Top 5 no-code AI chatbot builders

Overview

Not so long ago, there were a few cities that never slept and round-the-clock industries, but most people only expected to conduct business during normal business hours. Digital transformation changed all that. Modern consumers and business buyers expect to get their questions answered, problems solved, and purchases completed whenever is most convenient for them—day or night, on weekends and holidays.

To meet that demand, you could hire a large contact center team and pay them to twiddle their thumbs during off-peak hours, or you could build an AI chatbot to back up your human agents and deliver round-the-clock, multichannel customer service. A visual chatbot builder makes it easy for anyone to deploy smart bots—no programming experience required.

What is a chatbot builder?

A chatbot builder (or bot builder) is a software platform that enables you to conceptualize, build, configure and deploy chatbots on different channels. Although most bot builders require some degree of coding, some advanced chatbot builders provide a visual interface that enables you to effortlessly build a chatbot with simple drag-and-drop tools.

Using a no-code bot builder, you can customize the flow of your chatbot. If you’re building a traditional rules-based chatbot, you can script it to answer FAQs and respond to specific keywords. If you’re building a conversational AI chatbot, you can integrate it with your knowledge base, FAQs, and other information sources—and the bot will “learn” how to respond on its own (no script necessary).

Why do you need a chatbot builder?

Building a conversational AI chatbot from scratch is a complicated process that requires a team of experienced developers who know how to write chatbot code, configure a chatbot backend and server, and design an intuitive user experience. It requires you to leverage open-source and third-party libraries of AI algorithms that integrate well with your existing software and to design conversation flows. Then you have to input massive data sets to train the chatbot, integrate your chatbot with your tech stack, deploy your bot across various communication channels, and maintain your bot.

Know more about 15 different chatbot ideas.

The best chatbot builders for 2024

AI chatbots are capable of simple automation, such as asking a set of predefined questions, searching for an answer from within your knowledge base, handing over a chat to an agent, and collecting user data. However, some chatbot builders enable you to do much more.

1. Freshchat

Freshchat offers AI-driven, omnichannel chatbots for smarter customer conversations. It's a great addition to your support tech stack and enables your team to provide a delightful support experience every time. Here’s what you get with Freshchat chatbot software.

Features include:

• Instant responses 

• Small talk 

• No-code visual bot builder

• Intent detection

• Generative AI-assisted building

• Learn from various knowledge sources

• Multilingual

• Transfer the chat to an agent

• Messaging channels, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple Business Chat, and more

2. Drift

The Drift chatbot is primarily focused on lead generation and is more suitable for sales teams.

Features include:

• Customer engagement

• Lead generation 

• Schedule meetings 

• A/B bot testing

3. Intercom

Intercom offers chatbots for sales, support, and marketing.

Features include:

• Code-free bot builder 

• Customizable bots 

• Proactive support 

4. Chatfuel

Chatfuel is a chatbot platform that is specifically designed for websites, Facebook, and Instagram.

Features include:

• No-code bot platform 

• Templates for sales and customer support

• Triggered messages 

5. Landbot.io

Landbot is a chatbot platform best suited for independent and small businesses. 

Features include:

• No-code builder 

• Lead capture 

• Website and WhatsApp support

• Third-party integrations

Know more : See full list of Best Chatbots 2024See full list of Best Chatbots 2024

The future of chatbot builders 

Early chatbots weren’t much more than Q&A systems that worked for a limited set of customer inquiries. Modern bots powered by Generative AI can answer complex questions, complete transactions, automate lead generation, and continually improve themselves over time.

As AI is still an emerging technology sect, and as NLP and ML continue to evolve, so will chatbots. Over time, the technology will be able to automate more and more workflows that are complex. They will be able to detect the intent behind it and start responding in natural language. Their conversations will more closely mimic human interaction, enabling more natural language and engaging customer interactions that improve user satisfaction. Meanwhile, their ability to analyze vast data sets will lead to hyper-personalized communications and recommendations.

Soon, chatbots could enable businesses to have completely autonomous contact centers and payment systems, while also streamlining internal workflows for departments ranging from HR and IT. As a result, chatbot adoption will continue to grow. Gartner predicts that chatbots will become the primary customer service channel by 2027.

Simply put, chatbots will become more and more valuable—as will chatbot creator platforms that enable businesses to quickly and easily build and deploy bots for various use cases across multiple channels.

How to build a no-code chatbot in Freshworks?

