A challenge I faced is that I wanted to base the chatbot flow on how a bookshop worker might respond when trying to assist a customer. Although I've worked in customer service before, and drew on some of that experience, I have never worked in a bookstore. I decided I would visit some local bookshops in Austin to try and gauge some real conversations with employees. At one of the bookstores, an employee said goodbye to me after I paid by saying “Happy Reading!” which I found funny, yet joyful. I decided to include this line in some of the bot’s responses.
The chatbot will have a few basic functions, to search the bookstore stock for users, help place an order if they wish to do so, and check on their order status.
Below you'll find a thorough conversation flow displaying how key decisions will prompt the chatbot to respond.
