Inbound marketing is all about increasing leads, revenue, and brand authority. But which tools do marketers use to ensure they're working with the right customers? Today, the answer is often a website chatbot.
Inbound marketers typically use chatbots as a qualifying tool that helps determine a lead's quality as quickly as possible. Chatbots do this by learning about the person on the other end of the chat box, gathering the prospect's email address or company name, and keeping them engaged while deciding whether to tag in a live agent.
Most of us know what this back-and-forth is like from the user's point of view. But how do you write a chatbot script that's both engaging and effective? Here's what you need to know.
What Is a Chatbot Script?
A chatbot script is the pre-written dialogue and decision logic that guides automated conversations with website visitors. It maps every possible conversation path, from welcome message to lead handoff or resolution. Each visitor response triggers a different path based on their answers, allowing the bot to qualify leads and route conversations without human intervention.
Why Chatbot Scripts Matter for B2B Sales
Script quality directly impacts pipeline outcomes. Here's why it matters:
Faster Lead Qualification
A well-scripted chatbot asks the right qualifying questions upfront, so reps spend time on accounts that fit. Scripts capture critical data before human handoff:
Firmographic data: Company size, industry, revenue range
Role and authority: Decision-maker status and buying power
Intent signals: Demo requests, pricing questions, timeline indicators
Your sales team talks to prospects who are already vetted.
Consistent Buyer Experience
Scripts ensure every visitor gets the same professional first impression regardless of time of day or rep availability. Consistency builds trust and reflects brand quality. Your prospects shouldn't get a different experience at 2 PM versus 2 AM.
Higher Conversion Rates
Scripts reduce friction by guiding visitors to the right next step rather than letting them bounce. Clear paths improve outcomes:
Demo requests: Route qualified visitors directly to calendar booking
Content consumption: Surface relevant resources based on visitor role or industry
Sales handoff: Connect high-intent prospects to reps in real time
When prospects know where they're going, they're more likely to get there.
What to Consider Before Writing Your Chatbot Script
Before you write a single line, do the pre-work. Know who you're targeting and what you want the bot to accomplish.
Define Your ICP and Qualification Criteria
Before writing a single line, teams need clarity on who they want to talk to. Cover these qualification criteria to determine which leads warrant rep involvement:
Company size: Does the visitor's company fit your target employee count or revenue range?
Industry: Is this a vertical you serve?
Role: Is the visitor a decision-maker or researcher?
Intent signals: Are they asking about pricing, demos, or integration, or just browsing?
Timeline and urgency: BANT-style criteria (budget, authority, need, timeline) help prioritize routing
Map Your Primary Use Cases
Most B2B chatbots handle a few core scenarios. List your top 3-5 use cases before scripting:
Lead qualification and routing
Meeting or demo booking
Pricing and product questions
Support or documentation requests
Career inquiries (often a dead-end for sales bots)
How to Write a Chatbot Script Step by Step
When building out chatbot scripts, keep the following best practices in mind:
Write a Compelling Welcome Message
Every message, including the first, should be engaging and set expectations. Let visitors know they're chatting with a bot and what it can help with.
"Hi there! I'm here to help you find the right resource or connect you with our team. What brings you to [Company] today?"
Let the prospect know that they're chatting with a robot right away. This transparency builds trust while also letting them know that there are limits to the conversation.
Map the Conversation Flow with Branching Logic
The goal is to gather information about the visitor's company, intent, and desired services while keeping friction low. Provide multiple-choice answers to each question so visitors can select the path that fits their needs.
Map your core conversation branches before scripting:
Path A: Visitor wants to learn about product → route to product pages or content
Path B: Visitor wants pricing or demo → trigger qualification questions → route to sales
Path C: Visitor needs support → route to help docs or support queue
Remember, this is a conversation. It should be fun, approachable, and friendly, while also maintaining your brand voice. If it's in alignment with your brand, use images, animated gifs, and emojis to humanize the experience.
End every chat message with a question, except for the last one, which will direct the person to a live representative.
Balance Buttons and Free-Text Input
Buttons reduce friction and guide the conversation. Free text is useful for capturing names, company, or open-ended questions.
Too many button options can overwhelm. Stick to 3-5 choices per message. Use each format strategically:
Buttons work best for: Directing visitors to predefined paths (e.g., "I want a demo," "I have a support question")
Free text works best for: Capturing names, company names, or specific questions that don't fit a button
Once all qualifying questions are answered, include a clear call-to-action that routes to product pages, content assets, consultation requests, or live representatives.
Keep Messages Short and Conversational
Chatbot messages should be 1-2 sentences max. Long paragraphs kill engagement.
