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Ask for name, phone, email and address, then wait or branch

Four blocks are ready-made questions: Ask name, Ask phone, Ask email and Ask address. Each one asks, checks the answer, and saves it on the contact. Two more blocks control the chat: Delay pauses the bot, and Condition sends the chat one way or another. This page shows how to fill each one.

Before you start

What each block does

Block Group What it does
Ask name Ask the customer Asks for the customer's name. Saves it as name.
Ask phone Ask the customer Asks for a phone number. Saves it as contact_number.
Ask email Ask the customer Asks for an email address. Saves it as email.
Ask address Ask the customer Asks for a delivery address. Saves it as address.
Delay Ask the customer Pauses the flow before the next message.
Condition Actions Sends the chat to a True exit or a False exit.

Steps

Add a ready-made question

  1. Click the + after the step where the question should go.
  2. Click All steps.
  3. Under Ask the customer, click Ask name, Ask phone, Ask email or Ask address.
  4. Click the new block. Its settings open in the Step panel.

The block arrives filled in. You can change any part of it.

Ask for the name

  1. Add an Ask name block.
  2. Check the Question. It reads Hi! What's your name? Change it if you like, for example Hello! May I know your name?
  3. Check Save the answer as. It reads Name. The answer is saved as the variable name.
  4. Check The answer should be. It reads Short text.
  5. In a later message, type {{name}} to use the answer, for example Thanks {{name}}!

Ask for the phone number

  1. Add an Ask phone block.
  2. Check the Question. It reads What is your phone number?
  3. Check Save the answer as. It reads Phone. The answer is saved as contact_number.
  4. Check The answer should be. It reads Phone number. If the customer sends something that is not a phone number, the bot asks the question again. After the retry limit it follows the flow's fallback action.

Ask for the email address

  1. Add an Ask email block.
  2. Check the Question. It reads What is your email address?
  3. Check Save the answer as. It reads Email. The answer is saved as email.
  4. Check The answer should be. It reads Email. If the customer sends something that is not an email, the bot asks the question again. After the retry limit it follows the flow's fallback action.

Ask for the address

  1. Add an Ask address block.
  2. Check the Question. It reads Please share your address.
  3. Check Save the answer as. It reads Address. The answer is saved as address.
  4. Check The answer should be. It reads Long text, so the customer can type several lines.

Save an answer under your own name

  1. Open any ask block.
  2. Click Save the answer as. A list opens with Name, Phone, Email, Address, City, interests and goal, plus names your flow already uses.
  3. To use a new name, choose Custom…. It reads Your own name, e.g. company_name.
  4. In the box, type a name, for example company name. The helper reads Use it in a message as {{company_name}}.
  5. Click Use. The name is saved in small letters with underscores.

When you pick Name, Phone, Email, Address or City, the builder also links the answer to the matching CRM field. A later CRM step puts it in the right place.

Wait for a time

Delay pauses the flow before the next message.

  1. Click the + after the step, then click All steps.
  2. Under Ask the customer, click Delay.
  3. In Wait for · wait_minutes, type the minutes, for example 60.
  4. Read the line under the box. It shows the time in hours or days, for example 1 hours. It says the contact leaves the queue and comes back when it is due.
  5. Click the + at the end of the block and add the step that runs after the wait.

Use Set Delay for a short pause

For a few seconds before one message, use Set Delay on the Text block. See Text and list blocks. [VERIFY: how the Delay block behaves in a live chat flow]

Split the chat with a condition

Condition reads one saved answer and chooses an exit.

  1. Click the + after the step, then click All steps.
  2. Under Actions, click Condition.
  3. Under If the answer saved as, click Choose… and pick the answer to test, for example Email.
  4. Click the comparison, which reads is at first. A list titled How to compare opens. Choose one:
    • is
    • is not
    • contains
    • does not contain
    • is more than
    • is less than
    • is set
    • is empty
  5. For every choice except is set and is empty, type a Value, for example Delhi.
  6. Read the note Yes and No are the ports on the right. The exits are labelled True and False on the card.
  7. Click the + at True and add the step for the match, for example a message with the Delhi store address.
  8. Click the + at False and add the step for no match.

Example: set If the answer saved as to City, choose is, and type Delhi as the Value. Delhi customers follow True. Everyone else follows False.

Test both exits

Run Test twice, once with an answer that matches and once without. See Test a chatbot flow with the chat simulator.

Handle no reply

  1. Open an ask block.
  2. Switch on Set Timeout.
  3. Type Timeout after (minutes).
  4. Wire the Timed out exit to a reminder.

Troubleshooting

Issue Cause Fix
The bot asks again The answer did not fit The answer should be, for example text in a phone question. Check the type in The answer should be, or choose Short text.
{{name}} shows as plain text The variable has a capital letter, or the saved name differs. Write {{name}} in small letters, or use the chip under the message box.
A Condition always goes to False The saved answer is empty, or the Value has a different spelling. Check the name in If the answer saved as, and match the spelling.
A Condition has no Value box is set and is empty test the answer itself. Choose another comparison if you want to compare to a value.