Create Your Own Advanced Lead Capture Chatbot for Your Website

In this post I'll show you how to add a customizable advanced AI Chatbot to your website where you can seamlessly capture leads into a CRM.

Introduction

In today's digital world, an efficient chatbot can significantly boost your business by capturing leads and engaging potential customers. In this tutorial, I'll walk you through creating a custom chatbot for your business website that captures leads and integrates them into a CRM. The best part? You don’t need any coding skills to get started and if you do run into problems be sure to join our discord server and we will assist you.

Overview of the Project

We will download a sample project, configure it, and deploy it on your website. If you encounter any issues, join our Discord community for assistance. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Downloading the Sample Project
• Configuring the Project
• Deploying and Integrating the Chatbot

Step 1: Download the Sample Project

First, head over to the GitHub page for the sample project. You need to fork the repository to your profile and then clone it to your local machine.

1. Fork the Repository:

   • Click the Fork button on the repository page.
   • This copies the repository to your GitHub profile.

2. Clone the Repository:

   • Install GitHub Desktop.
   • Open GitHub Desktop, log in, and clone the repository to your computer.

Setting Up Your Environment

Ensure you have a GitHub account. Once the repository is cloned, install Visual Studio Code, a code editor necessary for opening and editing the project files.

1. Open the Project:

   • In Visual Studio Code, select File > Open Folder and locate the downloaded project.

2. Navigate to the Source Folder:

   • Inside the src folder, you’ll find the main code files, including server.js, which contains the server setup, and assistant.js, the core logic for the chatbot.

Step 2: Configuring the Project

Understanding the Code

Here's a brief overview of the key files:

• server.js: Starts the server and defines endpoints for starting a new chat thread and handling chat messages.
• assistant.js: Contains the logic for interacting with OpenAI’s API, including creating a new assistant and handling chat functions.
• crm.js: Manages lead storage in the CRM.
• configuration.js: The configuration file where you'll define instructions and functions for the assistant.
• .env: This contains all the environment variables for the project.

Customizing the Assistant

Modify the configuration.js file to set up your assistant’s instructions and functions. Provide detailed information about your business, services, and the type of leads you want to capture.

1. Assistant Instructions:

   • Define the assistant's role, e.g., a lead generation specialist.
   • Add business information, services offered, and frequently asked questions to the knowledgebase document.

2. Functions:

   • Set up custom functions for the assistant to handle, such as creating a lead in the CRM.

3. Environment Variables:

   • Duplicate the env.example file and rename it to .env.
   • Add your API keys for OpenAI and the ClosingDealz CRM.

Step 3: Deploying the Chatbot

Running the Server

Install Node.js and use the terminal to install necessary modules and start the server.

1. Install Node Modules:

   • In the terminal, navigate to the src folder and run npm install.

2. Start the Server:

   • Run npm start to start the server.

Testing the Chatbot

Use the REST Client extension in Visual Studio Code to test the chatbot endpoints. Ensure the chatbot captures lead information correctly and stores it in the CRM.

1. Send Test Requests:
   • Use the request.http file to send requests and validate responses.

Deploying to Your Website

Once tested, deploy the server and integrate the chatbot into your website using Voiceflow for the UI.

1. Deploy the Server:

   • Deploy the server, if you do not know how to do that ask for help on Discord.

2. Set Up Voiceflow:

   • Download the Voiceflow template.
   • Import the provided template into Voiceflow.
   • Customize the chatbot messages and responses.

3. Embed the Chatbot: -Publish the Voiceflow project and embed the widget code into your website’s HTML.

Customizing the Appearance

In Voiceflow, you can customize the chatbot’s appearance, including colors, images, and initial messages.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully created and deployed a lead-capturing chatbot for your business website. This powerful tool will help you engage potential customers and capture valuable leads directly into your CRM.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, join our Discord community. For the full video tutorial, check out the YouTube video.