to build a bot. If you want to build a bot from scratch, you can click on the "build from scratch" button on the top right corner.

But, here we are going to use a template to build a bot. So, we will choose one of the templates provided here.

Now let's see how to build a bot from templates in four simple steps!

Step 1: Choose Your Template

Firstly, determine the motive of your chatbot.

Is it for:

It largely depends on the industry you’re in. WotNot offers a range of free chatbot templates. You can choose an insurance chatbot template, eCommerce chatbot template, real estate chatbot template, etc.

Once you have figured out what you wish you accomplish, you can select your template. For the sake of this example, let us take a look at a schedule visit template for a real estate developer.

Step 2: Edit the Template

Once you click on ‘use this template,’ you will be directed to WotNot’s chatbot builder with in-built script blocks for scheduling property visits.

Using drag and drop and connecting nodes, you can create a chatbot conversational flow and customize the template. Don’t forget to add details of your company such as:

  • Your company name 

  • Property information such as images/addresses/phone numbers etc.

  • A brief introduction to your property

  • Attaching company brochure

If you want to add few more blocks in between or even want to remove certain blocks, you are free to do so. 

While editing, you can also edit the bot to create enticing conversations using WotNot’s carousels, buttons, messages, and collect input features.

Step 3: Preview Your Creation

You’re almost there! After adding your desired features, you can click on ‘preview’ in the top right corner.

Preview will show you what your bot will look like to the visitors.

So, go ahead and have fun with it. Look for errors and check whether your bot fulfills your purpose. Keep editing till you’re content with it. 

Remember to end the conversations by initiating some kind of action from the visitor’s end. The preview will look as shown in the picture below:

Step 4: Ready to Deploy!

Once you are satisfied with your bot, you can click on the ‘deploy’ button, which is right next to the ‘preview’ button.

Deploying your bot to your website is simple. You click on ‘channel configuration’ on the navigation panel on the left side. By clicking on ‘appearance,’ you can also change your bot’s look, including the background colour, header logo, header text, and Chat interface position. 

To deploy the bot, you click on ‘configuration’ in the Web drop-down bar. You can add the URL of the site you want to deploy your bot to in the Website URL bar and then copy the snippet circled below and paste it before the <body> tag on every page of your website.

The process is as easy as it can get. Just like how you built a real estate chatbot, you can build an insurance chatbot using insurance using a free chatbot template for insurance which facilitates lead generation for insurance policies. You can also build an eCommerce chatbot for an eCommerce site using an eCommerce chatbot template for customer support that helps with tracking online orders, returning products, and speaking with a human representative.

Like how you built a chatbot for the Web, you can also learn how to build a chatbot for other platforms on multiple platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp. Overall, remember to modify the template according to your brand image. It’s often not just the conversation that works but also matching sentiments to the brand and using a personalized tone. You need to aim at more value with a limited conversation.

Obviously, your bot will need to be updated with its use. It depends on what your visitors ask and what answers they need. But these free chatbot templates are an excellent introduction to all the chatbot benefits that are there to be. Chatbot flow templates can save you time, give you an idea of developing scripts in the future, and increase your qualified leads. Now that you have a ready infrastructure with WotNot’s no-code chatbot building platform and the right chatbot conversation flow template.

So, what’s stopping you? Sign up now and create your chatbot on WotNot. If you need any help, reach out to us or schedule a demo.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Hardik Makadia

CEO, WotNot

His leadership, pioneering vision, and relentless drive to innovate and disrupt has made WotNot a major player in the industry.