How do I create a Chat Journey?

In this article, we will learn what is a Journey and how to benefit from its multiple features, improving and customizing the user experience for your prospects.

Table of Contents

• What is a Journey?
• Copying Nodes
• Trigger
• Starting your Journey: Send a Welcome Message
• Send a Message and Reply Buttons
• Using Data Fields to Capture Visitor Data (Send Data Field)
  • Skipping Fields You Already Know
• Routing Rules
• Standard Nodes
  • Route for Live Chat
  • Display Calendar
  • Wait for Rep
  • Assign To
  • Send a Slack Notification
  • Navigate To
• CRM Nodes
• Testing Your Journey
• Duplicating Your Journey
• Viewing and Restoring your Journey to Previous Versions

What is a Journey?

A Journey is where you can set up an automated experience on your website for visitors to interact with, with the ultimate goal of qualifying them and leading them to a conversion event such as capturing their email address and/or booking a meeting with a sales rep. 

The possibilities are endless with creating Journeys to build pipeline, so it’s recommended that you categorize the type of experiences you want to provide with them; here are some ideas:

• Journeys for personalized landing page experiences, such as “Pricing Page” or “Homepage”.
• Journeys for solution-specific or product-specific pages.
• Journeys for returning site visitors.
• Journeys for events and webinar registration.

Starting everywhere is compelling, but starting with one area and hyper-focusing on a few landing pages to test your initial Journeys strategy before expanding will set you up for success!

To get started, navigate to the “Chat” section in the left-side menu of your Fire workspace and open the section menu. You will see "Journeys" listed first!

Copying Nodes

Before you get started, note that you can also copy multiple nodes and paste them where needed in your Journey to save yourself time and manual effort! The only nodes that can't be copied are the Welcome Message and Trigger ones.

In your Journey, CLICK + SHIFT and select the nodes you want to copy. After that, click "Copy Nodes" in the pop-up message that will appear at the bottom:

When copying/pasting for the first time, your browser will likely ask for the permission below. Select Allow, otherwise, pasting will not be available


If you already blocked it, no problem, you can toggle the Clipboard button on by clicking the icon right next to your browser's URL while you are on the Journey's page:

You can paste the copied nodes in the same Journey or in different Journeys across the same or different workspaces. 

To do that, click the (+) button, and select "Paste Nodes"

Trigger

Every Journey starts with a Trigger node which will always be the first node. There are two main components of the Trigger:

• Location: Where should this Journey appear and when. You can show it everywhere or only under certain conditions, conditions include:
  •  
    • Time on Page
    • Page Scroll
    • URL
    • Query Parameter: When using this value, keep in mind that "is equal" needs the full "param=value", for example, 'utm_source=google' as the value. Otherwise, contains can be used to find just the value alone, regardless of the parameter.
    • Device type
    • Browser language
• Audience: Who should this Journey appear for. You will be able to set conditions using both Chili Data and Salesforce rules. Note that at this time, these rules only apply to returning visitors whose email has previously been collected.

Let's cover a real use case example to give more context on the settings above.

In this example, we only want the Journey to load on Chili Piper's pricing page to everyone and be passive. With that being said, we will

• Set Location conditions that require the visitor to be on the following URL https://www.chilipiper.com/pricing and from a Desktop device for the Journey to be triggered.
   
• Set the Audience field to "Show to everyone"
  
  

Just so you know, the Trigger conditions can also be used to test your Journey before launching it on your website. You can set a URL condition to any testing or staging URL, such as yourdomain.com/internal-testing.

Starting your Journey: Send a Welcome Message

The first node after a Trigger is always the Welcome Message node. This consists of a message and at least one reply button. The Welcome Message node is a best practice for greeting your visitors with a simple message that catches their attention and gives them a clear call-to-action (CTA) using reply buttons to engage with your Journey further quickly. This note can't be deleted.

