How to Create a Chatbot using Make.com: A Step-by-Step Guide

Building AI-powered chatbots just got easier. Here's how I created a fully functional Voiceflow chatbot powered by Make.com that handles customer inquiries, generates quotes, and saves leads—all without writing a single line of code.

What We're Building (And Why It's Game-Changing)

Picture this: A potential customer visits your website at 2 AM, asks about your cleaning services, gets an instant personalized quote including travel costs, and receives a professional email—all while you're sleeping. That's exactly what we're building today.

I'll show you how to create a Voiceflow chatbot integrated with Make.com that:

Engages visitors with natural conversation using AI agents
Gathers customer requirements intelligently through structured questions
Calculates pricing based on historical data from your rate sheets
Automatically calculates travel distances and fees using Google Maps
Saves leads to your database automatically
Sends professional HTML quotes via email
Works 24/7 without human intervention

By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a working quote generation chatbot that can handle real customer interactions and generate actual business value for service-based companies.

Why Use Voiceflow + Make.com for AI Chatbot Workflows

After building dozens of automation workflows, I've discovered that the combination of Voiceflow and Make.com creates the most powerful and flexible chatbot solution available. Here's why this pairing beats traditional API blocks and other automation platforms:

Voiceflow Handles the Conversation:

Intuitive drag-and-drop conversation designer with new Agent steps
Advanced AI agents that can gather multiple data points in natural conversation
Multi-channel deployment (web, Alexa, Google Assistant)
Real-time testing and debugging tools
Professional conversation flows without coding

Make.com Powers the Backend Intelligence:

Visual workflow builder for complex automations (2,000+ integrations vs Zapier's linear approach)
Advanced data processing with conditional logic, loops, and branching
Cost-effective scaling—more operations per dollar than competitors
Superior error handling and retry mechanisms
Native AI integrations with multiple LLM providers

Why This Beats API Blocks: Instead of creating 7+ separate API blocks in Voiceflow (distance calculation, database lookup, price calculation, email sending, etc.), Make.com handles everything in one intelligent workflow. Your customers get instant results instead of waiting through multiple API calls.

Together, Voiceflow creates the conversational experience while Make.com handles the heavy lifting—data processing, calculations, integrations, and business logic. It's like having a professional conversation designer and a skilled backend developer working in perfect harmony.

Tools You'll Need

Here's our complete tech stack (all have generous free tiers):

Core Platforms:

Make.com - Automation engine and workflow builder (1,000 operations/month free)
Voiceflow - Chatbot interface and conversation design (free tier available)
Google Cloud Console - For API keys (Google Sheets + Distance Matrix APIs)

Supporting Services:

Google Sheets - Data storage and historical pricing database
Gmail - Automated professional email quotes
Google Maps Distance Matrix API - Travel distance and time calculations

Total setup time: About 2 hours
Monthly cost: Under $20 for most small businesses
Technical skill required: None—completely visual, no-code setup

Step-by-Step: Building Your Voiceflow + Make.com Quote Bot

💡 Want to speed up the build with a head start? Download my template.

Phase 1: Setting Up Your Foundation

Step 1: Create Your Make.com Account and Get API Keys

Start by signing up for Make.com and getting your Google APIs ready:

Create Make.com account at make.com (free tier gives you 1,000 operations/month)
Set up Google Cloud Console:
- Go to console.cloud.google.com
- Create a new project
- Enable Google Sheets API and Distance Matrix API
- Create credentials → API key
- Save this API key—you'll need it multiple times

Step 2: Set Up Your Pricing Database

Every intelligent chatbot needs a knowledge base. We're using Google Sheets as our pricing database because it's:

Easy to update without technical skills
Accessible to your entire team
Integrates seamlessly with Make.com
Perfect for historical pricing analysis

Create a new Google Sheet with these columns:

Property Type (Office, Warehouse, School, Retail Store, Hospital, Restaurant)
Area Size (m²)
Cleaning Frequency (Weekly, Monthly, Daily, One-time, Bi-weekly)
Specific Needs (Basic cleaning, Deep cleaning, Window cleaning, etc.)
Price (€)

Critical: Make your sheet publicly viewable ("Anyone with link can view") for the API to access it.

Step 3: Import the Google Sheets Function to Voiceflow

Voiceflow needs a way to pull data from your pricing sheet:

Go to the Voiceflow Community Templates
Search for "Pull from Google Sheet" function by Max Reynolds
Download and import this function to your Voiceflow project
In Voiceflow, go to Content → Tools → Import and add the function
Important modification: Edit the function and change "content" to "sheetData" on line 36

Phase 2: Building the Conversation Flow in Voiceflow

Step 4: Design Your AI Agent for Data Collection

This is where Voiceflow's new Agent step shines. Instead of rigid button flows, we're creating an intelligent conversation that feels natural while gathering structured data.

