How to Create a Chatbot with Zapier

With Zapier Chatbots, you can add a custom-branded chat experience directly within your website using the power of AI.

Add a Chatbot

1. From your Chatbots dashboard, click Create.

2. In the dialog box that appears, type a name for your new chatbot.

3. Click Create.

4. You can add more chatbots from the dashboard or by clicking the icon that appears at the top of the chatbot settings screen.

Change the Chatbot's Browser Title and More

You can edit how the chatbot appears in the browser tab or window when using it as a standalone page within Zapier Chatbots.

1. From your Chatbots dashboard, click the name of the chatbot.

2. In the Setup tab, scroll down and click Advanced options.

3. Type a new Browser title or a new Subdomain in the respective fields.

4. Click Save changes.

5. In the Advanced options section, you can also turn off the “Built on Zapier” label by clicking the Display the “Built on Zapier” label toggle.

Edit or Hide the Disclosure Message

With Zapier Chatbots, you can display a disclosure message alongside the greeting. This lets you inform users that they are talking to a chatbot or offer links to further resources. This is turned on by default.

To hide the disclosure message:

1. From your Chatbots dashboard, click the name of the chatbot.

2. In the Setup tab, scroll down to find the Display disclosure message in Greeting toggle.

3. Click the toggle to hide the disclosure message.

4. Click Save changes.

5. You can use Markdown to style the message in the Disclosure message field.

Change Your Chatbot Styling

You can change the color scheme of your chatbot to match your specific project or business.

1. From your Chatbots dashboard, click the name of the chatbot.

2. Click the Style tab.

3. Choose the colors, fonts, and other styling elements to match your brand.

Customize Your Chatbot

Chatbots work best when you create a tailored directive and tweak settings such as creativity to ensure it will provide the best possible answers to your users.

Learn how to customize different aspects of a chatbot:

• Create a directive and greeting.

• Customize the chatbot's creativity.

• Connect your OpenAI account to use different models.

• Use a knowledge source with the chatbot.

Create a Directive and Greeting for Your Chatbot

You can personalize Zapier Chatbots by writing a custom directive and greeting.

To edit the Directive field:

1. In your Chatbots dashboard, click the name of the chatbot.

2. Click the Instructions tab.

3. Enter your directive in the Directive field.

4. Click Save changes.

Directive Structure The Directive field defines how the chatbot will respond to questions within a conversation. For best results, make small edits to your directive and test the chatbot until you get the desired result.

Directive Template Here’s a directive template that you can fill in:

You are an expert in [add a topic, job, or special skill information].

You will engage with individuals who are [describe the primary audience] interested in [include what they want to learn].

Your objective is to do the following: [add a goal the chatbot should accomplish by the end of the conversation, such as answering questions, sharing resources, or generating content].

You should refer to the custom knowledge file when answering questions, and it has the following format: [describe how to identify a question and its corresponding answer, such as "each question starts with 'Q:' and the answer comes after it, starting with 'A:'].

Your style is [personality traits like 'professional' or 'engaging'], and you structure your responses in the following way: [formatting requirements such as bullet points, headers, include emoji].

You will need the following background information to complete your goal: [add a few bullet points with helpful context].

You should never make up information in your responses or [add any other rules it must follow, such as not talking about other topics or directing the user to a support form if it cannot answer the question].

Note: The chatbot will flag directives that don't fit moderation standards and prevent them from being saved or shared.

Using Directives with Custom Knowledge

In paid Zapier plans, you can upload your own custom knowledge files. These can be used by your chatbot to ensure it focuses on the appropriate information when answering questions.

Note: Zapier has begun incorporating certain OpenAI features/functionalities into its product. How OpenAI handles data sent via these features/functionalities is governed by Zapier’s separate contract with OpenAI.

Chatbot Greeting

Chatbot greetings can also be tailored to each user. The greeting can help users understand how the chatbot can support them.

To set the greeting type:

1. In the Setup tab of your chatbot, select a Greeting type:

   • Static: the same greeting will be used every time.

   • Generated: the chatbot will use AI to generate a new greeting based on your instructions.

2. If you select "Static," use the Greeting text field to write your greeting. If you select "Generated," use the Greeting prompt field to tell the chatbot how to greet users.

Edit the Creativity Settings of Your Chatbot

Editing the creativity settings of your chatbot allows you to fine-tune how it responds to users.

Test Different Creativity Levels Chatbots work by predicting the next word in a response based on the user's question and the directive. The Creativity slider allows you to increase or reduce how the chatbot makes that decision. The slider goes from 0 to 1:

• A lower number (closer to 0) means it will select the most probable next step, resulting in more consistent wording.