Click the node, and you will be able to edit the Welcome Message and the Reply Buttons to be sent:

The preview of your welcome message will be displayed on the same screen, and this is how visitors will initially see the widget when they land on your site:

The welcome message takes an image as well as text. Click the image button in the message toolbar, next to the link and emoji buttons, and paste the address of an image you host – animated GIFs work too. The same button is on the text of a Send a Message node.

Send a Message and Reply Buttons

At any point in your Journey, you can Send a Message and Reply Buttons.

As the name suggests, the Send a Message node is a message to your prospects, such as guidelines, questions, links, etc. This is different than the Welcome Message, since this one is always placed right after your Trigger, and the Send a Message one can be used anywhere.

Coming to the Send Reply Buttons node, this is where you can send some pre-defined and clickable options to your prospects, routing them to the correct path of your Journey.

Using Data Fields to Capture Visitor Data (Send Data Field)

While you have your visitor’s attention and interest, you may want to capture their relevant data (such as email, Company, and so on) before asking too many questions to ensure the required teams can follow up.

Whenever you are ready to capture their email or any other information, you can use the "Send data field" node.

Still using the same example, after setting our reply buttons, we included a few messages to keep the interaction going and the Email data field so the visitor's e-mail could be collected for the interactions.

Data Fields are configured in the Command Center and are reusable in other Chili Piper products like Fire Concierge and ChiliCal. They can also be mapped to your Salesforce fields to ensure visitor data synchronizes with your Salesforce records. You can read more about setting up Data Fields here.

After capturing the email, you can use Data Fields to collect more information for other qualifying questions within a single form. Visitors may get restless with the back-and-forth conversation-style Q&A through a chatbot if it’s unclear when it will end or if the visitor will eventually talk to someone live. For example, to qualify this visitor, we will need their Company Size and their State:

You can also add Hidden Fields  that will not be visible to your visitors but will still be written in their records in Salesforce. Still using the same example, we will add a Hidden Field to write the prospect's Country as the United States:

By asking for these three Data Fields in the same node, the visitor will be presented with the non-Hidden ones simultaneously in a form view. The Hidden one will not be displayed to the visitor.

Any data the visitor submits, including what was set in the Hidden Fields, will also appear in their Inbox conversation, which you can configure here if you are a Sales Rep or here if you are an Admin.

Skipping Fields You Already Know

By the time a visitor reaches a Send Data Field node, Chili Piper may already hold some of what the node asks for – from an Enrichment node earlier in the Journey, a Smart Parameter in the page URL, the JS Lead Object, or a previous visit. The Visibility column on each Data Field row controls what happens when the value is already known.

Every field starts on Default. Each row offers three options:

• Default – skips the field when the value came from Enrichment, a Smart Parameter, or the JS Lead Object (the snippet's lead option, described in Web Experiences Snippet and JS API);
• Skip if known – skips the field when the value is known from any source, including a previous visit. Use this to stop asking a returning visitor for something they have already given you;
• Always ask – shows the field every time, even when the value is already known.

If every field in the node is skipped, the node is skipped entirely and the visitor goes straight to the next one – routing or scheduling – without seeing a form.

The same Visibility column appears on the Send Data Field node in a Scheduling Flow, and it behaves the same way. Values are held against the visitor rather than the Flow, so a field answered in a Chat Journey counts as known when a Scheduling Flow asks the same visitor for it – on Skip if known.

Note: An email captured in an earlier conversation is only skipped on Skip if known. Default covers the three sources the page supplies when the widget loads, so it does not treat a previous visit as known.

Hidden Fields are not affected. They are never shown to visitors, so there is nothing to skip.

Routing Rules

Routing Rule nodes can be used to branch the conversation, and you may choose to do this for a couple of reasons, such as:

• Provide a personalized experience to visitors with specific firmographics, i.e., 'Company Size > 1000+'.
   
• Route visitors to different team members based on specific criteria.

In the example Journey above, we can add a Routing Rule node after asking for an Email to check if the visitor already exists in Salesforce. If they are, then we can route them to their existing Lead Owner:

This example rule uses a Salesforce condition to check if the Lead.OwnerId is in the Team called "SDRs". If the owner is one of the members of this Team, then we will route it directly to them. If not, the rule will not match, and we can continue with a different flow, like our supplemental qualifying questions.

