How to create a bot to automate tasks for you

What if your service and support teams could spend less time searching for information and more time making impactful decisions and interacting with your customers? Discover how to create a bot to automate your tasks and turn this dream into reality.

According to Forrester, most managers believe that streamlined processes and agile business practices, fueled by automation, make it significantly easier to serve customers better.

In this blog, we’ll explore how task automation through bots can improve your customer service workflow. From defining bots and the different types available to a step-by-step guide on creating your own automation bot, we’ve got you covered. 

What are automated bots?

Bots are software that is designed to automate repetitive tasks. They enhance efficiency and accuracy in many mundane tasks, such as scheduling appointments or replying to FAQs, making them a huge help for customer service and support teams.

Types of bots

Bots is a term that covers a wide range of software. However, they can typically be divided into different categories. Here are some of the most common and helpful types of bots you should start using. 

• Flowbots: Follow predefined rules to guide customers through a set of steps, ensuring consistency and reliability in responses. For example, how to set up an account or troubleshoot common issues. 
• AI bots: Leveraging artificial intelligence, these bots can understand and respond to customer queries using natural language processing (NLP), giving more personalised responses.
• Chatbots: Can handle various inquiries, from simple FAQs to more complex issues, freeing up your team for more complicated tasks.

By integrating these bots, you can streamline your operations, reduce human error, and improve overall customer satisfaction.

📚 More on Flowbots? Find everything you need to know here. Rather dive into AI bots, go here.

Benefits of using bots

Automating tasks with bots can deliver a tonne of advantages that can transform the way your team operates.

• Increased efficiency: bots streamline processes, allowing tasks to be completed faster and more consistently. Task automation with bots also frees up your team to focus on more complex tasks. A survey by Harvard Business Review found that automation solutions increase productivity for 90% of employees.
• Cost savings: automating repetitive tasks reduces labour costs and minimises human errors, which can lead to notable savings. Juniper Research found that global retail spend over chatbots is forecast to reach $12 billion in 2023; growing to $72 billion by 2028, and a huge motivator for this increased investment is the cost savings that automated bots lead to.
• Improved accuracy and quality: custom automation bots reduce human error by handling tasks and delivering precise outcomes, which leads to a more consistent customer experience. According to a Forrester report, 50% of respondents agreed that "My work gets interrupted because I can’t find or get access to the info I need to complete my tasks." Bots help mitigate these interruptions by providing timely and accurate information.

Solutions for effective bot implementation

Implementing automated bots can improve your workflow, but success requires strategic planning. Here are six tips for making the most out of the benefits that custom automation bots can offer

1. Start small and scale up

Begin by automating simple, repetitive tasks with clear parameters. This lets your team get comfortable with the bot and can help ensure early success. As confidence and knowledge in your team grow, you can gradually scale up to more complex processes.

2. Integrate with existing systems

Ensure your bots are integrated with your current tools and platforms. Connecting bots with your CRM or helpdesk can streamline your data flow. Using workflow automation tools like Trengo can help ensure smooth integrations with all the most common customer service tools and platforms.

3. Continuously monitor and optimise

A bot is not a “set it and forget it” tool. Initially, you will want to review your bot performance regularly and gather feedback. Look for patterns in errors or user interactions that can be areas for improvement. This ongoing optimisation is essential if you want to maintain high performance and deliver quality customer service.

4. Provide clear instructions and training

Give your team training on how to use and manage the bots. Clear documentation and hands-on workshops can give your staff a chance to troubleshoot issues and make sure they understand the full potential and capabilities of the task automation bots you will be using.

5. Prioritise user experience

Design your bots with the end-user in mind. Ensure interactions are intuitive, human-like and helpful.

6. Leverage AI for personalisation

Incorporate AI to make your bots more responsive and personalised. AI task automation can improve the customer experience by providing more relevant and faster responses based on historical user data.

The setup of your bot: What to consider

Setting up your bot for task automation involves a few key steps:

• Identifying tasks to automate: focus on repetitive, time-consuming tasks that can benefit from automation, such as answering FAQs or scheduling appointments.
• Select the right tools and platforms: choose the right automation tools for your needs. Popular options include Trengo, Respond.io, CM, and Intercom. These platforms offer bot-building frameworks that are a great place to start.
• Integration and configuration: ensure your bot integrates seamlessly with your existing systems. 
• Testing and optimisation: before full deployment, test your bot thoroughly to ensure any issues have been resolved. Continuously monitor its performance and make adjustments as you notice problems appear in real-world use.

How to create a bot to do a task

Here’s a bot creation tutorial using Trengo:

In Trengo, start by designing your Flowbot’s structure. This involves mapping the conversation flow and deciding how the bot will interact with customers at each step.

Once the design is complete, move on to the configuration. 

Here’s how you can set up your Flowbot step-by-step:

1. Configure your Flowbot

General settings

• Internal title: Name your Flowbot for easy identification.
• Channels: Connect your Flowbot to the relevant communication channels.
• Web chat start message: Set the initial message that customers will see when they open the Website chat on your widget.

Reset settings

If customers click the wrong button, they can reset the conversation by typing a predefined word.

• Reset or transfer on keywords: Choose ‘Reset’ to enable this feature.
• Reset keywords: Define the words customers can type to reset the conversation.
• Reset with keywords message: Display a message explaining the reset keywords.

