Conversation Design checklist
Here are some tips and tricks for building clever bots and offering customers the best possible user experience:
Your bot: | Example |
Introduces itself and the organisation | Hi, welcome to Bot Trains. I'm Choo Choo, your virtual assistant 👋 |
Clearly states what it can do | I can help you book a ticket, check train times, or find the perfect destination for your next trip! |
Takes turns with the user, instead of bombarding them with information | Bot: “How can I help you?" User: “I want to book a ticket.” Bot: “Sure, where do you want to go?” |
Offers alternative ways of support if it can't help the user | Sorry, our agents are currently unavailable. Perhaps you'd like to email us your question instead? [email protected] |
End the conversation in a clear way | Glad I could help. Bye bye 👋 |
Uses empathy | User: “Help my card got stolen!” Bot: “Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that. Let me help you." |
Never uses ALL CAPS | It comes across as very aggressive – LIKE YOUR BOT IS SHOUTING AT THE USER |
Greets a returning user by their name | Hello Beyonce, welcome back! |
Has a well-defined personality and voice that matches your brand | General bot greeting: “Hello, I’m your bot assistent.” Formal company bot: “Hello, Ms. Carter. How may I help you today?” Funky company bot: “Hey B, nice to see you again! What’s up?” |
Uses emojis if/when appropriate | Good: "Get in, we're going shopping 🛍" Bad: "Sorry you lost your bank card 😂" |
Collects user feedback about the conversation | "Before you go, how was this experience for you?"
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