How to design the perfect bot introduction

Win the user’s trust and set the right expectations from the start

What is a welcome message?

Think of your bot’s welcome message as your website’s homepage: This message can really impact the user’s overall impression of your brand, either attracting them to your business, or pushing them away from it.

1. Make clear the user is talking to a bot

2. Explain the bot’s purpose

This demo banking bot makes clear what it can do for the user

3. Show some personality

Pooch Bandan’s welcome message packs a lot of personality

4. Think outside the text

The restaurant’s bot shows the inside dining area to engage users straight away

5. Make it personal

Using variables, this music bot can recognize returning users over new ones, and display a personalized welcome message that enhances the overall user experience.

Some prompts to help you get started

  1. Hi there, I’m _____. How can I help you today?
    Task 1 — Task 2 — Task 3
Visabot’s welcome message not only oozes personality, it also steers the user towards its main task.

Wrapping up

Don’t forget to leave some 👏

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Conversation Design Lead at Sinch. Writing about technology, human behaviour and anything else that crosses my mind.

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Tess Tettelin

Conversation Design Lead at Sinch. Writing about technology, human behaviour and anything else that crosses my mind.