Guide to Sales Chatbots: Tools, Best Practices

Use proactive messaging wisely

Don’t wait for customers to reach out. Use data-driven insights to send proactive, timely messages about deals, product recommendations, or reminders, but avoid spamming users with irrelevant updates.

Optimize for follow-up and multi-channel outreach

A good sales chatbot doesn’t stop at one conversation. Set it up to nurture leads across channels like email or SMS and track where users are in the sales funnel to maintain consistency.

Monitor conversation quality, not just volume

It’s not enough to count how many conversations your chatbot handles. Analyze chat transcripts to assess lead quality, customer sentiment, and whether the bot is effectively guiding users toward conversion.

Tell users they’re speaking to a bot

Transparency builds trust. Always let users know they’re speaking to a bot – it sets clear expectations and creates a smoother, more authentic experience.

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Use agentic AI

If you're building an AI chatbot, build it with agentic AI. Traditional chatbots carry out conversations, but AI agents can take real actions on behalf of their users.

Instead of just answering questions, they can complete workflows, update records, trigger processes, and integrate with business systems.

Design with escalation paths in mind

Even the smartest chatbots can’t handle every scenario. Ensure your bot knows when to escalate a conversation to a human, and make that handoff seamless. Customers shouldn’t feel like they’re starting from scratch.

Prioritize intent recognition over endless scripts

Rather than relying on predefined flows, focus on training your chatbot to accurately identify user intents. This ensures flexibility and responsiveness, even in unpredictable sales conversations.

Align chatbot goals with sales metrics

Make sure your chatbot directly contributes to key sales objectives, like improving lead qualification rates or shortening sales cycles. Tie chatbot performance to measurable outcomes that matter to your team.

Lead Qualification

Out of the thousands of chatbots we've deployed, the most common is the AI lead generation bot.

These chatbots can generate leads, qualify them, and conduct the first steps to nurture them.

If a company a) doesn't have enough leads or b) has too many leads to manage, then an AI solution is necessary to scale its sales motions.

A sales chatbot can qualify leads instantly by asking key questions about budget, needs, and decision-making power. It filters out bad fits, scores leads, and routes high-value prospects to sales reps.

Lead Nurturing

The next step in the AI sales funnel is nurturing the leads. A sales chatbot keeps leads warm by delivering timely nudges, sharing relevant insights, and handling follow-ups without feeling pushy.

It can drop a well-placed case study, remind a prospect about that demo they ghosted, or resurface an old conversation at just the right moment. Whether someone’s curious but hesitant or stuck in decision paralysis, the chatbot keeps them engaged throughout the process.

Appointment Scheduling

Most sales chatbots act as booking chatbots, scheduling meetings with clients without the work of sales reps.

Instead of endless email back-and-forth, it offers available time slots, syncs with calendars (through integrations with apps like Calendly and Google Calendar), and confirms appointments automatically.

If a prospect needs to reschedule, no problem — it handles that too. Plus, it can send reminders to cut down on no-shows.

Personalized Product Recommendations

A good salesperson listens before they pitch. A chatbot can do the same — picking up on what a prospect actually wants and dropping the right product in front of them at the right moment.

Whether it’s upselling, cross-selling, or just steering someone toward the best fit, the chatbot personalizes recommendations in real time. It works across chat, email, or a website, keeping the buying journey smooth while saving you from playing product matchmaker.

Competitive Differentiation

Most buyers are comparing options before they ever talk to sales. A chatbot can step in early, highlighting what sets you apart — whether it’s better features, stronger support, or a smarter approach.

It can handle side-by-side comparisons, bust common objections, and reinforce why your product is the right choice, all without making prospects wait for a reply.

Automating Follow-Ups

Following up is essential, but it’s also easy to forget — or worse, do too late. A chatbot keeps things moving by automatically checking in after demos, reminding prospects about unfinished sign-ups, or nudging them when they’ve gone quiet.

It can even tailor messages based on where someone left off, so it doesn’t feel like a generic ping.

1. Botpress

Botpress is a powerful, flexible platform for building AI-powered chatbots and LLM agents. Designed for developers and businesses, it combines flexibility with advanced features like natural language understanding, multilingual support, and omnichannel deployment. 

