How to Create a Chatbot for Your Business Without Any Code!

Have you ever wondered how those little chat bubbles pop up on small business websites, always ready to help you find what you need or answer your questions? Believe it or not, setting up and training a chatbot for your website is incredibly easy.

And guess what? You don’t need to be a tech wizard to create one for your business. In fact, by the end of this blog, you’ll know how to create a chatbot that’s a perfect fit for your small business—no coding required.

Let’s get started!

What Exactly is a Chatbot?

Let’s start with the basics. A chatbot is a lot like a virtual assistant. It’s an automation for small businesses that communicate with your customers, answering their questions, helping them find what they need, and even guiding them through purchases. There are two main types of chatbots: rule-based and AI-driven.

Let’s break them down.

Rule-Based Chatbots

Rule-based chatbots are like following a recipe. They operate based on predefined scripts and specific rules, similar to a “Choose Your Own Adventure” game. Users interact by selecting from a list of options, and the chatbot responds according to these pre-set rules. 

Pros and Cons: This makes rule-based chatbots straightforward to set up, but they can struggle with unexpected questions or complex interactions because they can only work within the limits of their programmed responses.

AI-Driven Chatbots

On the other hand, AI-driven chatbots are more like having a conversation with a knowledgeable guide. They use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand and interpret user inputs in a more nuanced and conversational manner. This allows them to handle a broader range of questions and provide more personalized responses. 

Pros and Cons: While they are more flexible and can improve over time by learning from interactions, they can be more complex to implement and require ongoing adjustments to refine their accuracy.

To sum things up, rule-based chatbots are incredibly simple to set up, reliable, and easy to manage for specific tasks. AI-driven chatbots on the other hand offer a more dynamic and adaptable experience that has the potential to enhance user engagement and satisfaction. 

Why Should You Care About Chatbots?

To truly understand why your business needs one, it’s important to explore how it can improve multiple facets of your business. Let’s touch on some of the bigger ones:

Enhanced Customer Support

Chatbots are capable of being customer service reps, working around the clock to support patrons for your business. Whether it’s midnight or the middle of a busy day, they’re always ready to jump in and help. This means your customers aren’t left hanging when they have a question, which can make them much happier (and more likely to come back or buy something). 

What if we told you a customer care chatbot could also answer the mind-numbing inquiries that always make you feel like a broken record? 

For example, say you run a local bakery. A chatbot can answer common questions like, “What time do you open?” or “Do you have gluten-free options?” Plus, since chatbots can handle multiple chats at once, you can reduce the time your human team needs to spend answering the same questions over and over again.

Increased Sales and Engagement

Chatbots can also be the ace up your sleeve for increased sales. If you own a small online store, a chatbot can recommend products based on what customers are browsing, help them find the right size, and even remind them about items left in their cart. 

When it comes to sales, these small nudges can make a big difference.

Pro Tip: Time is of the essence when it comes to making money. Implementing live chat for leads can significantly increase your conversion rates by allowing you to capture and nurture potential customers. Businesses that utilize live chat for sales often see a boost in revenue as it enables instant responses to customer inquiries, helping close deals faster.

Improved User Experience

Have you ever been on a website and felt completely lost? Chances are, if you couldn’t find what you were looking for you exited that site real quick. Your potential customers are doing the same thing.

The great thing about chatbots is that they make your site more interactive and easier to navigate. They’re especially handy on mobile devices where browsing can sometimes be tricky. By offering instant answers to questions, chatbots ensure your visitors find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.

Let’s say a customer is on your website looking for a service you offer. Instead of searching through menus, they can ask the chatbot, “What is your return policy?” and the chatbot can either respond with the details or provide them with a link to the return policy page.

It’s that easy!

Data Collection and Insights

Chatbots aren’t just about helping your customers—they can help you too. Every interaction is an opportunity to learn more about what your customers want. For example, if your chatbot is frequently asked about a product you don’t carry, that’s a clue you might want to stock it.

