2. How to build a conversation using Nodes

This article shows you how to combine different nodes to create an entire bot conversation!

To learn about the different node types that can be used in your bot, check out our descriptions here or watch this video.

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1. Picking up from the last lesson, after adding our initial Multiple Choice node we need to tell the bot what to do when a user selects that option.

To add a new node, select the +Node button under the multiple choice button we named "Ask something else". This will up the "Add a node" menu for your new node!

2. Choose your node type

In this example, we'll add a free text node. That means the bot will ask a question, and wait for the user to type a reply before proceeding to the next step. In this case, we'll let the user know they can ask the bot anything.

3. Collect contact information

So now you've collected their question. But how do you get back in touch with them? 

Select the +Node under the free text node you just added. This time, select Email Address node from the menu.

You will notice that the checkbox for Save the user's response to their profile is selected and the property assigned is Email. A few things happen automatically:

1. By default, when adding an Email Address node, Instabot will automatically attribute the response to their user profile so you won't have to. 
2. Instabot will also validate the user's response to make sure it is a valid email format so you do not collect bad data for your leads.

4. Add the Email Address Node

Remember, the bot needs to tell the user that it's looking for an email address in response so they know what to enter:

• "That seems like a better question for our support team. Can you provide your email so someone can follow up with an answer?"

Select the Add Node button to update the storyboard with the new node.

In our example, we've now created the following path:

Pro-Tip: You can preview your bot anytime to check you progress by selecting the "Preview Bot" button!

You may have noticed the red triangle on your final node--this is showing up because your bot path isn't complete. In this case, once the bot has collected an email address it won't know what to do next. That's why you need to end every both path in one of two ways:

A. Redirect to an existing bot path 
B. Close bot - does just that! When the bot reaches this point in your conversation, it will close.

5. Complete your other bot paths

Under the "Tell me about <your company name>" multiple choice button, lets add a new Multiple Choice node.

This message to the user should be a short description about your business and how it provides value. Look to give relevant information but do not overwhelm the user with too much information.

Add the following button names:

1. Our services
2. How much does it cost
3. Ask something else

Notice that these options mirror the other bot paths you will create. I will explain this reasoning later on in this lesson.

6. Add Nodes to the other paths

Similar to the steps above, add multiple choice nodes to the Our Services and How much does it cost nodes. For the time being, you can add placeholder text in the message prompt and come back to make edits later.

7. Add a bot Action - Link to Existing Nodes

Now that we have added at least one node to each of the main bot paths, we want to give the user a chance to review the other content in our bot. So we are going to add a Link to an Existing Node bot action at the bottom of each path.

Hover over the +Node button to reveal a secondary option for +Action. Select this to reveal the list of bot actions.

1. Select "Link to an Exisitng Node"
2. Search for the name of the node under the Our Services button option.
   • (I have renamed this node to "Our Services" so it was easy to identify in this list. But yours may say something like 3. Multiple Choice if you did not rename your node.)

8. Add links for all open paths

Adding these links allows the user to always reference the initial bot options they were presented with. So continue to add links to the existing nodes so that the user can explore all the content your bot has to offer.

Congrats!

You have just built out a small bot that allows your users to do the following 4 things:

1. Get information on your business
2. Find out about features/services
3. Determine how much it costs
4. Or have a quick way to ask additional questions.

All of this is done within minutes of the user visiting your site.

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Next: Control who will see your bot and how it will open on your website with Instabot Triggers