What Questions Should Your Chatbot Answer? The Complete Conversation Design Guide

The difference between a chatbot that delights customers and one that frustrates them isn't the technology—it's the questions it can answer. A poorly designed chatbot conversation leaves customers confused and annoyed. A well-designed one captures leads, solves problems, and increases conversions.

This guide covers exactly which questions your chatbot should answer, organized by business type, along with conversation design best practices.

Start with Customer Pain Points

Before programming a single response, understand what your customers actually ask.

Analyze Your Support Tickets

What to look for:

• Most common inquiry types
• Questions that get asked repeatedly
• Issues that take longest to resolve
• Seasonal spikes in specific topics

Example analysis:

A restaurant in Dallas reviewed 3 months of customer inquiries:

• 45% - Reservation requests
• 20% - Menu questions (dietary restrictions)
• 15% - Hours and location
• 10% - Special events and catering
• 10% - Takeout/delivery

Result: Chatbot now handles 80% of these automatically.

Review Your FAQ Page

If you have an FAQ page, you've already identified common questions. Your chatbot should answer all of them.

Don't just copy-paste FAQs into the chatbot. Transform them into conversational responses:

FAQ format: "Q: What are your business hours? A: Monday-Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 10am-4pm, Closed Sunday"

Chatbot format: "We're open Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm, and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm. We're closed on Sundays. Would you like to schedule a visit?"

Notice the chatbot version is conversational and offers next steps.

Watch for Customer Journey Patterns

Different questions arise at different stages:

Awareness stage:

• "What is [your product/service]?"
• "How does it work?"
• "Who is it for?"

Consideration stage:

• "What's the difference between [option A] and [option B]?"
• "Do you offer [specific feature]?"
• "What do others say about your service?"

Decision stage:

• "What's the price?"
• "Do you have availability?"
• "What's your cancellation policy?"

Essential Questions Every Business Chatbot Should Answer

Regardless of industry, these are must-haves:

1. Business Hours and Location

Basic response: "We're open Monday-Friday 9am-6pm. Our office is located at [address]. Need directions?"

Enhanced response:

• Link to Google Maps
• Note any holiday closures
• Mention if appointments are required

2. Products/Services Overview

Effective approach: Ask what they're looking for, then provide relevant options.

"What brings you here today?

• Product information
• Pricing and quotes
• Support for existing customer
• Something else"

3. Pricing and Availability

Transparency matters:

If you publish pricing: Give exact numbers If pricing varies: Provide ranges and offer to connect with sales If custom pricing only: Qualify the lead, then route to sales

Example: "Our basic package starts at $99/month. Premium features range from $199-499/month depending on your needs. Would you like a personalized quote?"

4. Contact Options

Even the best chatbot needs an escape hatch:

"Can't find what you need?

• Email us: hello@company.com
• Call: (555) 123-4567
• Schedule a call: [calendar link]"

5. How to Get Started

Make the next step obvious:

"Ready to get started?

• Book a demo
• Start a free trial
• Talk to sales
• Browse documentation"

Industry-Specific Question Sets

Restaurant Chatbots

Must-answer questions:

Reservations:

• "I'd like to make a reservation"
• "Do you have availability for [date/time/party size]?"
• "Can I change my reservation?"

Menu:

• "What's on the menu?"
• "Do you have vegetarian/vegan options?"
• "What are your most popular dishes?"
• "Can you accommodate [dietary restriction]?"

Takeout/Delivery:

• "Do you offer delivery?"
• "How long for takeout?"
• "Can I order online?"

Example: Restaurant chatbots typically integrate with reservation systems to handle booking automatically.

Healthcare Chatbots

Must-answer questions:

Appointments:

• "I need to schedule an appointment"
• "What's the first available appointment?"
• "How do I cancel my appointment?"

Insurance:

• "Do you accept [insurance provider]?"
• "What's my copay?"
• "Do I need a referral?"

Patient forms:

• "Where can I access patient forms?"
• "Can I fill out forms online?"

General:

• "What should I bring to my appointment?"
• "Where is your office located?"
• "Do you have parking?"

Important: Healthcare chatbots must be HIPAA compliant. Read our healthcare chatbot guide for compliance requirements.

Real Estate Chatbots

Must-answer questions:

Property search:

• "Show me homes in [neighborhood]"
• "What's available in my budget?"
• "How many bedrooms/bathrooms?"

Showings:

• "Can I schedule a showing?"
• "When is the next open house?"
• "Are virtual tours available?"

Process:

• "What's the buying process?"
• "Do I need pre-approval?"
• "What are closing costs?"

Ecommerce Chatbots

Must-answer questions:

Order tracking:

• "Where's my order?"
• "When will it arrive?"
• "Track order #12345"

Returns:

• "What's your return policy?"
• "How do I return an item?"
• "Can I exchange for a different size?"

Shipping:

• "Do you ship internationally?"
• "What are shipping costs?"
• "Do you offer expedited shipping?"

Product help:

• "Is this in stock?"
• "What sizes are available?"
• "Can you recommend similar products?"