You can also track how customers interact with your chatbot, giving you insights into what’s working well and what might need tweaking. Over time, this data helps you refine your approach and better meet your customers’ needs.

Must Read: Discover 5 reasons why you need to adopt a team chat app quickly to keep your team connected, improve collaboration, and enhance overall productivity.

7 Simple Steps to Create a Chatbot

It’s time to put things in motion. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating a chatbot that’s just right for your business.

1. Identify the Purpose of Your Chatbot

First things first—what do you want your chatbot to do? Is it for answering customer questions, helping with sales, or maybe collecting leads? Being crystal clear on its purpose will help you design a chatbot that truly meets your needs.

For example, if you run a hair salon, your chatbot might focus on scheduling appointments and answering questions about services. Knowing this upfront will guide the rest of the process.

2. Choose the Right Platform

Next, you’ll need to choose a platform to build your chatbot. The good news is there are plenty of no-code platforms out there that make it easy to get started. Broadly’s AI-powered web chat tool is a fantastic option designed specifically for small businesses. It’s user-friendly and plays nice with the rest of your existing systems, so you can get up and running quickly.

Setting up a chatbot varies from platform to platform, but they are fairly similar in their execution. Here’s how to add our web chat to your website:

How to Install the Web Chat Widget on Your Website

After setting up Inbox, go to Settings > Inbox Settings > Web Chat Configuration to get your web chat widget ready.

Next, simply copy the installation code provided and paste it into the <head> section of your website, right before the </head> tag. This will make sure your web chat is visible on every page of your site.

3. Design the Chatbot Conversation Flow

Now comes the fun part—designing your chatbot’s conversation flow. Think of this as mapping out a conversation between your chatbot and a customer. 

Consider things like: 

• What are the key questions your customers might ask? 
• How should your chatbot respond?

For example, if your chatbot is for an online clothing store, you might map out a conversation that goes something like this:

Customer: “Do you have any summer dresses?”

Chatbot: “Yes, we do! Would you like to see our new arrivals, or are you looking for something specific?”

Customer: “I’m interested in seeing new arrivals.”

Chatbot: “Great choice! Here are some of our latest summer dresses. [Displays a carousel of images with links to the product pages.] Would you like more details on any of these?”

Customer: “Can you show me the second one in blue?”

Chatbot: “Certainly! The blue summer dress you selected is made of lightweight cotton and features a flattering A-line cut. It’s available in sizes S, M, and L. Would you like to add it to your cart, or would you like to check the size guide?”

Customer: “I’d like to see the size guide.”

Chatbot: “Sure! Here’s the size guide for this dress. [Displays size guide.] Let me know if you’d like to add the dress to your cart or if you have any other questions.”

Customer: “I’ll add the medium to my cart.”

Chatbot: “Done! The blue summer dress in a size medium has been added to your cart. Is there anything else you’re looking for today? Maybe a pair of sandals to match?”

Customer: “What do you recommend?”

Chatbot: “We have some great sandals that would go perfectly with that dress. Here are a few options. [Displays a selection of sandals.] Would you like to add one of these to your cart?”

Customer: “I’ll take the first pair.”

Chatbot: “Fantastic choice! The sandals have been added to your cart as well. Would you like to proceed to checkout or continue shopping?”

Customer: “I’m ready to checkout.”

Chatbot: “Great! Let’s get you checked out. Here’s a summary of your cart: [Displays cart summary.] You can complete your purchase by clicking the ‘Checkout’ button below. Thank you for shopping with us!”

Using a visual editor, you can easily map out these interactions, ensuring your chatbot guides customers smoothly through the conversation.

4. Test Your Chatbot

Before you launch, it’s a good idea to test your chatbot to make sure everything works as expected. Try simulating different conversations to see how the chatbot responds. This testing phase helps catch any glitches or awkward responses, so your customers have a seamless experience.

Also, don’t be afraid to enlist the help of your team, or even family or friends to test it out. This way, your chatbot can be better prepared to respond to a variety of demographics and types of questions.