Click here for a more detailed view of how to configure and maintain your Rules!

Routing with an Assignment Table

An Assignment Rule reads its routing data from an Assignment Table, so one path can serve every territory. After a Routing Rule node that uses an Assignment Rule, the Display Calendar, Assign To and Route for Live Chat nodes can each take their assignee from the table.

See How do I use Assignment Tables? for the full setup.

Standard Nodes

These nodes are available in every Journey, whichever CRM you have connected. Nodes that act on a CRM are covered under CRM Nodes.

Route for Live Chat

You should also be able to assign someone to the conversation to start live chatting with the visitor by using the Route for Live Chat node.

Configure the node to route the chat to:

• Individual: a specific user;
• Team Member via Round Robin: Chili Piper round robins chats equitably among a Team, starting with the first team member on the list. You can also reroute if there is no response – see Live Chat Round Robin - Reroute if no response;
• Assignee from Assignment Table: the assignee an Assignment Table returns for this visitor. Available after a Routing Rule node that uses an Assignment Rule – see How do I use Assignment Tables?;
• Owner: the owner identified by an Ownership Routing Rule earlier on the path;
• Everyone in Team: the chat goes to a team rather than an individual, and the first team member to join takes it.

When adding the “Route for Live Chat” node, the path will automatically branch on the rep's availability in two places:

1. First branch: Chili Piper is checking to see if any reps in the "Routing to" configuration are online. If the assigned individual or at least one Team member is online, we will proceed with the top branch. Otherwise, we will fall back to the lower one.
    
2. Second branch: Chili Piper will use the "Wait for rep" node to check and wait for the rep to join the conversation.

Note that checking reps' availabilities is currently based on this switcher in the bottom right-hand corner of both the Workspace and MyApp/ChiliCal's Home sections of the app:

When a rep joins the Live Chat, their name and profile picture will be displayed, so prospects can know they are speaking to a "real person". Ensure your reps have their profile pictures updated in their Personal Details in MyApp.

Display Calendar Node

You can use the "Display Calendar" node to present a calendar to the visitor. The node can be configured to book similarly to the Route for Live Chat node; the main difference is that the visitor will book a meeting for the future and will not be presented with a Live Chat option.

Under Show Availability of, add one or more assignees. Click Add and choose:

• Owner: the owner identified by an Ownership Routing Rule earlier on the path;
• Team or Team Member via Round Robin: Chili Piper round robins meetings equitably among a Team, starting with the first team member on the list. See Managing Teams;
• Individual: a specific user;
• Assignee from Assignment Table: the assignee an Assignment Table returns for this visitor. Available after a Routing Rule node that uses an Assignment Rule – see How do I use Assignment Tables?.

Add more than one assignee to book a meeting with several people at once – the calendar then offers only the times where every required assignee is free. See Multi-Round Robin.

For meetings booked through Chat, you can create your Team Meeting Type template by expanding the "Assets" section and clicking the "Meeting Type" option on the left-hand side menu.

The selected Meeting Type will be displayed in your node:

In the widget, visitors will see a calendar followed by the confirmation screens you set in your Meeting Type once they select a time.

You likely have noticed the hyperlinks, but we would recommend checking this article to learn more about Meeting Types and their features

Wait for Rep Node

The Wait for Rep node is optional and not required when using "Route for Live Chat", although optimizing the visitor's experience is recommended.

The default timeout is set to 30 seconds. However, we recommend setting this no higher than 90 seconds as the visitor is not guaranteed to still be on the site if required to wait an extended period.

It is also recommended to let the visitor know how long they should be expected to wait, i.e., "This should take no longer than one minute", like in the example below:

This wait time will also be shown in the inbox when a rep is assigned a chat; they can see how much time they have to respond.

Assign To Node

The Assign To node records which team member a visitor belongs to. Use it at any point in a Journey, including Scheduling, Offer and Announcement flows – it does not need to follow a meeting or a live chat.

