How to build an omnichannel chatbot

Beta

This product is in open beta. It’s available for use but still in active development and may change.

Zapier Chatbots enable you to create an omnichannel experience by automating conversations across various platforms, including social media and email.

To build an omnichannel chatbot, you’ll need:

• A single chatbot: This chatbot will serve as a central point for handling conversations across channels.
• Zaps: Create Zaps to connect your chatbot to each of your desired communication channels (e.g., Facebook Messenger, Gmail, Slack). You can use ready-made Zap templates.

Key considerations for omnichannel chatbots

Generalize the chatbot directive

Your chatbot's directive tells it what to do and how to reply to your users. If you want the same chatbot to be able to reply through different channels:

• Do not refer to specific formatting or writing style in the directive field, as this will change depending on the channel.
• Only use information relevant to all channels the chatbot will use, such as the information it should share with users.

Tailor responses with the User Message field  

Edit the User Message field within the Chatbots Generate Reply to Message action step in each of your Zaps. This field allows you to provide channel-specific instructions to the chatbot.

You can add channel-specific formatting such as:

Email

• Include a professional closing.
• Add a company signature at the end.
• Use a formal tone.

Social media

• Use a friendly and conversational tone.
• Keep responses short and engaging.

Slack

• Keep the response concise and informative.
• Use emojis sparingly.
• Consider using code blocks for technical information.

Provide feedback and get help

Submit a feature request, provide feedback on existing features, or get help from the Zapier Chatbots team.