1. How to add a new node to your bot – Instabot Support

This article will show you how to add a node to your new or existing bot.

1. Open the bot you'd like to add a node to, either by selecting "Edit Bot" on an existing bot (1) or starting a "New Bot" from scratch (2). You can select a template to start off with (3)!

To keep things simple, we'll start from scratch in this guide, but you can use this same method in any bot!

3. The first time you add a node to a blank bot, you'll see the "Add a Node" menu by default.

Every node is a specific user response type. You can read about each node type here!

4. Add your first node by selecting the type in the left hand menu. We recommend starting off with a Multiple Choice node to introduce your bot and direct the user down a helpful path.

5. In the Ask a question input field, enter your first message to users--remember, multiple choice nodes should always end with a question.

e.g. "Hi, welcome to Instabot! How can I help you today?"

6. Once you've added the message, you will need to add the possible options the user will select from. These Multiple Choice buttons will be added in the individual input fields below the section "Select how the user will respond".

Keep your options short and simple, e.g.:

Tell me about Instabot
Our services
How much does it cost?
Ask something else

You will notice that as you type in one button, an additional one will be added. Don't worry, any blank buttons will not be shown in the bot.

Select the "Add Node" button when complete.

You will see the storyboard is updated with 4 separate bot paths representing each answer differently. From here you can create different experiences based on which option the user chooses.

Want to add more nodes? Look for the +Node button under each of your bot paths!

That's it!

You have added your first node and are on your way to building out your first bot. The next lesson will show you how to add different node types together to create a conversational experience for your users.

Next: See how to build a bot with different nodes!

BUILDING TIP: You can preview your bot as you build by selecting the Preview Bot button in the header. This will allow you to visualize the bot you have built as the end user will see it.

ADDITIONAL HELP: Review the template bots to see best practices and some language that we have seen be successful for the use cases they represent. If you need extra help building your bot, you can contact our team to schedule a training call.