Guided Conversations: Build Smart, Automated Chat Flows with Zoho Desk

Guided Conversations in Business Messaging

What is Guided Conversations?  

Guided Conversations (GC) is a powerful conversation builder platform that allows you to create structured, automated chat flows. With a variety of ready-to-use blocks and seamless integration capabilities, GC helps businesses handle customer queries with minimal developer effort.

What are the benefits of GC?  

  1. Establishing adaptable self-service workflows
  2. Constructing automated conversations to assist prospects and customers
  3. Developing in-app guidance to support sales and service calls
  4. Minimizing the need for developer intervention

What are blocks?  

Blocks are the core components of the Guided Conversations flow builder. They let you create structured conversation flows tailored to different scenarios; be it displaying messages, asking questions, collecting inputs, or transferring the chat to a live agent. Each block is designed to simplify building sophisticated workflows without the need to write code.

Why use GC in Business Messaging?  

  1. Live agent handoff: Seamlessly transfer a chat from a bot to a live Zoho Desk agent using the Zoho Desk - Chat Transfer block.
  2. Omnichannel support: BM can be embedded into your websites or web pages with ease, offering users a direct entry point to interact with your support team.Once embedded, the BM widget appears as a chat icon or support panel on your site.
  3. 24/7 automation: Provide round-the-clock support through bots that handle routine tasks and escalate complex queries to agents.
  4. Scalability: Handle multiple user interactions simultaneously without performance degradation.
  5. Faster resolution: Provide instant replies and resolve common issues quickly through a predefined flow.
  6. Personalized experience: Guide users with contextual conversations, making the support experience more engaging.
  7. Improved agent productivity: Let bots handle repetitive tasks, allowing agents to focus on high-priority issues.

Types of blocks and their compatibility  

All blocks available in the Guided Conversations (GC) flow builder are fully supported and compatible with Business Messaging.

This includes:

  1. Response cards: Display messages, images, and other forms of customer-facing content.
  2. Question blocks: Collect various types of user inputs such as text, images, videos, files, emails, URLs, numbers, and more.
  3. Choice blocks: Present multiple selectable options using buttons or cards.
  4. Action cards: Perform backend actions such as forking flows, invoking webhooks, and jumping between blocks.
  5. Integration blocks: Enable smooth connectivity with other Zoho and third-party applications to extend the flow’s capabilities.
 
Info
One of the essential integration blocks is Chat Transfer block, which allows seamless handoff from the bot to live agents.  Learn more about Chat Transfer

Whether you’re building a simple FAQ bot or a complex support assistant, all block types work seamlessly across Business Messaging channels.

Steps to connect the GC bot to Business Messaging  

  1. Navigate to Instant Messaging (IM).
  2. Create a new Channel for your business messaging platform
  3. Go to the Preferences > Bots tab.
  4. Click the Add button to link a bot.
  5. Select Guided Conversations as the bot type.
  6. Click Next
  7. Choose the GC bot from the list.
  8. Click Next.
  9. From the list of supported platforms, select the Channel you created.
  10. Review the setup and click Submit.
 

Embedding the Widget on Your Website  

  1. After linking your bot to a website channel, go to the channel settings to get the embed code.
  2. Add the embed code to your website’s HTML.
  3. Once embedded, users will see a chat icon on your site.
By integrating Guided Conversations with Zoho Desk and Business Messaging, you can build smart, automated chat flows and provide timely human support when needed.