Help first, ask second
A chatbot that demands an email before answering anything converts worse than one that helps and then asks, in every comparison we have run.
The visitor who has just been helped will give you their details. The visitor who has been blocked will close the tab and try a competitor.
Good moments to ask
- After answering a substantive question, offering to send more detail
- When the visitor asks something requiring a quote or a person
- When they ask about availability, timing or booking
- When the bot cannot answer and is handing over
Ask for less
- Email or phone — one, not both
- A name, because replies without one are awkward
- Whatever single detail your reply genuinely needs
- Nothing else, at this stage
Every extra field reduces completion. Company size and job title can wait until you are talking.
Capture the context automatically
The conversation is the qualification. What they asked about, what they were unsure of, which pages they were reading — all of that should reach you with the lead.
That is far more useful than a form field, and it costs the visitor nothing.
Respond quickly
A lead captured at 11pm and answered at 4pm the next day has lost most of its value. Route them to whoever can reply, immediately.
The main advantage of capturing out of hours is being first thing in their inbox the next morning, and that only works if the routing is set up.