Building chatbots using Freshworks' visual builder couldn’t be simpler. It’s a 4-step process:

1. Sign up for Freshworks and navigate to Bot Builder: Click on the Bot tab in the left-hand sidebar. Then click on New Bot or select from ready-made chatbot templates.

2. Create a new bot flow or use an existing template to get started faster: Click on the + button to add a new flow or click on the existing flows to edit them.

3. Preview your chatbot: Review your bot flow by clicking on the Previous button at the top right-hand side.

4. Deploy your chatbot: Click on the Deploy tab and select a deploy option (Messaging Channel, Web, or App) based on business requirement.

That’s all it takes to build and deploy a conversational AI chatbot that leverages NLP and ML, and can have personalized conversations with your customers via their preferred channel in their preferred language. You don’t have to hire a team of coding experts or write a single line of code to deliver a state-of-the-art chatbot experience. Without adding to your workforce or blowing your IT budget, you can deliver a seamless customer experience, provide real-time support around the clock, shorten resolution time, and future-proof your digital communications.

What are the benefits of using a bot builder?

Chatbot adoption is on the rise, and for good reason. Bots can work around the clock and help dozens of people at once. Even basic chatbots can resolve simple queries, while robust AI-enabled chatbots can handle complex conversations. For instance, chatbots can deflect up to 71 percent of conversations within Freshworks, freeing up agents to focus on the other 30%, while maintaining a healthy CSAT score and resolution time.

Using a Generative AI powered bot builder makes it easier than ever to deploy them. The benefits of a no-code bot builder include:

IT department benefits

• Increase efficiency by building and deploying one chatbot that works for your website, apps, and messaging channels (such as WhatsApp, Apple Business Chat, and Facebook Messenger) 

• Streamline deployment and maintenance because you only have one multichannel bot to manage

• Save resources because you don’t have to hire a dedicated team to build and manage your chatbots

Business benefits

• Automate communications at scale

• Experience faster time to deployment, which means faster ROI

• Reduce costs associated with bot building and maintenance

• Reduce customer service costs

• Improve customer satisfaction and engagement

Service team benefits

• Get backup from Generative AI powered bots that can answer the same-old questions and repetitive processes reps are tired of answering and walking through

• Receive only relevant queries thanks to intelligent routing from AI chatbots

• Reduced workload due to chatbots that deflect support inquiries that can be automated and only escalate to agents when necessary

End user benefits

• Interact with a reliable, easy-to-use AI chatbot (vs a custom chatbot that still has kinks to be worked out)

• Get real-time, 24/7 service without the wait

• Get personalized service and detailed troubleshooting steps without the wait 

• Receive service on their channel of choice

• Communicate in their preferred language

CX priorities and expectations: How chatbots can help

• 68% of B2C leaders say quick resolution is customer’s top expectation when contacting service teams

• 32% of B2B leaders say 24/7 support is the top expectation 

• 35% of B2C and B2B leaders say quick resolution is the defining aspect of a great customer experience 

• 59% of B2C leaders and 65% of B2B leaders say customer satisfaction is their top KPI in 2023

Source: Benchmark Report

Different types of chatbot builders

Not all chatbot creator platforms work the same. Different no-code bot builders offer different chatbot features and functionality. These tools may include:

Visual (drag-and-drop) interfaces

A visual chatbot builder enables you to customize your bot and design the conversational flow by dragging and dropping pre-built elements into the chatbot creator. These elements might include menus, buttons, images or icons, messages, or other interactive content that structure the chatbot conversation. 

Pre-built templates

Another no-code bot builder option is to use a platform that offers pre-built templates. Rather than dragging and dropping, you select a template and customize the messaging and conversation flow. These templates offer a starting point for companies to get started with offer a starting point for companies to get started with specific use cases, such as customer support, sales, or e-commerce. This becomes even more powerful when combined with a visual builder that offers the convenience of getting started quickly combined with the flexibility of a visual builder.

Artificial intelligence capabilities 

Some bot builders only create rules-based or menu-based chatbots, which require you to script conversations and requires customers to use the right keywords to get a relevant answer. An AI bot builder leverages natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML). NLP enables your chatbot to understand and interpret human language and formulate a response based on that interpretation. Machine learning enables it to “learn” from the data at its disposal (including your knowledge base, FAQ pages, CRM and other integrated business software, and internet articles) and extract relevant information to formulate a useful response. Then NLP lets it respond in a human-sounding way.

