Setup your first bot

Estimated reading: 5 minutes

In today’s fast-paced world, businesses of all sizes are looking for ways to improve customer satisfaction and streamline their operations.

One way to achieve these goals is by using chatbots, which are software programs that can simulate a conversation with a human.

In this blog post, we will walk you through the steps to set up your first chatbot on WhatCX, a powerful chatbot-building platform that makes it easy to create and manage custom chatbots for a variety of use cases. Whether you’re looking to improve customer support, automate sales, or streamline internal communications, this guide will help you get started. So, let’s dive in and start building your first chatbot!

How to create a Bot

For creating a bot, follow the steps below:

1. Login to your WhatCX Account, go to the Bots Module and click on the Create Bot button on the top-right.

2. A modal will appear to enter the Name of the Bot, fill in your desired name and click on Proceed.

3. The bot is created. You can now add and configure chat blocks in the created bot.

What is a Chat Block and How to create it?

What is a Chat Block?

A chat block can be defined as a stage in an Automated Bot.

Chat Blocks consist of different components such as Welcome Message(s), Option Message, Type of Options, Option Labels, Response Message(s), Intents, Couldn’t Understand Message, and Default Team Settings.

How to create a Chat Block?

For creating a chat block, follow the steps below:

1. log in to your WhatCX Account, go to the Bots module and click the Edit button on the Bot if you want to add a chat block to.

2. Click on the Add Chat Block button on the top-right.

3. A modal will open with a guided experience for creating a chat block.

4. The first stage includes configuring:

Block Name – This field is to enter the name of the chat block you are creating.
Welcome Message – This is to configure the first message(s) you want to send to your user whenever the chat block is triggered. You can set up multiple welcome messages that will be triggered in a series.

When configured, click on Proceed.

5. The second stage includes the Options settings. The settings include:

Options Message – This is to configure and setup the message which will be sent along with the Options.

Options Type – This is to select the type of Option you want to use for the Chat Block. The types include:
- Text – This type will require the user to enter number inputs in the Chat. For example, Type ‘1’ for Yes.
- List – This type will allow you to add up to 10 options for the users to choose from. A list modal opens up in the WhatsApp chat for users to choose from.
- Button – This type includes the Quick Reply buttons attached with the message as Options. You can add up to 3 Buttons in a Chat Block.
Options – This consists of setting up all the configurations for the Option. It includes:
- Label – This is to setup the label of the option that will be visible for the user to select.
- Response Message – This is to setup the message that will be sent in the chat whenever a user selects a particular option. You can add multiple response messages for an Option.
- Next Action – This is to select the Action that will be triggered whenever a particular option is selected by the user. The Actions include:
  - Trigger Bot
  - Trigger Chat Block
  - Resend Options
  - Trigger Default Chat Block
  - Trigger Enquiry
  - Trigger Form
  - Connect to Team
  - Connect to Agent
  - No Intent
- Assign Tags – This is to select the tag(s) that will be assigned to the contact if the option is selected by the user.
- Assign Chat Labels – This is to select the Chat Label(s) that will be assigned to the chat if the option is selected by the user.

When done, click on Proceed.

6. The third stage is to configure all the non-option settings of the Chat Bloc. The settings include:

“Couldn’t Understand” Message – This is to enter the message that will be sent in the chat when the user enters an invalid response to the Options Message.
A checkbox to select whether you want this chat block to be the starting point in the Bot flow.
Default Team for Interaction – This is to select the team that will be assigned to the conversation when the user passes the fault tolerance.
Invalid Count Tolerance – This is to configure the number of invalid attempts will be allowed in the conversation before it is transferred to the default team.
Transfer to Default Team Message – This is to configure the message that will be sent in the chat when the user passes the fault tolerance is being transferred to the Default Team.

When done setting up, click on Proceed.

7. The fourth and the last step includes a preview of how the chat block will look in a conversation, when triggered.