Botpress enables users to create highly customizable and scalable chatbots tailored to various applications, from customer support to sales automation, while offering seamless integration with tools like CRMs and ticketing systems.

2. HubSpot Sales Chatbot

HubSpot provides a comprehensive CRM platform with an integrated sales chatbot designed for small to medium-sized businesses. It offers lead qualification, meeting scheduling, and seamless CRM integration to streamline sales workflows.

3. Zoho SalesIQ

Zoho SalesIQ is tailored for lead generation and customer engagement. It features real-time visitor tracking, automated chat responses, and robust analytics to optimize sales strategies.

4. Freshdesk Freddy AI

Developed by Freshworks, Freddy AI assists with overall sales processes. It provides AI-driven insights, automates repetitive tasks, and integrates with various communication channels to enhance customer interactions.

5. Salesforce Einstein

Salesforce Einstein is an AI-powered platform offering enterprise-level automation. It delivers predictive analytics, personalized customer experiences, and deep integration with Salesforce CRM for comprehensive sales management.

6. Zendesk Answer Bot

Zendesk's Answer Bot focuses on customer support within the sales journey. It provides instant answers to common queries, reduces response times, and integrates with Zendesk's suite of support tools.

7. WotNot

WotNot is a no-code chatbot platform that helps you build competent lead-generation chatbots. It enables you to design a sales-oriented conversational flow and drive business value.

1. Define objectives 

Clarify what you want your sales chatbot to achieve – is it generating leads, qualifying prospects, or closing deals?

Your needs and objectives won’t just determine the platform you choose, but the type of chatbot you want to build. 

Most sales chatbots are LLM agents – AI agents powered by LLMs so that they can flexibly handle a variety of user needs.

Building an AI agent over an AI chatbot will allow your solution to handle each lead as they see fit – agentic systems can autonomously decide the best route to achieve the goal it’s given.

2. Choose an AI platform

The best AI platforms will depend entirely on your goals and needs. 

Select a platform that aligns with your requirements, considering factors like customization options, integration capabilities, ease of use, and support. 

The platform should:

• Support your desired use case
• Offer your preferred LLMs or be LLM-agnostic
• Offer integration capabilities – both built-in options and the flexibility to hook in your own

3. Integrate tools 

Most platforms provide integration options for external tools. The most useful integrations for sales chatbots are:

• CRM tools like Salesforce or HubSpot to track and manage leads
• Payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal for seamless transactions
• Email marketing tools like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign for follow-ups
• Calendars like Google Calendar or Calendly for scheduling demos or appointments
• Analytics platforms like Google Analytics or Mixpanel to track chatbot performance
• Customer support systems like Zendesk or Intercom for smooth handoffs to human agents
• Inventory management tools like Shopify or SAP to provide real-time product availability
• Live chat software like LiveChat (or native HITL) to enable instant escalation when needed

4. Test and refine

Test the agent thoroughly using the platform’s built-in testing tools. Adjust parameters, prompt phrasing, and workflows based on testing outcomes to ensure the agent performs well in real scenarios.

5. Deploy and monitor 

While the build and deploy stages often take center, don’t underestimate the importance of long-term monitoring with chatbot analytics. 

Use the platform’s monitoring tools to track your sales chatbot’s interactions and performance after deployment. 

Gather insights and refine the setup as needed, taking advantage of any feedback mechanisms provided by the platform.

What is a virtual sales assistant chatbot?

​​A virtual sales assistant chatbot automates sales tasks like lead qualification, product recommendations, and customer support through AI-driven conversations.

How do I use a chatbot for sales?

Use a chatbot to engage prospects, answer questions, qualify leads, schedule demos, and even close deals, all while integrating it with your sales tools.

Do chatbots increase sales?

Yes, chatbots lead to an average sales increase of 67% (and up to 70% in some industries).  

How do I deploy a sales chatbot?

To get started with deploying a sales chatbot, choose a platform, outline key tasks like lead qualification, and integrate it with your sales tools.

How much does a sales chatbot cost?

A sales chatbot can range from a simple bot on a free tier to thousands of dollars per month.