5. Train Your Chatbot

If your chatbot is AI-driven, you’ll need to train it to understand and respond to different types of queries. This involves feeding it with phrases and questions that customers might use. The more you train your chatbot, the better it will become at handling real-life conversations.

For example, if a lot of your customers ask about delivery times, make sure your chatbot is equipped to answer those questions accurately.

6. Collect User Feedback

Once your chatbot is live, it’s important to gather feedback from users. This could be as simple as asking customers to rate their experience from 1 to 10 after chatting with the bot. Their feedback will give you valuable insights into how well the chatbot is working and where it might need tweaks.

Pro Tip: Setting performance goals for your chatbot can help you plan and shoot for realistic milestones. For example, you could have a goal to reach a 7/10 average satisfaction rating in the first 30 days, and 8/10 in the first 60 days. 

7. Monitor and Optimize

Even after your chatbot is up and running, your work isn’t done. Keep an eye on its performance by reviewing chatbot analytics. Are users dropping off at certain points? Is there a common question the chatbot isn’t handling well? Use this data to make regular improvements to your chatbot model.

Imagine you’ve set up a chatbot for a local bakery that helps customers place orders online. After a few weeks of running, you check the chatbot analytics and notice something interesting: a significant number of users are abandoning the chat right after they ask about custom cake orders. 

You dive deeper into the data and discover that the chatbot isn’t providing clear instructions on how to place custom orders.

To fix this, you update the chatbot’s conversation flow. Now, when a customer inquires about custom cakes, the chatbot responds with detailed steps, including options to choose flavors, fillings, and decorations, and even offers a link to upload a design or photo for inspiration.

You continue to monitor the chatbot’s performance and see an immediate improvement—more customers are completing the process, and custom cake orders start rolling in. 

By regularly reviewing the chatbot’s analytics and making data-driven adjustments, you’ve turned a weak point into a strong customer service feature, ultimately increasing your bakery’s sales.

Bonus: Integrating Chatbots with Your Marketing

Chatbots can do more than just answer questions—they can also be integrated into your digital marketing automation efforts. For instance, you can use your chatbot to promote special offers, collect email addresses for your newsletter, or even direct users to specific landing pages.

For example, a chatbot on a real estate website might ask, “Are you looking to buy or rent?” and then guide users to the relevant listings or resources, making the experience more personalized and engaging.

Real-World Success Stories

To wrap things up, let’s look at some real-world examples of businesses that have successfully implemented chatbots:

Domino’s Pizza

Domino’s is a popular global pizza chain and a few years back made it even easier to order their famous pies from your preferred platform or device. This includes: 

• Google Assistant
• Amazon Alexa
• Facebook Messenger
• SMS

With just a quick message (or in the case of SMS, typing the word “pizza” or using the pizza emoji), you could quickly order your favorite pizza in seconds. 

(Source, ChatbotGuide)

Uber

Uber’s One-Click Chat makes communication between drivers and passengers safer and easier. Instead of typing while driving, which is dangerous, drivers can now respond to messages with a single click (Medium). Here’s how it works:

• When a passenger sends a message, Uber’s system analyzes the text and figures out what the passenger is asking.
• The system then suggests four quick replies that the driver can choose from with just one click.

This feature helps Uber drivers focus on the road while still staying in touch with passengers, making the ride safer for everyone.

These examples show how chatbots can be used in a variety of ways for better customer service without sacrificing service quality or safety. Integrating a web chat solution into your website is a great way to enhance customer interaction, ensuring you never miss an opportunity to engage with potential clients.

Better Communication Starts with Broadly

At the end of the day, it’s important to understand why customer service chat matters in business, especially when it comes to providing support and building lasting relationships with your customers. And fortunately, learning how to create a chatbot for your business doesn’t have to be a headache. 

With the right tools and a clear plan, you can have a chatbot up and running in no time, ready to improve customer service, drive sales, and give you valuable insights into your customers.

So why wait? Make relationships that last with Broadly’s powerful web chat solution. Test drive a demo today.