If you're here, you're probably tired of chatbots that frustrate more than they help. Maybe you use Freshworks, or you're about to, and you want your bot to actually improve customer engagement—not just tick a box for “automation.” This guide's for teams who want practical, honest advice on making Freshworks chatbots work for real people (on both sides of the chat window). No fluff, no corporate-speak—just a clear path to a better bot.
Step 1: Get Your Bearings With Freshworks Chatbots
First things first: Freshworks has a few different products—Freshdesk, Freshchat, etc.—but the chatbot side of things is handled through their Freshworks platform, usually via the “Freddy” chatbot. You’ll sometimes see it called Freddy AI. For most businesses, you’ll be working in Freshchat or Freshdesk Messaging.
Before you start:
- Check your plan. Not all Freshworks tiers include chatbots. If you're not seeing the option, you might need to bump up your subscription.
- Decide your main goal. Are you trying to cut down on repetitive tickets? Speed up response times? Gather leads? Be specific.
- Know your limits. Out-of-the-box, Freshworks bots are good for FAQs and basic flows. For really advanced stuff, you’ll bump into walls unless you get into custom code or APIs.
Pro tip: If you’re hoping for a bot that feels exactly like a human, lower your expectations. Good bots are upfront about being bots and hand off to humans when they get stuck.
Step 2: Map Out What Your Customers Actually Need
Don't just turn on the bot and hope for the best. Take an hour to sketch out:
- Top 10 customer questions. Pull reports from your support inbox or ask your agents. These are gold for your first chatbot flows.
- Points where people drop off. Are there spots on your website where customers abandon chat? That’s where you need the bot to shine.
- Painful manual tasks. Anything your team answers 10+ times a day is a great bot candidate.
What to skip: Don’t try to automate everything. Bots are terrible at empathy, nuance, or messy complaints. Stick to clear, structured questions first.
Step 3: Build Your First Chatbot Flow
Freshworks makes it pretty easy to set up a basic flow. Here’s how to get started:
- Log in to your Freshworks dashboard. Go to the Messaging/Chat section.
- Find the 'Bots' tab. (It might be labeled “Freddy” or “Chatbots.”)
- Click to create a new bot. Pick a template if you want, but “Blank Bot” is fine for most use cases.
- Set up your welcome message. Keep it short and honest—something like:
“Hi! I’m the support bot. I can help with common questions or put you in touch with a human.”
- Add your first flow. For each FAQ, create a simple path:
- Trigger: “I want to reset my password.”
- Bot response: “No problem! Click here to reset your password: [link]. If that doesn’t work, let me know.”
- Set up fallback/hand-off. Always include an easy way for customers to say “talk to a person.” Route these directly to your team.
Tips for flow-building:
- Use quick replies/buttons, not open text, where possible. Less chance for the bot to get confused.
- Keep answers short and scannable. Nobody wants a wall of text.
- Test every flow yourself. Actually click through as a customer would.
What doesn’t work: Don’t try to sound overly “human” or use cutesy language. People know it’s a bot. Clarity beats charm.
Step 4: Add Smart Automations (But Don’t Overdo It)
Freshworks bots can do more than just answer questions. Here are a few ways to add value:
- Collect basic info upfront. Name, email, order number—get the essentials before routing to a human.
- Route by topic. Use keywords or buttons to send billing questions to your billing team, tech issues to tech support, etc.
- Trigger proactive messages. For example, if someone’s been on the pricing page for 30 seconds, pop up a bot offering help.
But: Don’t flood visitors with pop-ups or endless questions. Every automation should save time for someone—either your team or your customers. If it’s just adding steps, skip it.
Step 5: Integrate With Your Knowledge Base
One of Freshworks’ best features is connecting your bot to your help center or knowledge base. This can save your team a ton of time.
- In your bot builder, look for the Knowledge Base integration.
- Choose which articles to surface. Prioritize your most popular FAQs.
- Set up fallback to articles if the bot doesn’t understand a question.
Honest take: Auto-surfacing articles is hit-or-miss. It works great for clear, common questions (“How do I change my password?”). For anything vague or emotional (“Why did you charge me twice?”), it often falls flat.
Step 6: Train and Improve Your Bot Over Time
No chatbot is “set and forget.” Here’s how to keep it useful:
- Check your bot analytics weekly. Look for “dead ends” where customers bail or always ask for a human.
- Update your flows based on real feedback. If customers keep asking a question the bot can’t answer, add that flow.
- Test new flows with real people. Ask your support team or even friends to try out new scenarios.
- Don’t be afraid to delete underperforming flows. More isn’t always better.
Pro tip: Make it easy for customers to rate bot answers (“Was this helpful?”). Even a thumbs up/down can give you direction.
Step 7: Manage Handoffs to Humans Smoothly
A lot of chatbot setups fall apart at the handoff stage. Here’s how to avoid frustrating your customers:
- Clearly tell customers when they’re being transferred to a person.
- Carry over the chat history and any info the bot collected. Don’t make people repeat themselves.
- Set expectations for wait times. If there’s a queue, say so.
What to avoid: Don’t trap users in endless bot loops with no escape. If someone types “agent,” “human,” or “help,” the bot should always hand off.
Step 8: Keep It Simple—Don’t Chase Every AI Feature
It’s tempting to turn on every AI-powered option Freshworks offers, but honestly, most businesses get more value from a well-built FAQ bot than a fancy “conversational AI” that tries (and fails) to handle everything.
- Stick with structured flows for your top questions.
- Experiment with AI suggestions, but monitor them closely. If they confuse users, turn them off.
- Remember: The goal is to help, not impress. Bells and whistles rarely make up for a bad customer experience.
Wrapping Up: Iterate, Don’t Overthink
If you remember one thing: start simple. A Freshworks chatbot that answers five key questions well is more valuable than a bloated bot that annoys everyone. Set aside time once a month to review how it’s going, tweak your flows, and listen to your team. The best bots are always a work in progress.
It’s not about being perfect—it’s about making things a little easier, for your customers and your support team. That’s real engagement.