Sales teams have no patience for complicated tools that promise the moon and deliver chaos. If you’re here, you want your live chat and automation to actually help move leads through your pipeline. Good news: you can do a lot with Tidio if you know what to ignore—and what to set up right.
This guide is for sales managers, SDRs, or anyone sick of generic “chatbots” that don’t fit the way your team works. We’ll walk through creating custom workflows in Tidio that help you qualify leads, route chats, and keep your pipeline moving. No fluff. Just steps that work.
What Are Tidio Workflows, Really?
Before you dive in, let’s be clear: Tidio’s “workflows” are basically automated chatbots and triggers that respond to what visitors do on your site. You can use them to:
- Greet visitors or offer help
- Qualify leads with questions
- Route chats to the right sales rep
- Send follow-ups or reminders
They’re powerful, but don’t expect magic. If you set up a million triggers, you’ll create noise and annoy your prospects. The trick is to keep it simple and focused on your real sales process.
Step 1: Map Your Sales Process First (Do Not Skip)
Don’t open Tidio yet. Grab a notepad or whiteboard and sketch out:
- How do leads usually come in?
- What info do you really need to qualify them?
- Who should handle each type of lead?
- Where are the handoffs (e.g., from SDR to AE)?
- What questions are you sick of answering live?
If you skip this, you’ll end up with a Frankenstein bot that confuses your team and your prospects.
Pro Tip: Focus on your highest-value actions. For most sales teams, that’s qualifying leads and getting them to book a call or demo.
Step 2: Decide What to Automate (and What to Ignore)
Not everything should be automated. Here’s what usually works well:
- Initial lead qualification: Ask for basic info (name, email, company size).
- Instant routing: Send good leads to a real rep; send tire-kickers to a nurture workflow.
- Appointment scheduling: If you use Calendly or similar, trigger a calendar link after qualifying.
- Smart follow-ups: Remind visitors to finish a form or come back if they drop off.
What usually doesn’t work:
- Overly complex chat flows that try to replace real conversations.
- “Catch-all” bots that respond to everything with generic messages.
- Pushy pop-ups on every page. (People hate this.)
Step 3: Build Your First Custom Workflow in Tidio
Now, open Tidio and head to the Automations tab. Here’s how to create a workflow that actually helps sales:
1. Choose a Trigger
Start with something simple, like:
- Visitor opens chat: Great for welcoming and qualifying.
- Visitor visits pricing page: Perfect for offering immediate help.
- Visitor submits a form: Use this to send instant thank-yous or next steps.
Don’t stack too many triggers. One or two per workflow is enough.
2. Add Your Actions
Actions are what the workflow does when triggered. For sales, the best bets are:
- Send a message: “Hey! Looking for a demo or more info?”
- Ask a question: “What’s your company size?” or “What challenge brought you here?”
- Collect data: Store their answers in Tidio’s contact fields.
- Assign to operator: Route hot leads to a human fast.
- Send a link: If they qualify, drop your calendar link for easy booking.
Keep questions short and avoid interrogating people. Nobody wants to fill out a survey just to ask a question.
3. Set Conditions (So You Don’t Spam Everyone)
Use conditions to make sure you’re not blasting the same bot to returning customers or existing leads.
- If visitor is new: Show onboarding.
- If visitor’s email domain is company X: Route to their dedicated rep.
- If chat is already assigned: Don’t trigger the bot.
Get specific. The more tailored, the better.
4. Test Your Workflow
Hit “Preview” or use your website’s staging environment to run through your flow. Act like a prospect—does the bot help, or just annoy you? Fix anything that feels robotic or repetitive.
Step 4: Connect to Your Sales Tools (Optional, But Powerful)
Tidio can push data to tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, or your email. Honest take: the integrations work, but sometimes need a little patience to match fields and trigger at the right time.
What’s worth doing: - Pushing qualified leads into your CRM with their answers attached. - Notifying reps in Slack or email when a hot lead comes in.
What to skip: - Overcomplicated multi-step zaps or API calls unless you’ve got a real need (and someone technical).
If you’re not sure, start simple. Manual export is fine until you know you’ve got a workflow that delivers real leads.
Step 5: Roll Out to Your Team (and Get Feedback)
Don’t launch your workflow and disappear. Tell your sales team what’s changed and why. Ask them:
- Are the right leads coming through?
- Does the bot make conversations easier, or just get in the way?
- Are prospects dropping off at certain questions?
Tweak your workflows weekly for the first month. Small changes can double your results.
Real-World Examples: What Works for Sales Teams
Here’s what I’ve seen actually help sales teams close more deals with Tidio:
- Fast Lead Routing: A workflow that instantly assigns high-value prospects (e.g., those on the pricing page, or companies over X size) to your best closer.
- Demo Booking Bot: After a few qualifying questions, offer a one-click calendar link. (Don’t hide the calendar behind more forms.)
- Drop-Off Recovery: If someone starts a chat but disappears, send a friendly follow-up email or message.
And what doesn’t work:
- Overly Chatty Bots: If you make visitors answer five questions before getting to a human, they’ll bounce.
- Generic “How Can I Help?” Pop-ups: These blend into background noise and get ignored.
Pro Tips for Not Hating Your Workflow Later
- Name your workflows clearly. “Qualify Leads - Pricing Page” beats “Workflow #3.”
- Keep question lists short. Only ask what you’ll actually use.
- Review performance weekly. If people aren’t booking demos, change the flow.
- Don’t chase every new Tidio feature. Stick to the basics unless a new tool solves a real problem for your team.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple and Iterate
You don’t need a PhD in automation to get real value from Tidio. Start with one or two workflows that map to your sales process. Watch how they perform, talk to your team, and make small tweaks. Skip the fancy stuff until you’ve nailed the basics. In sales, speed and clarity beat complexity every time.
Ready to close more deals? Build your first workflow, test it for a week, and keep it simple. You’ll thank yourself later.