Imagine having an AI chatbot on your website that instantly captures leads, answers FAQs, and updates your spreadsheets or CRM automatically. In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to build a Zapier AI chatbot using Voiceflow (a no-code chatbot design tool) and Zapier (a no-code automation platform).
This tutorial is written as if we’re building it together. By the end, you’ll have a working chatbot that connects with your business workflows, no coding needed.
What We’ll Build:
We’ll create a simple chatbot that greets users, asks for their name and email, and sends that information to a Google Sheet through Zapier. Once you understand the process, you can extend it to FAQs, support bots, or lead qualification systems.
Tools We’ll Use:
Before diving in, let’s understand why Zapier is such a game changer for chatbot automation.
Building a chatbot is powerful on its own, but when that bot can communicate with your existing tools, it becomes transformative. This is where Zapier shines.
Zapier acts as a bridge between your chatbot and thousands of other apps. It connects Voiceflow to platforms like Google Sheets, Slack, HubSpot, or Gmail without any code. With it, your chatbot can:
Here’s why this is so valuable:
1. No-Code Integration
You don’t need to hire a developer. By creating “Zaps,” you can connect your chatbot to Google Sheets, Mailchimp, Slack, and hundreds of other apps in a few clicks.
2. Automate Repetitive Work
Let the chatbot handle the conversation while Zapier handles the tasks behind the scenes. If your bot collects an email, Zapier can instantly add it to your mailing list or send a welcome message.
3. Better Customer Experience
Your users get instant replies, and their data automatically goes where it should. No more missed leads or forgotten support tickets.
4. Endless Possibilities
With thousands of integrations, your chatbot can schedule meetings, create support tickets, or send real-time alerts. Once you master the basics, you can build advanced automations easily.
Zapier is the glue that makes your chatbot truly useful. Let’s see how all the parts fit together before building.
Voiceflow (The Chatbot Brain)
Voiceflow is where we design the conversation. It lets us create dialogue flows, capture user input, and even use AI to handle open-ended questions. We’ll create a simple conversation that asks for a name and email.
Zapier (The Bridge)
Zapier connects the chatbot to other tools. It will receive the data from Voiceflow using a webhook and then send it to your chosen app. In this example, it will add the information to Google Sheets, but you could also add actions like sending a Slack message or creating a lead in HubSpot.
Your Apps (The Actions)
The trigger starts in Voiceflow. The response can go anywhere — Google Sheets, email, Slack, or your CRM.In this tutorial, we’ll use:Voiceflow chatbot → Zapier Webhook → Google Sheets
There are two main ways to connect them:
1. Outbound from Voiceflow:
This is when the chatbot triggers Zapier. We’ll use this method by sending data to Zapier through a webhook URL using Voiceflow’s API block.
2. Inbound to Voiceflow:
This is when Zapier triggers Voiceflow (for example, starting a new chat when someone fills out a form). This method is advanced, so we’ll focus on the outbound approach, which works for most use cases.
Now let’s build it together.
You’ll need:
Create a new project in Voiceflow called LeadCaptureBot.
Here’s a simple structure to start:
You now have a chatbot that gathers user details. Let’s make it do something useful with that data.
This URL is where your chatbot will send data. Keep it private, since anyone with it could send data into your Zap.
Pro tip: Here is a template to the zap.
Return to Voiceflow and add an API block right after the email capture step. Configure it like this:
Content-Type: application/json{
"name": "{name}",
"email": "{email}"
}
IMPORTANT: Make sure you do “/… [the var name]” so that it includes the user’s actual input and do NOT just copy paste this JSON as it will not work.
After sending the request, you can add a success message like “Thanks, I’ve sent your info to our team.”
Switch back to Zapier. It’s now waiting for data. Go to Voiceflow, run a quick test conversation, and provide a sample name and email.
Zapier should detect this and show you the data received. Once you see it, proceed to the next step.
Add a new Action Step:
Click Test & Continue. If everything is correct, Zapier will insert a new row in your Google Sheet with your test data.
Give it a name like Voiceflow Lead Capture to Google Sheets and turn it on. Your integration is now live.
Every time someone provides their info in your chatbot, it will appear in your Google Sheet automatically.
You’ve just built a chatbot that:
It might seem simple, but this is the foundation of powerful business automation. With Voiceflow handling conversations and Zapier handling workflows, you can automate a huge part of your customer interaction process.
If you followed along, test it, tweak it, and make it your own. Try integrating new apps or adding extra actions. Then share what you’ve built — others in the no-code community will appreciate seeing creative chatbot automations.
Building with Voiceflow and Zapier gives non-developers access to tools that used to require full engineering teams. You now have a chatbot that greets users, collects data, and sends it wherever it needs to go, all in real time.
Keep experimenting. Add FAQs, connect to CRMs, or build your own scheduling bot. Once you get the hang of it, the only limit is your imagination.
Pro tip: Use the attached template file and video tutorial for a headstart!
Happy building!
Join Voiceflow CEO, Braden Ream, as he explores the future of agentic tech in business on the Humans Talking Agents podcast.
