Handle chatbots easily with visual flow
BotStar is designed for both tech and non-tech people. Everyone can easily build a simple chatbot themselves. Before driving deep into creating an actual bot, we recommend checking out our articles about basic components below, it would be extremely helpful if you are new to BotStar.
Canvas
Canvas is our drag-and-drop interface that gives you an overall of the chatbot flow. Within the Canvas, you can insert messages, set up conversation blocks, connect them together, provide instruction on navigation. You can even load data dynamically into the flow, run the code fast and easily.
Now you can see your bot flow as a map and observe the logic of your conversation visually.
Library Panel
We gather the most popular functions that bots can perform into the Library panel. It is the first tab located in the left column of the Bot Builder. Library contains all type of blocks you need to set up a chatbot flow, including:
The chatbot is built by dragging and dropping blocks from this library panel onto the canvas to quickly create a bot flow.
Data Panel
Data panel is next to the Library Panel. This panel contains all the dynamic data such as Variables, User Responses, User Attributes, and Bot Attributes. For instance, you can use the variables in every bot like {first name} to greet your customers and provide a personalized experience. You can also create your own custom attributes, collect input from your customers for further usage. Those Variables are great for creating features that require calculations, booking, and ordering.
Properties Panel
Properties panel is located on the right-hand side of the Bot Builder, under the Preview button. It shows the setting for each block and these settings can be visited to config contents and appearance of any block.
Quick Responses
Quick Responses is the button that offers the chat user options to respond promptly for the next step. There are three kinds of Quick Responses you can use:
None: shows no Quick Responses.
CMS: Icons and texts can be loaded dynamically into Quick Responses. You can check our CMS for more details.
Static: are buttons of static text. It could be location, phone number, or email. If you click on the Item button on static, you will see two types of buttons
- Text: BotStar allows you to enter up to 20 characters to create a name for the button, at the same time, you can use upload an image for setting a button icon.
- Phone number or Email: When the chat users select this button, they will send an Email or Phone Number to the bot. If the user's profile does not have a phone number or an email, the quick responses will not be shown.
Typing Time: Display the time that the message delivers to the chat user. For example, the typing time of a block is 3 seconds means that they have to wait 3 seconds for the chatbot to compose the message and display it.
Note: You can totally change the position of all buttons.
Use CMS Data
CMS (Content Management System) is one of the special features by BotStar. With CMS, you can create and manage digital content for your bot. Also, CMS allows your chat users to browse your products on the chatbot easily.
You completely insert data from CMS into the Block by turning on the Use CMS data toggle. It provides options to select and filter CMS items by Entity, Query Limit, Sort by, Order by.
For more information, please read our documentation about CMS.
User Response Handling
To let the flow move on from a current block, the bot builder can enable Expect User Response in User Response Handling. The replies or responses after this block will be captured and stored in a data placeholder under this block's name. Captured User Response will show up in the Data Panel.
Response Validation: Type of information you want your chat users to enter such as Email, Date, Phone number, Weblink, Number. When choosing one of these formats, chat users are forced to enter a response that matches the format, otherwise the bot will not continue or report the error.
Validation Error Message: This is where you enter the message you want the chatbot to reply to your customers when they enter an answer that does not match the format you have set up in Response Validation.
Show This Block Again Upon Validation Error: If enabled, the bot will display the same Block again with a text message that is defined in Validation Error Message.
Outgoing Connections Panel
This section provides an overview of outgoing connections from this block. For example, block Ask the phone number is the selected block, it generates a block Choose date and time. Therefore, block Choose date and time appears at the Outgoing Connections Panel for you to easily manage and customize.
Outline Panel
Outline Panel helps you manage a chatbot within all the blocks that appear in Bot Builder including Regular Blocks, Advanced Blocks, and Actions. You will be immediately directed to the block you want by clicking on the name of the block in the Outline Panel.
If you have any concerns, please feel free to leave a comment below or contact us through support@botstar.com. For more details on how we have helped our customers grow their business, you can view our use cases, blogs or join our BotStar community to learn and share new things 😊