The node needs the visitor’s email, so collect it earlier in the flow with a Send Data Field node.

Click the + button where you want to assign, and select "Assign To" under Actions:

Under Route to, choose who the visitor is assigned to:

• Individual: one specific team member.
   
• Team or Team Member via Round Robin: pick a Distribution to share visitors fairly across a Team’s reps.

Assign To does not update your CRM on its own. It records the assignee inside the Journey so later nodes can act on it. To write that person into the CRM as the record owner, add an Update Ownership node for your CRM after it – see CRM Nodes. To tell them about it, add a Send a Slack Notification node. Without one of those, the assignment stays inside the Journey and nothing changes outside Chili Piper.

Send a Slack Notification Node

You can use the Send a Slack Notification node anytime on the Journey. The most common uses would be:

• Notifying a channel when a new lead has submitted an email
• Notifying a channel when a new lead has been routed for live chat and is waiting for the rep to respond
• Notifying a channel/individual when a lead owned by them is on the website

In our "Route for Live Chat to Owner" example path above, we can add a Send a Slack Notification node immediately after if the rule matches "true" to notify the "Assignee" in Slack:

The "Assignee" option works dynamically by notifying the routed assignee. Alternatively, you can configure the notification to be sent to a Public or Private Slack Channel or a specific user. 

The message can be either the Default "There’s a new visitor on the site", or a custom message.

If you do configure the notification to go to a Channel, you must have the Slack integration configured in the Command Center and have @chilinbot added to the channel. For more information on how to do this, please refer to this article: Configuring Slack Notifications in Chat

Navigate To

If you would like to refer to a part of your Journey that you have already built, the Navigate To node will allow you to redirect it without replicating it manually. 

The Navigate To node will redirect to the node you referenced and everything after it. In this example, we are redirecting to the "Send a message" node that says the team is unavailable, which means we will follow the rest of the path and send the same "Missed Chat" Slack notification.

CRM Nodes

Nodes that create or update records in your CRM are listed under CRM Operations when you add a node. Each CRM has its own article covering its nodes and settings:

• How do I configure the Salesforce integration in Chat?;
• How do I configure the HubSpot integration in Chat?;
• How do I configure the Marketo integration in Chat?

When Salesforce and HubSpot are both connected, both sets of nodes are listed together. See Using HubSpot and Salesforce on the Same Path.

Testing Your Journey

As you build out your Journey, you will be able to preview it at any time without deploying code to your website. Once you publish your Journey for the first time, use the "Preview Journey" button at the header to load the widget on a test page.

Note that any changes must be published to ensure you load the latest version on the test page. If errors prevent the Journey from being published, you must resolve them before publishing and then testing the new Journey version.

You should see something similar to the page below after clicking Preview Journey:

To reset the widget and/or load the latest published changes, use the "Restart" button at the top right. You will notice the widget will reset.

Conversations you start from Preview Journey are saved in the chat logs like any other session, marked Preview. In Logs, use the Preview filter to find them or to leave them out.

Duplicating Your Journey

If you want to use an existing Journey setup to build a new one, you can create a copy of your existing Journeys to facilitate!

Expand the "Chat" option in the left-hand menu, and click "Journeys":

Once your Journeys list load, click the three dots right next to the one you want to copy, and click "Duplicate"

After that, you will notice a new Journey created as "Copy of..." in Draft mode. From there, you can update the Journey's name and setup as you wish!

Viewing and Restoring your Journey to Previous Versions

If you need to track the updates made to a Chat Journey and rollback any changes that possibly caused any issues to your flow, the Version History is your place to go!

On your Journey's header, click the three dots (...), and then Version History:

The UI will display the Journey's current version with an Active flag, and its previous versions sorted by the publishing date.

You can click in a previous version to see what it looks like, but note it will be displayed in View only mode, meaning you cannot edit yet. Note the information banner in the header as well:

If you wish restoring to a previous version, click the Restore Version button:

Then, confirm it by clicking Restore & Erase Latest Draft:

That's it, you restored your Journey to a previous version!