Conversational UX principles
Effective conversation flows respect these principles: one question at a time, quick replies to reduce friction, handling exceptional cases, and ability to exit the flow at any time.
A chatbot that 'gets stuck' when the user responds unexpectedly creates frustration. Always design a fallback.
Flow design tools
Before implementing a flow, draw it on paper or with a flow design tool. Identify: entry point, main paths, exception paths, and exit point.
Chat API offers tools to configure automation flows visually, without code for standard use cases.
Flow testing
Test each flow thoroughly before deployment: follow the ideal path, alternative paths, and exceptional cases. Involve real users in testing.
Continuous optimization
Regularly analyze flow data: where users abandon the flow, what the completion rate is, and where 'talk to an agent' requests accumulate.
Update flows monthly based on data.