Transfer settings

If the Flowbot can’t provide the desired solution, customers can transfer to live Support.

• Reset or transfer on keywords: Choose ‘Transfer’ to enable this feature.
• Transfer keywords: Define the words customers can type to request a transfer.
• Transfer with keywords message: Explain the transfer keywords to the customers.
• Transfer message: Display a message confirming the transfer request.

Button settings

For channels that don’t support clickable buttons, customers can type the number or letter corresponding to their choice.

• Button order type: Choose to display emoji, numbers, or letters for button choices.
• Button fallback message: Set a message for when customers type an incorrect number or letter.
• Button guiding message: Encourage customers to make a choice before displaying the buttons.

Chatbot settings

Link your chatbot to the Flowbot to handle specific queries automatically.

• Chatbot linkage: If a customer asks a question in the chatbot’s database, the chatbot will take over the conversation.

Once you have configured all the settings, publish your Flowbot and test it to ensure everything works correctly. 

This step-by-step bot creation will help you set up a bot with Trengo that efficiently handles tasks and improves your workflow.

For a detailed guide on setting up your flowbot in Trengo, check out the Trengo Flowbot Configuration Guide and watch the tutorial video.
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How do you make your bot pick up tasks?

To get your bot to pick up tasks effectively, you need to configure it thoughtfully. Here’s how to ensure your bot handles tasks and really does save you time.

Handling FAQs

Your bot can manage FAQs and free up your team from answering repetitive and simple questions. Here’s how:

• Identify common questions: analyse customer interactions to pinpoint the most frequently asked questions.
• Predefined responses: create accurate and helpful responses for each question.
• Update regularly: keep the FAQ database updated with new questions and improved answers based on customer feedback and any changes to your products or services.

Assigning conversations

Bots can assign conversations to a human on your team when necessary. This can ensure that the bot doesn't pick up a task it's not capable of handling and that your customers get better-quality responses for more complex issues. 

• Set transfer keywords: define specific words or phrases customers can type to be transferred to an Support (e.g., "talk to a person", "need help"). You can also set new rules for new specific problems. For example, if there is a product recall, you may want to ensure that customers are connected to a person so that they are given a more personal response, and your team can try to retain that customer even after a negative experience with your product.
• Create routing rules: configure your bot to recognise complex queries and automatically transfer them to the appropriate Support team. For example, if a customer reports an issue like, "I’m getting an error when trying to process my payment," the bot can detect the complexity and urgency of the problem and transfer the conversation to a technical support Support team who can assist.
• Monitor and adjust: continuously monitor conversation flow to ensure the transfer process is smooth and efficient. For example, if you notice many transfers occurring because the bot doesn't understand queries like "Can you help me update my account information?" you can update the bot's training data to better handle these questions.

Creating new tasks

As your business evolves, so should your bot. You can assign it new tasks to meet new customer needs or free up more of your team's time. 

• Identify new opportunities: regularly review your customer service processes to identify new tasks that can be automated.
• Develop and test: design new bot workflows for these tasks and thoroughly test them to ensure they work correctly.
• Implement and optimise: once tested, implement these new tasks into your bot’s workflow. Monitor their performance and make necessary adjustments to ensure maximum efficiency.

How can I create my bot?

Creating your bot is easier than you might think. Here’s how you can get started:

• Select a no-code platform: opt for a user-friendly platform like Trengo that doesn't require any coding skills.
• Define goals: clearly outline your bot's goals, such as handling customer inquiries or automating appointment scheduling.
• Use pre-built templates: many platforms, like Trengo, offer templates you can customise to fit your business-specific needs, speeding up the setup process.
• Leverage drag-and-drop tools: Trengo has a drag-and-drop interface to build your bot’s workflow, set up automated responses, and integrate with your existing systems. This makes both creation fast and simple.
• Iterate based on feedback: launch your bot and gather user feedback to improve its functionality over time.

Flowbot promoting self-service: Betersport’s Success Story

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Betersport, an online store for home gym equipment, saw a massive increase in customer inquiries. To manage the influx, they turned to Trengo's customer service platform.

1. Centralised communication

Betersport connected all their communication channels—email, phone, live chat, and social media—to Trengo. This centralisation allowed their team to manage all interactions from a single platform, enhancing efficiency and preventing duplicate responses.

2. Implementing the Flowbot

They set up a flowbot to handle FAQs, such as order statuses and cancellations. The flowbot uses multiple-choice questions to guide customers to the information they need. If a customer prefers human interaction, the bot identifies this and transfers them to a live agent.

3. Significant time savings

This setup significantly reduced the time spent on repetitive queries. For instance, the flowbot handled 158 questions daily, freeing up customer service team members for more complex issues.

By leveraging Trengo’s platform and the Flowbot, Betersport improved its response times and customer satisfaction while efficiently managing increased communication demands.

Automating tasks with bots can revolutionise your customer service

Bots will help your team be more efficient and will make your customers happier. By implementing tools like Trengo and setting up flowbots, you can handle an influx of customer service inquiries with ease, streamline your processes, and ensure your customers get the answers they need fast.

Are you thinking of automating your customer service with a Flowbot? Plan a demo below!