Detailed strategies in our ecommerce chatbot guide.

Conversation Flow Design

How you structure conversations matters as much as what questions you answer.

1. The Opening Greeting

Bad: "Hello."

Good: "Hi! I'm here to help. What can I assist you with today?"

Better: "Welcome! Are you looking to [common action 1], [common action 2], or something else?"

The best greetings:

• Are friendly and conversational
• Set expectations (what the chatbot can do)
• Offer specific options based on common user intent

2. Question Routing

Use branching logic to route users efficiently:

Example: Business inquiry

Chatbot: "What brings you here today?"

Option A: "I have a question"
  → Route to support topics

Option B: "I want to buy"
  → Route to product selection

Option C: "I need help with my account"
  → Authenticate, then show account options

3. Gathering Information

When collecting details (for lead capture, bookings, etc.):

Do:

• Ask one question at a time
• Explain why you need the information
• Offer to skip optional fields

Don't:

• Overwhelm with 10 questions at once
• Ask for unnecessary information
• Force users to answer every question

Example flow:

Chatbot: "I can help you book an appointment. What service are you interested in?"

User: "Consultation"

Chatbot: "Great! What date works best for you?"

User: "Next Tuesday"

Chatbot: "I have 10am, 2pm, or 4pm available. Which time?"

User: "2pm"

Chatbot: "Perfect! Can I get your name and email to confirm?"

4. Escalation to Humans

Recognize when to hand off to a human:

Trigger phrases:

• "I want to speak to a person"
• "This isn't helping"
• "Let me talk to someone"

Situational triggers:

• Complex technical issues
• Complaint or refund requests
• High-value sales opportunities
• Security/account access issues

Smooth handoff:

"I understand this requires a human touch. Let me connect you with [name/team]. They'll be with you in [time estimate]. Can I get your contact info in case we get disconnected?"

Questions to Avoid

Some questions your chatbot should NOT try to answer:

1. Medical Diagnosis

Never: "Based on your symptoms, you have [condition]"

Instead: "Those symptoms should be evaluated by a doctor. Would you like to schedule an appointment?"

2. Legal Advice

Never: "In your situation, you should [legal action]"

Instead: "I can help you schedule a consultation with an attorney who can advise you properly."

3. Financial Advice

Never: "You should invest in [product]"

Instead: "Let me connect you with an advisor who can discuss your specific situation."

4. Detailed Personal Information

Don't collect:

• Full social security numbers
• Credit card numbers (unless using secure payment processor)
• Medical record numbers
• Passwords

Testing Your Conversation Design

Before launching, test thoroughly:

1. Internal Testing

Have your team try to:

• Ask common customer questions
• Try to confuse the chatbot
• Find gaps in knowledge
• Test all conversation paths

2. Beta Testing

Invite a small group of customers to:

• Use the chatbot naturally
• Provide feedback on frustrating moments
• Suggest missing topics

3. Metrics to Track

Engagement:

• % of visitors who initiate chat
• Average conversation length
• Completion rate (users who get answer)

Performance:

• Questions the bot couldn't answer
• Escalations to human support
• Customer satisfaction scores

Business impact:

• Leads captured
• Appointments booked
• Conversions influenced by chatbot

Continuously Improve

Your chatbot conversation design isn't "done" after launch.

Weekly: Review unanswered questions. Add responses for common ones.

Monthly: Analyze conversation transcripts. Look for:

• Confusing phrasing that trips up users
• Questions you didn't anticipate
• Conversation paths that lead nowhere

Quarterly: Survey users. Ask:

• "Did the chatbot help you find what you needed?"
• "What questions could it not answer?"
• "How can we improve?"

Special Considerations for Lead Qualification

If your chatbot's primary goal is lead capture, it should ask qualification questions:

Budget:

• "What's your budget for this project?"
• "Are you comparing options or ready to buy?"

Timeline:

• "When do you need this implemented?"
• "Is this for immediate use or future planning?"

Authority:

• "Are you the decision-maker?"
• "Who else is involved in this decision?"

Need:

• "What problem are you trying to solve?"
• "What's your current solution?"

Conclusion

The best chatbot conversations feel natural, helpful, and efficient. By focusing on the questions your customers actually ask—informed by support data, FAQs, and customer journey analysis—you create a chatbot that genuinely adds value.

Start with the essential questions every business should answer, add your industry-specific topics, and continuously refine based on real conversations. Your chatbot will become a powerful tool for customer support, lead generation, and sales conversion.

Key takeaways:

• Start with data - Analyze what customers already ask
• Cover the basics - Hours, location, pricing, contact options
• Add industry specifics - Menu questions for restaurants, insurance for healthcare, etc.
• Design clear flows - One question at a time, logical routing
• Test and improve - Launch isn't the finish line

Next steps:

• Learn how to add a chatbot to your website
• Explore industry-specific implementations
• Compare chatbot pricing options

Need help designing your chatbot's conversation flows? Our Maple chatbot includes conversation design consultation to ensure your chatbot answers the right questions. Schedule a free consultation to discuss your needs.