Integrations with messaging channels

Some chatbot builders might enable you to build chatbots for your website, but the best bot builders can be deployed across various messaging channels and apps, including Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and other third-party applications. 

Analytics and reporting

Advanced chatbot builders offer analytics and reporting tools that track both chatbot performance and user engagement. They also provide AI-driven insights that aid sales and customer service leaders with data-driven decision making and continuous service improvements.

How to choose the best AI chatbot builder?

If you’re new to chatbots, chances are that you're looking for a free ai chatbot. These options exist, but their capabilities are very limited. Typically, a free bot builder only builds rules-based chatbots. These solutions are not AI-enabled, so they can only perform simple automations, such as asking predefined questions, searching your knowledge base for an answer, routing users to human agents, and collecting user data.

These free alternatives will quickly display their limitations when you need to upgrade their capabilities, deploy on different messaging channels, or integrate them with your help desk or CRM. If you want to build future-proof AI chatbots, you get what you pay for.

Read more on chatbot knowledge base

Use cases of AI bot builders

A visual chatbot builder enables you to build AI bots that serve a variety of purposes, including:

Resolving visitors’ queries instantly

When Dunzo needed to scale customer support and decrease resolution time, the 24/7 delivery app decided to ditch its custom live chat solution, invest in Freshworks, and deploy Freddy, Freshworks' AI-powered bot solution. This enabled the customer support team to reduce the wait time from 1 minute to a few seconds, “without any other technology or headcount investment.” Now Dunzo resolves 48% of customer queries without human intervention, reducing their response time by 80% and their support costs by 30%. 

Providing after-hours support and handing off queries to agents in the morning

Investing in Freshworks enabled Iba Cosmetics to increase online orders by 230%, with a chat-based conversion rate of 36%. But website visitors wanted to connect with the brand 24/7, and Iba’s customer support team doesn’t work nights, so the tech team built a chatbot to handle those queries. Now, when a chat request comes in during off-hours, the chatbot inquires about the customer’s need and collects contact information so an agent can respond first thing the following morning.

Collecting information from customers (or patients) 

Remote patient monitoring service Doctaly chose Freshworks for its Whatsapp bot builder, because clinicians already had that app installed. Now, when patients request a consult, the chatbot conducts the initial assessment, asking about their symptoms and medical history. A clinician receives this information via Whatsapp and starts the consultation, ensuring their time is used most efficiently. Today, Doctaly conducts 85-90% of consultations through WhatsApp, and consultation time has dropped from 25 to 4 minutes.

Fetching information for customers

One of the largest credit card companies in the world uses Freshworks to communicate with customers via its mobile app and Apple Business Chat. Using Freshworks’ open APIs, its tech team built a Virtual Assistant chatbot that can fetch information from other internal systems. Before the bot, answering a question—such as “What’s my account balance?”—required agents to switch screens, log into an internal system, retrieve the information, and paste it into chat, a 3-minute process. Now, a chatbot retrieves the information and instantly responds to customers. This has saved more than 10,000 agent hours and enabled the firm to scale chat volumes 10x without increasing agent count.

AI chatbot builder in action: customer spotlight videos

• Travix EU

• HSS Hire

• Travel Counsellors

• Hunt Bike Wheels

Read more on chatbot ideas you must implement

Best practices for using chatbot builders

Using a visual bot builder means you don’t have to code your bot, but you design the user experience. Keep in mind these chatbot building best practices to ensure it’s a satisfying one.

• Define your objectives: Will your bot provide customer support, enable self-service, help with lead generation, onboard new users, or complete transactions? Knowing this will help you build a thoughtful, intuitive bot flow.

• Give your bot some personality: You want your chatbot to reflect your brand’s tone and values and also be engaging. If your tone is straightforward, make your bot straightforward. If your tone is more lighthearted, inject a little humor. Also, take advantage of customization options as well as multimedia features (emojis, images, gifs) to make the conversation interesting. 

• Adapt bots to different channels: Your brand probably communicates a bit differently on social media than it does on your official website. Your chatbot should too. If you’re building a bot for mobile, consider how that experience might be different (smaller screen, on-the-go users) and incorporate those insights into the look-and-feel and conversation flow of your bot.

(SOURCE: Freshworks Benchmark Report 2023)

• Have your chatbot introduce itself and set expectations: Tell users they’re talking to a chatbot and explain how it can help.