• A higher number (closer to 1) produces more unexpected, creative responses.

Using the Creativity Slider

1. You can find this setting in the Setup tab of your chatbot.

2. To change the creativity level, move the slider to different positions and test the results on the right side of the window until the response matches your expectations.

Use Your Own API Key with a Zapier Chatbot

Zapier Chatbots use OpenAI's GPT-3.5-turbo model by default. To use GPT-4 and other models, you can add your own API key from your OpenAI account.

Note: This feature is exclusive to paid Zapier Chatbots plans.

Connect Your OpenAI Account

1. From your Chatbots dashboard, click the name of the chatbot.

2. In the Setup tab, scroll down to the Model field.

3. Click Manage authentication.

4. A new window/tab will open. Click Add connection.

5. Paste your OpenAI API key in the field provided.

6. Click Yes, Continue.

Use Knowledge Sources with a Chatbot

You can connect Zapier Chatbots to your knowledge sources to ensure responses are focused on your business or project. The chatbot can use files or tables as its exclusive source of information for answers.

Add Knowledge Sources

1. In your Chatbots dashboard, click the name of the chatbot.

2. Click the Instructions tab.

3. Click + Add source.

4. The Type section will have File selected by default. Click Browse files.

5. Find and select the source file you want to use.

6. In the Description field, give some context of what the file contains.

7. Click Add source. It may take a moment to process, depending on the file size.

Adjust Chatbot Behavior for Missing Answers

If the chatbot uses custom knowledge, you can define how it will respond when the file has no results that match a specific question.

1. In the Instructions tab of your chatbot, click the When results are not found from the knowledge sources dropdown menu.

2. Select an option from the dropdown menu:

   • Generate an AI response without knowledge source (default): the chatbot will generate a response using the connected OpenAI model.

   • Show a custom message: write a message that will be displayed if the chatbot cannot find an answer within any connected knowledge sources.

Style Your Chatbot

Your chatbot's appearance can match your brand or project.

1. From your Chatbots dashboard, click the name of the chatbot.

2. Click the Style tab.

3. This tab contains sections for different elements of the chatbot. Depending on your Chatbots plan, some sections may not be available.

Use an Avatar with Your Chatbot

You can use an image as the avatar that appears on the chatbot conversation window.

1. From the Style tab, on the Avatar field, click Choose image.

2. Click Choose a local file.

3. Select a file from your computer.

4. Click Open.

5. To delete the current avatar, click the Delete icon that appears beside the file name on the Avatar field.

Customize the Embedded Icon

If you're on a paid Chatbots plan, you can also customize the pop-up embed icon, which appears on the page where you embed your chatbot.

1. From the Style tab, on the Icon field, click Choose image.

2. Click Choose a local file.

3. Select a file from your computer.

4. Click Open.

5. Choose the icon shape and size:

   • In the Shape dropdown menu, select a shape for the icon: Circle, Square, Rounded square.

   • In the Size dropdown menu, select the size of the icon, between 40 and 60 pixels.

Note: If you do not upload an icon, the Chatbots logo will appear as the embedded icon.

Make it Open by Default

1. When you click the Open by default toggle, the chat window will appear automatically when the user visits a page.

2. If the toggle is in the off position, the chat window will appear once the user clicks the embed icon.

Change Chatbot Colors

If you're on a paid Chatbots plan, you can change the colors of your chatbot to match your business or product colors.

1. Click the color swatch for the field you want to change. The color picker will open.

2. Select a new color or paste a HEX value in the text field.

3. (Optional) Use RGB or HSL values.

4. Click the up/down arrows beside the HEX text field to reveal RGB or HSL fields.

5. Paste the values in the appropriate fields.

Once you are happy with your chatbot styling, you can also add actions to your chatbot to collect information, start Zaps, and much more.

Chatbots Plans and Pricing

Build powerful, dynamic Chatbots for your team, customers, or yourself. Deploy a new workforce with AI-powered chatbots trained with your own data.

Free For individuals who are just trying out building AI chatbots:

• $0 USD

• Includes: 2 chatbots total, GPT-3.5 Turbo, Conversation history, Suggestions

Premium For individuals who want to build AI chatbots trained on their data:

• $20 USD per month

• Includes: Everything in Free, plus: 5 chatbots total, Embed, 1 knowledge source, Collect leads

Advanced Contact us to discuss advanced functionality needs:

• $100 USD per month

• Includes: Everything in Premium, plus: 20 chatbots total, Remove Zapier logo, 3 knowledge sources, Collect custom info

For more details on the specific features of each plan, please visit the Zapier Chatbots pricing page.