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Build a chatbot flow

Create a no-code chatbot in RetroChat: messages, quick-reply questions, typed answers, conditions, AI answers and hand-offs to your team.

A flow is the conversation your chatbot has with visitors. You build it from steps in the dashboard under Chatbot, with no code.

Create a flow

  1. Open Chatbot and click New flow.
  2. Start from a template (Welcome & triage or Lead capture), start blank, or import a file. See Import and export flows.
  3. Add and connect steps. Every step says where the visitor goes next.
  4. Press Test and talk to your flow exactly as a visitor would.
  5. Activate it. Only one flow is active at a time, and activating one switches the others off.

The builder shows a map of the whole conversation. It also warns you about problems, such as a step that leads nowhere or a question with no answer path.

The steps

Step What it does
Message Shows a message, then moves straight on.
Question Asks something and waits for an answer, saved to a variable.
Condition Checks variables with IF/ELSE rules and picks a path. Visitors never see it.
AI answer Lets the AI answer the visitor's questions from your knowledge base (Autopilot plan).
Hand off Brings in a person. The chat moves to Waiting in your inbox.
End Says goodbye and ends the bot's part of the chat.

Questions

A question can take an answer in five ways:

  • Choice: quick-reply buttons. Each button can lead to a different step.
  • Text: a free-text answer.
  • Email: the format is checked, and the email is saved to the contact.
  • Phone: saved to the contact.
  • Number: handy for team size, budget or quantity, which you can compare in conditions.

Every answer is saved to the variable you name, such as topic, team_size or email. Answers saved to name, email or phone also fill in the contact's profile.

Use answers in messages

Put a variable in double curly brackets and RetroChat fills it in:

Thanks, {{name}}! We'll send the quote to {{email}}.

Conditions

A condition step checks its rules in order. The first rule that matches decides where the visitor goes. If none match, the visitor takes the else path. See Variables and conditions for every rule and the built-in variables, such as whether anyone on your team is online.

Hand off to a person

A hand-off step moves the chat to Waiting and notifies your team. If nobody is online, RetroChat asks the visitor for their email, so you can reply later. See Office hours and offline chats.

Visitors can also press Talk to a person at any time, even in the middle of a flow. You can rename or hide that button under Widget.

Tips for flows that people finish

  • Keep it short. Three to five questions is plenty. Ask only what changes what happens next.
  • Prefer buttons to typing. Buttons are faster to answer and easier to branch on.
  • Say why you're asking for an email, for example "so we can send your quote".
  • Always offer a way out. Add a "Talk to a person" choice where it helps.
  • Test every branch. Use Test with different answers before you activate.

Example

The Northwind Bikes sample flow shows:

  • a quick-reply menu;
  • a budget question;
  • a condition that sends big budgets to a specialist;
  • an AI answer step;
  • an "is anyone online?" check before the hand-off.

You can import it as-is and adapt it.