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Building an AI chatbot isn’t all about code. To ensure an optimal end user experience, you’ll want to employ conversation design for a smooth, helpful interaction.
Whether it’s an AI chatbot to answer common questions or an AI agent that takes action for your users, an intentionally-designed chatbot script ensures a seamless digital experience.
If you’re looking for more in-depth resources on conversation design, check out our free Chatbot Copywriting course or Conversation Design course on Botpress Academy.
What’s a chatbot script?
A chatbot script is a predefined set of dialogue that a chatbot follows when interacting with users. It outlines the flow of conversation, including possible questions and helpful responses.
Chatbot scripts ensure a chatbot can handle a wide range of user inputs, stay on track, mimic human conversation patterns, and provide helpful, relevant answers.
Step-by-step guide to writing chatbot scripts
1. Identify goals
If you’re implementing a chatbot for the right reasons, your team will have identified key goals for your chatbot to achieve.
If it’s a lead generation chatbot, you’ll want it to increase the quality or quantity of leads (or both). If it’s a customer support chatbot, you might want it to successfully troubleshoot, provide answers, and update customer information.
The goals of your chatbot will be closely intertwined with calculating the ROI of your chatbot.
2. Outline customer journey
Think through how users will interact with your chatbot. What questions are they likely to ask? What problems do they need help solving?
Your chatbot script should address each stage of the user journey. This means mapping out the possible interactions: from the first greeting to resolving an issue, all in a seamless flow.
Tip: Make sure you use different introductions for new and returning users. They have different needs, and personalization goes a long way in user satisfaction.
3. Map your conversation flow
Break down the conversation into manageable steps. What responses do users expect, and how can your chatbot guide them?
Use decision trees to map out potential paths, ensuring smooth transitions between user queries and your chatbot’s responses. Planning for varied user input makes your chatbot feel more dynamic and less robotic.
Tip: Make it clear from the get-go what kinds of questions your AI chatbot can assist with with signage, dialogue suggestions, or conversational text.
4. Create a consistent personality
Some chatbots use GIFs, some use emojis. Some communicate with a specific dialect or slang (“Howdy there, how can I be of help to y’all today?”). Some are formal and some are funny.
But the best chatbots have one thing in common: their presentation reflects their organization’s brand.
Depending on your context and ideal user, your chatbot will vary in an optimal personality. A chatbot for a fun e-commerce store might throw in light jokes, while one for a legal service should keep things formal and respectful.
Tip: Make sure your chatbot’s personality enhances their purpose, instead of distracting from it.
5. Monitor effectiveness
Deploying is just the first step of implementing an AI agent. Monitoring is an ongoing process that helps your team make the most effective chatbot possible.
Are users dropping off at certain points in the conversation flow? Are they getting the help they need?
Regularly review interactions to spot any pain points or dead ends. Tweak and optimize the script based on user feedback and data to keep your bot efficient and engaging.
Tip: For a high-impact chatbot, invest in advanced analytics to optimize your chatbot’s performance.
7 tips for successful chatbot scripts
Now that we have the basics out of the way, here are a few tips to build the best chatbot script for your users:
1. Vary responses
Identical or repetitive language sounds canned – leading to a poor user experience.
Even repeating the same response can make your bot feel robotic and dull. Create multiple variations for common questions to keep the conversation engaging. It also makes the interaction feel more personalized.
2. Keep it short
No one wants to read an essay in text-form, and that includes your end user.
Script the conversations flows so that each line doesn’t exceed 3 lines of text (roughly 60-90 characters). This will ensure a smooth back-and-forth experience between your user and AI agent.
3. Check in with an inactive user
If a user goes quiet, don’t just end the chat. Gently prompt them with a follow-up like, “Are you still there?” or offer additional help. This re-engages users and shows that your bot is attentive.
4. No response options
Plenty of companies are weary of implementing chatbots, lest their AI agent say something untrue.
Building a ‘no response’ option ensures that your chatbot can tactfully deflect off-topic questions or admit when it doesn’t have the solution.
In this case, have actionable next steps for your users to take (e.g. speak to a human or fill in a customer support ticket).
5. End on an open note
Leave the door open for future interactions. Let users know they can come back anytime, or provide follow-up options if they need further assistance.
6. Sound natural
A good chatbot doesn’t sound stiff. Use contractions, simple language, and natural phrasing.
Think of it as a casual conversation rather than a formal script.
7. Plan for mistakes
Users will sometimes type things your bot doesn’t understand. Plan for these moments by programming helpful fallback responses like, “I’m not sure I understand. Could you clarify?”
8. Make it easy to speak to a human
Sometimes, users just want to talk to a real person. Offer clear options to speak to a human agent, especially for more complex queries. This ensures users don’t feel stuck or frustrated.
If you’re using an AI chatbot platform, pick one that offers ‘human-in-the-loop’ as a feature – that way, you can easily direct users to a human agent when needed.
Build chatbots 10x faster
Like every other software, AI chatbot platforms are becoming faster and easier to use with the rapid evolution of AI technology. It’s getting easier and easier to build strong AI agents and chatbots.
Build autonomous AI agents
Building AI agents is getting more autonomous. By using Autonomous Nodes, chatbot builders can simply instruct their chatbot on its purpose and set it loose.
The Autonomous Node will allow your AI chatbot to independently decide how to best achieve the task at hand.
Build stronger, more flexible AI chatbots in 1/10th of the time. Try Autonomous Nodes for free in the Botpress Studio today.
Become a conversation design expert
Writing a chatbot script is just one step of chatbot conversation design. Botpress Academy lets you master the basics of chatbot building and managing for free.
Whether taking a free course in Conversation Design, or brushing up on your Chatbot Copywriting, these courses allow builders to improve their AI chatbots, from build to deployment.
Deploy an autonomous AI agent next month
You have an idea for an AI chatbot – and we have the most advanced, user-friendly platform available.
It’s easy to build on Botpress with a drag-and-drop visual flow builder, extensive educational library, and an active Discord community of 20,000+ bot builders.
Our extensible platform means you can build anything, and our Integration Hub is full of pre-built connectors to the biggest channels.
Start building today. It’s free.
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