Create your Agent step with these instructions:

  
  You are SparkBot, a friendly and professional quote assistant for SparkleFlow Pro cleaning services. Your role is to gather essential information to provide accurate quotes.

PERSONALITY & TONE:
- Be warm, professional, and efficient
- Use a conversational but business-appropriate tone
- Show enthusiasm about helping with their cleaning needs

YOUR MISSION:
Collect these 5 essential pieces of information:
1. Property Type (Office, Warehouse, School, Retail Store, Hospital, Restaurant)
2. Area Size (in square meters - numbers only)
3. Cleaning Frequency (Weekly, Monthly, Daily, One-time, Bi-weekly)
4. Specific Cleaning Needs
5. Complete Address (Street + Number, City, Postal Code, Country)

CONVERSATION GUIDELINES:
- Ask questions naturally, one at a time
- If users provide approximate sizes, reassure them that's perfectly fine
- For specific needs, offer common options but be open to custom requests
- Always confirm the address format is complete for distance calculation

WHEN TO EXIT:
Once you have collected ALL 5 required pieces of information, proceed to the exit path. Always confirm details before moving forward.

Configure the Exit Path:

Path Name: "Complete Quote Request"
Description: "Trigger when you have successfully collected ALL 5 required pieces of information"
Required Variables: propertyType, areaSize, cleaningFrequency, specificNeeds, customerAddress

Step 5: Connect to Your Pricing Database

Add the Google Sheets function you imported:

Connect it after your start block
Enter your Google API key
Add your Google Sheets URL (make sure it's publicly accessible)
Set the range to your sheet name (e.g., "cleaning_services_data")
Save the output to a variable called "googleSheetAPI"

This loads your entire pricing database into Voiceflow as JSON data that the AI can analyze.

Phase 3: Building Your Make.com Automation Workflows

Step 6: Create Your Distance Calculation Scenario

Your first Make.com scenario handles travel distance calculation:

Create new scenario in Make.com
Add Custom Webhook - this receives the customer address from Voiceflow
Add Google Maps Distance Matrix module:
- Origins: Your business address (fixed)
- Destinations: {customerAddress} (from webhook)
- Travel mode: Driving
- Units: Metric (for kilometers)
Add Webhook Response module with this JSON format:

  
  {
  "distance": {{distance.text}},
  "duration": {{duration.text}}
}

Set custom headers: Content-Type: application/json

Step 7: Create Your AI Pricing Calculation

Add an AI Set block in Voiceflow with these ultra-strict instructions:

  
  You are a pricing calculator. Output ONLY a number.

CALCULATION PROCESS:
1. Find exact Property Type and Cleaning Frequency matches in historical data
2. Calculate price per m²: Historical Price ÷ Historical Area Size
3. Scale to new size: Price per m² × {areaSize}
4. If multiple matches, average them
5. Minimum price: 120

HISTORICAL DATA: {googleSheetAPI}

INPUT VALUES:
- Property Type: {propertyType}
- Area Size: {areaSize} m²
- Cleaning Frequency: {cleaningFrequency}
- Specific Needs: {specificNeeds}

OUTPUT ONLY THE FINAL NUMBER. No explanations, no currency symbols.

Examples: 700, 1200, 350

Step 8: Build Your Quote Generation Scenario

Create a second Make.com scenario for the complete quote process:

Custom Webhook - receives all customer data from Voiceflow
Google Sheets: Add Row - saves lead to your database
Gmail: Send Email - delivers professional quote

Email Template Structure: Use HTML format for professional appearance:

  
  <h2>Your SparkleFlow Pro Quote</h2>
<p>Service: {propertyType}</p>
<p>Area: {areaSize} m²</p>
<p>Frequency: {cleaningFrequency}</p>
<p>Special needs: {specificNeeds}</p>
<p>Location: {customerAddress}</p>

<h3>Pricing Breakdown:</h3>
<p>Cleaning service: €{calculatedPrice}</p>
<p>Travel fee: €{distanceKm} (1€/km)</p>
<p><strong>Total: €{totalPrice}</strong></p>

Make.com blueprints:

Get Distance and Duration: Download Blueprint

Google Sheet and Send Quote: Download Blueprint

Phase 4: Collecting Contact Information

Step 9: Add Structured Data Collection

After your agent gathers service details, add these Voiceflow blocks:

Message block: "What's your name?"
Capture block:
- Entity type: Name
- Variable: customerName
- Auto-reprompt if invalid
  ‍
Message block: "What's your email address?"
Capture block:
- Entity type: Email
- Variable: customerEmail
- Auto-reprompt if invalid format

Why use entities? They provide automatic validation. If someone enters a phone number when you ask for email, Voiceflow automatically asks again with clarification.

