How to set up automated chat workflows in Freshchat to streamline customer support

If you’re tired of repeating yourself to customers or watching easy questions clog up your support queue, you’re not alone. You don’t need a giant budget or a team of developers to fix this—just a bit of planning and the right chat automation tools. This guide is for small teams, support leads, or anyone tasked with “making chat work better” (with or without the job title). We’ll walk through, step by step, how to set up automated chat workflows in Freshchat so you can stop wasting time and start actually helping people.

Why bother with automated chat workflows?

Let’s be honest: most customers want quick answers to simple questions. You want your team focused on the tricky stuff, not copy-pasting your return policy for the hundredth time. Automated chat workflows help by:

  • Instantly answering FAQs (shipping, hours, basic troubleshooting, etc.)
  • Collecting info up front, so agents aren’t stuck playing 20 questions
  • Routing chats to the right person, not just whoever’s available
  • Cutting down on human error and burnout

But—automation isn’t magic. It won’t fix broken processes or make angry customers happy on its own. The key is setting up workflows that fit your real support needs, not what a vendor promises.

Step 1: Map out your most common customer conversations

Before you touch Freshchat, you need to know what you’re automating. Otherwise, you’ll just make a bot that annoys people.

Here’s how to start:

  • Grab a week or two of recent chat transcripts.
  • Skim through and jot down the most common questions (“Where’s my order?”, “How do I reset my password?”, etc.).
  • Group similar questions together—these will become your “flows.”
  • Make note of any info agents always ask for (order number, email address, etc.).

Pro tip: Don’t try to automate every single scenario. Focus on the 3-5 most frequent, repetitive cases first. You can always expand later.

Step 2: Get familiar with Freshchat’s automation tools

Freshchat has a few different ways to automate chat. You’ll mainly use:

  • Bot Builder (Freddy Self-Service): Drag-and-drop tool for building chatbots. It’s not as flexible as custom code, but it’s great for most support needs.
  • Canned responses: For quick, manual replies. Not really “automation,” but still a time-saver.
  • Assignment rules: Automatically routes chats to the right team or agent.
  • Workflows: These are branching paths you set up for the bot to follow (e.g., “If user picks X, ask for Y”).

You don’t need to be a programmer, but you do need to think through the “if this, then that” logic for your customers’ questions.

Step 3: Build your first bot flow

Let’s get hands-on. We’ll walk through creating a simple FAQ bot that answers “Where’s my order?”—probably the most common support question on Earth.

A. Go to the Bot Builder

  • In Freshchat, head to the Admin panel.
  • Find “Freddy Self-Service” or “Bot Builder.” (Naming may change, but it’s usually obvious.)
  • Click “Create New Bot” or similar.

B. Set up the trigger

  • Choose when the bot should appear (e.g., always, or only on certain pages).
  • Set a trigger phrase like “order status” or “track my order.”
  • You can also trigger the bot automatically when someone opens chat, or after hours.

C. Build the conversation flow

  • Start with a friendly greeting.
  • Ask for whatever info you need (e.g., “Can you provide your order number?”).
  • Give a clear next step: either answer automatically (if you have API integration) or tell the user you’ll connect them to an agent.

Sample flow:

  1. Bot: “Hi! Want to check your order status? Just enter your order number below.”
  2. User enters order number.
  3. Bot: “Thanks! I’m fetching your order details…”
    • If you can connect Freshchat to your order system, show the status automatically.
    • If not, say something like: “Got it! An agent will check and reply ASAP.”

D. Add fallback and handoff options

Not every question fits a script. Always include options like:

  • “Talk to a human”
  • “Go back to main menu”
  • A polite “I didn’t get that—could you rephrase?”

Don’t try to force users down the bot path if they’re frustrated. That just makes things worse.

Step 4: Automate data collection (so agents don’t have to)

Bots are great at gathering info up front. Use this to your advantage:

  • If the user wants to reset a password, ask for their email first.
  • If it’s a billing question, get their invoice number.
  • For product troubleshooting, collect model number and description of the problem.

Set up fields in your bot flows that pass these details to the agent before handoff. This way, your team has everything they need—no repetitive back-and-forth.

Tip: Keep it simple. Don’t ask for more info than you need. The more hoops, the more drop-offs.

Step 5: Route chats smartly—don’t just assign randomly

Freshchat lets you route conversations based on keywords, customer type, or bot responses.

  • Examples:
    • VIP customers go straight to a dedicated support group.
    • Technical issues go to your tech team, not general support.
    • After-hours chats get a “We’ll reply tomorrow” message.

Setting up assignment rules is usually a few clicks in the admin panel. Test them with real scenarios—don’t just trust that the logic works.

What to avoid: Over-complicating your rules. If you have to draw a flowchart to explain your routing, it’s too much.

Step 6: Test your workflows (with real people)

Don’t assume your bot works just because it looks good in the editor. Run through every flow yourself, then rope in a few coworkers or friends who aren’t support experts.

Look for:

  • Dead ends or confusing replies
  • Missing handoff options
  • Typos or tone issues (“Hi, valued customer!” sounds like a robot)
  • Places where the bot asks for info twice

Fix anything that makes you cringe. Then let it run, but keep an eye on conversations for the first week.

Step 7: Track what’s working—and what’s not

Freshchat gives you basic analytics: how many chats the bot handled, how many needed human help, common drop-off points, etc.

  • Watch for high “handoff” rates—means your bot isn’t answering well enough.
  • If users constantly ask to talk to a human, your flows may be too rigid.
  • Celebrate time saved on solved chats, but don’t ignore complaints.

Tweak your flows every couple of weeks. You don’t need perfection, just steady improvement.

Step 8: Expand carefully—don’t automate everything

Once your first few flows are solid, you might be tempted to automate every possible scenario. Resist that urge.

  • Not every problem fits a script. Some need empathy, judgment, or a human touch.
  • Over-automation can make customers feel trapped or ignored.
  • Bots are great for FAQs, data collection, and simple triage—not for handling angry or complex requests.

When in doubt, leave the door open for a real person.

What to skip: Shiny features you don’t need (yet)

Freshchat, like every tool, loves to pitch AI and “next-gen” bots. Some of these are genuinely helpful—others are more marketing than substance.

  • Skip: Custom NLP or AI unless you have thousands of chats/month and a team to train it.
  • Skip: Trying to upsell or cross-sell via bot unless your support basics are rock-solid.
  • Skip: Overly complex integrations until your core flows work reliably.

You can always add fancy features later. Start with the basics.

Summary: Keep it simple, watch real conversations, and iterate

Automated chat workflows in Freshchat can save your team hours and make customers happier—but only if you focus on solving real problems, not chasing buzzwords. Start with just a couple of common cases, test with real people, and improve as you go. Don’t worry about getting it “perfect” on day one. Simple beats complicated, every time.