A common problem for growing service businesses is that their website chat widget only works while an operator is online. Once the team logs off for the evening, a genuinely interested visitor is left staring at an offline message instead of being captured as a lead. Here is how one of Zoho SalesIQ's sample scripts solves that, adapted into a working after-hours Zobot.

The Business Problem

A consultancy's SalesIQ widget is staffed from 9am to 5pm. Visitors browsing outside those hours, often after searching for a solution late in the evening, get an offline message and simply leave. The business wants those visitors to be asked a few qualifying questions instead, with a Lead automatically created in Zoho CRM so the sales team can follow up first thing the next morning.

Choosing the Right Sample Script

Of the sample script categories available in Zoho SalesIQ, the Q&A bot is the closest match, since it is designed to capture a visitor's name and email and create a Lead in Zoho CRM. It also supports raising a Zoho Desk ticket for anyone reporting an issue rather than asking a sales question, which suits a consultancy fielding both types of enquiry.

Step-by-Step Implementation

1. Create the Zobot. Go to Settings, then Bot, then Zobot, click Add, name it something like "After Hours Assistant", choose SalesIQ Scripts as the platform, and select the relevant brand and department.
2. Set the trigger criteria. Configure the Trigger handler to fire specifically when no operator is online, rather than at all times, so the bot only steps in outside business hours.
3. Adapt the Context handler. Start from the Q&A sample script's Context handler and extend the question sequence to include one qualifying question relevant to your business, such as expected budget range or intended timeline, alongside name and email.
4. Map the answers to a Lead. Keep the sample script's Zoho CRM Lead creation logic, adding the extra qualifying answer as a note or a custom field value on the new Lead record.
5. Configure the Failure handler. Leave a sensible fallback message in place for anything the bot cannot handle, letting the visitor know a member of the team will follow up by email.
6. Test, then publish. Use the preview option to run through the conversation as a visitor would experience it, save and publish each handler individually, then publish the bot itself.

The Outcome

A visitor arriving at 9pm now answers three short questions instead of leaving. A Lead appears in Zoho CRM tagged as an after-hours capture, complete with the qualifying answer as context, ready for the sales team to review when they start the next morning, rather than being lost entirely.