Step 10: Final API Integration

Connect your final API block that sends everything to Make.com:

Method: POST
URL: Your Make.com webhook URL
Body: Form data with all collected variables

This triggers your complete quote generation workflow.

Common Issues and Quick Fixes

Problem: "AI gives verbose responses instead of just numbers"
Solution: Use different LLM models. GPT-4.1 often performs better than Claude Opus for strict number outputs. Add examples of exactly what you want.

Problem: "Voiceflow to Make.com connection fails"
Solution: Check your webhook URL and ensure Content-Type header is set correctly. Test the webhook independently first.

Problem: "Distance calculation returns errors"
Solution: Ensure addresses are in complete format (Street + Number, City, Postal Code, Country). The Google Distance Matrix API is strict about formatting.

Problem: "Users abandon the conversation"
Solution: Keep questions simple and add encouraging responses. The Agent step should acknowledge inputs and show progress.

Problem: "Email quotes look unprofessional"
Solution: Use the HTML template provided. You can customize styling with CSS for your brand colors and fonts.

Power-Up Your Chatbot: Advanced Customizations

Once your basic quote bot is running, consider these enhancements:

Multi-Language Support: Use Make.com's OpenAI integration to translate quotes into multiple languages automatically.

Smart Follow-ups: Set up automated email sequences for users who received quotes but didn't convert within 48 hours.

CRM Integration: Connect to HubSpot, Pipedrive, or your preferred CRM to automatically create leads and track the sales pipeline.

Voice Integration: Leverage Voiceflow's voice capabilities to extend your chatbot to phone systems or voice assistants.

Advanced Pricing: Add complexity factors, seasonal pricing, or competitor analysis using additional AI processing in Make.com.

Appointment Booking: Integrate with Calendly to let customers book consultations directly through the chat experience.

Real Results: What to Expect

Based on implementations across various service businesses, here's what you can typically expect:

Week 1-2: 25-35% of website visitors engage with the chatbot
Month 1: 20-30% conversion rate from chat to qualified lead
Month 3: 50-70% reduction in manual quote generation time
Ongoing: 24/7 lead capture with professional customer experience

One cleaning company saw a 200% increase in quote requests within the first month, simply because prospects could get instant pricing outside business hours.

Template Download

Want to skip the setup and start with a working template? I've created a complete package that includes:

Voiceflow Template:

Pre-built Agent step with optimized prompts
Complete conversation flow with error handling
API integration blocks ready to connect

Download

Make.com Scenario Templates:

Distance calculation workflow
Quote generation and email automation
Database integration setup

Download

Google Sheets Template:

Pre-formatted pricing database
Sample cleaning service data
Formula suggestions for complex pricing

Download

Next Steps: Making It Your Own

Your quote bot is just the beginning. Here's how to evolve it:

Analyze conversation data in Voiceflow to identify common customer questions and optimize your Agent prompts
Expand service offerings based on chatbot inquiries—let customer demand guide your business
A/B test different conversation flows to improve conversion rates
Train your team to follow up on chatbot-generated leads effectively
Scale to multiple channels using Voiceflow's deployment options

Wrapping Up: Your AI-Powered Sales Assistant

Building a Voiceflow chatbot integrated with Make.com isn't just about automation—it's about creating intelligent customer experiences that scale your business. You've just built a system that combines natural conversation with sophisticated backend processing.

The combination of Voiceflow's Agent steps and Make.com's workflow automation creates something greater than the sum of its parts—a truly intelligent business assistant that works around the clock, generates qualified leads, and provides instant value to your customers.

What's your next automation project? I'd love to see how you customize this quote bot for your specific business. Share your variations, success stories, or questions in the comments below.

If you want to dive deeper into advanced Voiceflow + Make.com workflows or need help building a custom solution for your business, let's connect for a free strategy session.

Ready to build? Start with the template above, or watch the complete video walkthrough where I build this entire system from scratch in real-time. Every click, every setting, every prompt—nothing hidden.

Watch the Full Tutorial Video

Need a custom solution built for your business? Book a consultation and let's discuss how to implement this for your specific use case.

How to Create a Chatbot using Make.com: A Step-by-Step Guide

What We're Building (And Why It's Game-Changing)

Why Use Voiceflow + Make.com for AI Chatbot Workflows

Tools You'll Need

Step-by-Step: Building Your Voiceflow + Make.com Quote Bot

Phase 1: Setting Up Your Foundation

Phase 2: Building the Conversation Flow in Voiceflow

Phase 3: Building Your Make.com Automation Workflows

Phase 4: Collecting Contact Information

Common Issues and Quick Fixes

Power-Up Your Chatbot: Advanced Customizations

Real Results: What to Expect

Template Download

Next Steps: Making It Your Own

Wrapping Up: Your AI-Powered Sales Assistant

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