• Simplify the user experience: Use buttons and menus whenever possible to guide the customer interaction. Suggested replies make it easy for users to get the information they need as quickly as possible.

• Be honest about bot limitations: Your chatbot won’t understand every user query. Customize a reply for this situation and provide options, such as “Go back” or “Main Menu” or (whenever possible) “Chat with a live agent.”

• Use analytics to improve bot performance: Leverage all the analytics at your disposal (including intent analytics, messaging analytics, and usage data) to keep improving your chatbot.

Conversations made easier with visual builder

Make your chatbot conversations easier and more user-friendly by providing users with options such as:

• Articles: Display a list of articles related to the user query, which customers can read through the widget itself. 

• Buttons and dropdowns: Present choices using buttons or dropdown menus, offering clear calls to action.

• Carousels: Present a carousel of choices, configured to display rich media content to the customer. These are especially useful for product catalogs, order summaries, service items, etc. 

• Calendar: With a calendar integration, customers can schedule appointments in your chat widget. 

• Feedback: Encourage users to share feedback, and use this data for reporting purposes. You can receive feedback using a star-based rating system, opinion polls, or feedback fields for free-form text.

• Files & images: Enable users to attach a file or image directly from the chat.

• Customer details: Enable your chatbot to collect customer information, validate the respective format, and recall this information anywhere else in the bot flows.

The future of chatbot builders 

Early chatbots weren’t much more than Q&A systems that worked for  a limited set of customer inquiries. Modern bots powered by Generative AI can answer complex questions, complete transactions, automate lead generation, and continually improve themselves over time. 

As AI is still an emerging technology sect, and as NLP and ML continue to evolve, so will chatbots. Over time, the technology will be able to automate more and more workflows that are complex. They will be able to detect the intent behind it and start responding in natural language. Their conversations will more closely mimic human interaction, enabling more natural language and engaging customer interactions that improve user satisfaction. Meanwhile, their ability to analyze vast data sets will lead to hyper-personalized communications and recommendations. 

Soon, chatbots could enable businesses to have completely autonomous contact centers and payment systems, while also streamlining internal workflows for departments ranging from HR and IT. As a result, chatbot adoption will continue to grow. Gartner predicts that chatbots will become the primary customer service channel by 2027. 

Simply put, chatbots will become more and more valuable—as will chatbot creator platforms that enable businesses to quickly and easily build and deploy bots for various use cases across multiple channels.

How to build a no-code chatbot in Freshworks?

Building chatbots using Freshchat's visual builder couldn’t be simpler. It’s a 4-step process:

1. Sign up for Freshworks and navigate to Bot Builder: Click on the Bot tab in the left-hand sidebar. Then click on New Bot or select from ready-made chatbot templates.

2. Create a new bot flow or use an existing template to get started faster: Click on the + button to add a new flow or click on the existing flows to edit them.

3. Preview your chatbot: Review your bot flow by clicking on the Previous button at the top right-hand side.

4. Deploy your chatbot: Click on the Deploy tab and select a deploy option (Messaging Channel, Web, or App) based on business requirement.

That’s all it takes to build and deploy a conversational AI chatbot that leverages NLP and ML, and can have personalized conversations with your customers via their preferred channel in their preferred language. You don’t have to hire a team of coding experts or write a single line of code to deliver a state-of-the-art chatbot experience. Without adding to your workforce or blowing your IT budget, you can deliver a seamless customer experience, provide real-time support around the clock, shorten resolution time, and future-proof your digital communications.

Future-proof your customer service with our generative AI powered bot builder

Freshworks provides advanced chatbot builder to easily build and deploy AI chatbots for your business.

Delight, not just deflect

Remove the guesswork from your responses. Build a chatbot that understands customer intent, provides the right information instantly, and saves time for your customers and agents.

Offer seamless self-service with a chatbot that learns

88% of customers expect companies to offer an online self-service portal. Build chatbots that can answer common questions, learn from your helpdesk tickets, and be trained on different variations of a question.

Offer support in multiple languages

Build multilingual chatbots to respond to your customers in their native language by uploading scripts of your bot conversations in any language.

Customize to reflect your brand

Own the look and feel of your chatbot widget so it reflects your brand values. With our bot builder, you can customize the shape, color, size, and everything about your widget.

Boost customer engagement on messaging channels

Easily build and deploy chatbots on messaging channels such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple Business Chat, and Line Messenger to serve your customers on their preferred channel and deliver a unified customer experience.