Read messages aloud to check for natural rhythm. If it sounds robotic or stiff when you say it, rewrite it.
Build in Fallbacks and Human Handoff
Scripts need a plan for when the bot can't answer. Offer a fallback message and trigger handoff to a live rep:
"I'm not sure I can help with that, but let me connect you with a team member who can."
Transparency about being a bot reduces frustration when limits are reached. Direct prospects to live representatives when the conversation gets too many layers deep.
B2B Chatbot Script Examples
What does this look like in action? Here's a sample of what a well-designed chatbot might do at each stage in a prospect interaction, based on our approach at SmartBug Media, a ZoomInfo partner.
Lead Qualification Script
First, start off with a friendly introduction (👋), but get right to the point by asking a question. Prompt the prospect to select from a set of answers rather than typing.
Low friction is critical in chatbot scripts. Don't make them think of an answer, provide one for them.
Chatbot: Hey there 👋 let's chat ... Can I ask you a question?
Give the user an option to select:
"Sure go for it"
"Just poking around"
Once the conversation's rolling, go deeper. Ask about the prospect's intentions and provide answers that redirect them to relevant pages or continue toward live representative handoff.
Chatbot: What brings you here today?
Give the user an option to select:
"I want to learn more about your company"
"We need a marketing agency"
"I'm looking for educational content like blogs, videos, or guides"
"Looking for career opportunities"
Best practice: Notice there's no "Not sure" option in this list. At this point, they should have some idea of the type of service they're looking for from you.
Let's say the prospect selected "We need a marketing agency." Now we've come to the first qualifier.
By responding with a list of marketing services, your chatbot gathers information about intent and motivation. The responses serve as qualification signals: visitors looking for content get resources, visitors with specific service needs get routed to sales.
Chatbot: Got it. To connect you with the right person, can you share your name and company?
Prospect: Ashley Jones from Company X
Meeting Booking Script
Once it's time to connect the prospect to a live representative, you want two key pieces of information: their name and the name of their company. Once you get that, it's time to make clear what the next step will be.
Chatbot: Sounds like a conversation with our team would be helpful. Want to book a time that works for you?
User selects: "Yes, show me available times"
Chatbot: Great! Here's a link to our calendar: [Link]. Pick a slot and we'll send a confirmation.
Sales Support Script
With the name and company in hand, you can research the prospect further using data enrichment. This reveals company size, decision-maker status, and buying power without friction-adding questions.
This approach keeps the conversation moving while gathering critical qualification data behind the scenes.
Chatbot: Do you have questions about pricing, integrations, or something else?
User selects: "Pricing"
Chatbot: Our pricing depends on team size and features. For a custom quote, I can connect you with a rep. Want me to do that?
How to Use Data to Power Your Chatbot Scripts
Chatbot scripts become more effective when they pull in firmographic data (company size, industry), technographic data (tech stack), and intent signals. This data tailors the conversation and routes visitors to the right rep.
Data is the backbone of personalization.
Personalize with Firmographic and Technographic Data
Scripts can reference visitor data to personalize the conversation. If you know the visitor's company size, industry, or tech stack, the bot can skip irrelevant questions or surface relevant content.
A visitor from an enterprise company sees different options than a visitor from a startup. Examples of data-powered personalization:
Firmographic personalization: "I see you're from a company in the financial services space. Want to see how we work with banks and insurers?"
Technographic personalization: "Looks like your team uses Salesforce. Want to learn about our CRM integration?"
Route Leads to the Right Rep Automatically
Data-powered routing ensures qualified leads go to the right owner instantly. Scripts use territory, account size, or industry to assign chats to the correct SDR or AE.
This reduces response time and prevents leads from sitting in a generic queue. Examples of intelligent routing:
Territory routing: Visitor from EMEA routes to the EMEA sales team
Account size routing: Enterprise visitors route to strategic accounts team; SMB visitors route to velocity team
Want to see how data can power your chatbot conversations? Talk to our team to learn more about ZoomInfo's B2B intelligence platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Should a Chatbot Script Be?
Most B2B chatbot scripts include 5-10 core conversation paths covering primary use cases without overcomplicating the decision tree.
Should You Use AI or Rule-Based Chatbots for Lead Qualification?
Rule-based bots work best for structured B2B qualification where you control the questions and paths, while AI-powered bots add flexibility for unexpected inputs at the cost of more training and testing.
How Do You Measure Chatbot Script Performance?
Track conversation completion rate, lead capture rate, time-to-handoff, and compare chat-sourced leads against other channels to measure pipeline impact.