Designing Conversations

A good chatbot is planned before it is coded: what it is for, how it speaks and what it does when it does not know.

Step 1: Define the Purpose

Write one sentence: "This bot helps who do what."

Example

text

This bot helps parents and students of a Karachi computer
institute find course details, timings and admission steps.

A clear purpose stops you from building a bot that tries to do everything and does nothing well.

Step 2: List the Top Questions

Look at real messages from WhatsApp, email or the front desk. Usually 10 to 20 questions cover most conversations.

Intent (what the user wants)	Example messages
Timings	"What time are classes?", "timing kya hai"
Courses	"Which courses do you offer?"
Admission	"How do I join?", "admission kab start hain"
Location	"Where are you?", "address bhej dein"
Talk to human	"I want to talk to someone"

An intent is the goal behind a message. Many different sentences can share one intent.

Step 3: Personality and Tone

Decide how the bot sounds, and keep it consistent:

Name: for example "Zara" or simply "Workownix Assistant"
Tone: friendly, respectful, short sentences
Language: reply in the user's language (English, Urdu or Roman Urdu)
Be honest that it is a bot, not a human

Step 4: Greeting and Quick Replies

A greeting should say what the bot can do. Quick-reply buttons help users who do not know what to ask:

Example

javascript

const greeting = {
  text: "Assalam o Alaikum! I am the Workownix assistant. I can help with:",
  quickReplies: ["Courses", "Timings", "Admission", "Talk to a person"],
};
console.log(greeting.text);
greeting.quickReplies.forEach((q, i) => console.log(`${i + 1}. ${q}`));

Output

Assalam o Alaikum! I am the Workownix assistant. I can help with:
1. Courses
2. Timings
3. Admission
4. Talk to a person

Step 5: Plan the Fallback

The fallback is what the bot says when it does not understand or does not know. A bad fallback ("Error") loses customers. A good one offers a way forward:

Example

javascript

let failedTries = 0;

function fallback() {
  failedTries++;
  if (failedTries >= 2) {
    return "Let me connect you to our team. You can also call 0300-0000000 (10 am to 6 pm).";
  }
  return "Sorry, I did not get that. You can ask about courses, timings or admission.";
}

console.log(fallback());
console.log(fallback());

Output

Sorry, I did not get that. You can ask about courses, timings or admission.
Let me connect you to our team. You can also call 0300-0000000 (10 am to 6 pm).

After two failures, the bot offers a human. This is called a human handover.

Step 6: Write Sample Conversations

Before coding, write a few full conversations as a script:

Example

text

User: salam, python course ka timing kya hai?
Bot:  Walaikum Assalam! Python classes run Monday to Thursday,
      5 pm to 7 pm. Would you like the admission steps?
User: yes
Bot:  1) Fill the online form  2) Visit with your CNIC/B-form copy
      3) Attend the first class. Anything else?

Reading these aloud shows you if the bot sounds natural and helpful.

Good Conversation Rules

Keep replies short; people read chats on phones.
Ask one question at a time.
Confirm important details ("You want the evening batch, right?").
Never pretend to be human.
Always give a way to reach a real person.

Review real conversations every week. The questions users actually ask will show you what to add or fix.

Exercise

What is a chatbot "fallback"?

The first greeting messageThe reply the bot gives when it does not understand or does not know the answerA backup copy of the databaseThe bot's name