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Customizing Qualifying Questions

Your AI chatbot asks qualifying questions in a conversational flow when a customer messages your WhatsApp number. CustomerFlows provides default questions for your trade, but you can customize them to capture exactly the information your estimators and dispatchers need.

How to Edit Your Questions​

  1. Go to Settings, then AI Chatbot
  2. You'll see your current qualifying questions listed in order
  3. To edit a question: click the question text and type your changes
  4. To add a question: click "Add Question" at the bottom of the list
  5. To remove a question: click the trash icon next to the question
  6. To reorder: drag questions up or down to change the sequence
  7. Click Save

Changes take effect immediately for all new conversations. Conversations already in progress continue with the questions they started with.

Default Questions by Trade​

When you select your trade during signup, CustomerFlows applies these defaults:

TradeQ1Q2Q3Q4Q5
HVACService typeUrgencyProperty addressSystem ageBudget range
RoofingDamage typeInsurance statusProperty addressTimelineBudget range
PlumbingIssue typeUrgencyProperty addressNumber of fixturesBudget range
LandscapingProject typeProperty sizeProperty addressTimelineBudget range
ElectricalService typeUrgencyProperty addressPanel ageBudget range
CleaningService type (one-time or recurring)Property sizeAddressFrequencyBudget range
General ContractingProject typeScopeProperty addressTimelineBudget range

These defaults work well as a starting point. After your first week of real conversations, review the chatbot transcripts and refine based on what your team actually needs.

Best Practices for Qualifying Questions​

Keep it to 4-6 questions. More than 6 questions causes drop-off. The customer is messaging for help, not filling out a form. Capture the essentials and let your team get the rest during the estimate call.

Ask the most important question first. If urgency matters most for your business (plumbing emergencies, AC failures), ask "How urgent is this?" first. The customer is most engaged at the start of the conversation.

Use plain language. Your customers are homeowners, not industry professionals. "What type of work do you need?" is better than "Please specify the service category."

Ask closed questions where possible. "Is this urgent or can it wait a week or two?" gets a faster answer than "How soon do you need this done?" The chatbot works best when customers can respond with short, clear answers.

Always include the property address. This is the one field your team can't easily get from a follow-up call. Capturing it upfront allows dispatching without a callback.

Consider asking about decision-making authority. "Do you own or rent the property?" filters leads where the homeowner needs landlord approval, which significantly changes the sales cycle.

What the Chatbot Does With Answers​

Each answer maps to a field on the deal card in your pipeline:

Chatbot QuestionDeal Card FieldHow It's Used
Service/job typeJob TypePipeline routing (if using multiple pipelines)
UrgencyUrgency TagPriority sorting in your pipeline view
Property addressAddressDispatch planning, service area validation
BudgetBudget RangeQualification scoring
Additional detailsNotesContext for estimator

The full conversation transcript is also attached to the deal card, so your team can read the entire exchange even if the structured fields don't capture every nuance.

Examples of Effective Custom Questions​

HVAC (summer focus):

  1. "Is your AC completely not working, or is it running but not cooling well?"
  2. "How urgent is this? Is anyone in the home particularly vulnerable to the heat?"
  3. "What's the property address?"
  4. "Do you know how old your AC system is?"
  5. "Do you have a budget in mind for the repair?"

Roofing (storm season):

  1. "What kind of damage are you seeing? (Missing shingles, leak, structural damage)"
  2. "Are you planning to file an insurance claim?"
  3. "What's the property address?"
  4. "When did the damage occur?"
  5. "Is there active water coming into the home right now?"

Cleaning (recurring focus):

  1. "Are you looking for a one-time cleaning or recurring service?"
  2. "How many bedrooms and bathrooms in the home?"
  3. "What's the property address?"
  4. "If recurring, how often? (Weekly, biweekly, monthly)"
  5. "Any specific areas that need extra attention?"

Testing Your Changes​

After saving new questions:

  1. Send a test message to your WhatsApp number from a different phone
  2. Walk through the entire conversation
  3. Verify a deal is created with the correct fields populated
  4. Check that the conversation transcript reads naturally

If any question feels awkward or produces confusing responses from the chatbot, reword it to be more specific.

FAQ​

Can the chatbot handle follow-up questions from the customer? The chatbot is designed for sequential qualifying questions, not free-form conversation. If a customer asks a question back (e.g., "How much do you charge?"), the chatbot acknowledges it and redirects to the next qualifying question. Complex customer questions are better handled by your team during follow-up.

Can I have different questions for different services? Currently, one set of questions applies to all conversations. If you need very different qualification for different service types (e.g., emergency repairs vs. new installations), you can make your first question a routing question ("Is this an emergency repair or a new project?") and the chatbot adapts its follow-up accordingly.

How many questions can I add? The system supports up to 8 questions. We recommend 4-6 for optimal completion rates.

Need help? Email support@customerflows.com or ask in r/CustomerFlows.