Collect Documents From Users Through A Chatbot

Not necessarily! Conferbot offers integration options for all skill levels. For non-technical users, we provide pre-built integrations with popular platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, Google Sheets, Stripe, Zapier, Make) that work with simple point-and-click setup - no coding required. Zapier and Make.com integrations connect to 5,000+ apps without technical knowledge. For users with some technical knowledge, our visual API builder allows configuring custom integrations through a user-friendly interface with API URL, headers, and parameters. For developers, we offer full REST API support, webhooks, detailed documentation, code examples, and SDKs for complete customization. Most common integrations take 15-30 minutes to set up with our guided wizards and templates. Our support team can also assist with integration setup on higher-tier plans.

Conferbot integrates with virtually any system that offers an API. Popular pre-built integrations include CRM systems (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive), e-commerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Magento), payment processors (Stripe, PayPal, Square), email marketing (Mailchimp, SendGrid, Constant Contact), calendar and scheduling (Google Calendar, Calendly, Acuity), help desk (Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom), business tools (Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion), messaging platforms (Slack, Microsoft Teams), and automation tools (Zapier, Make, IFTTT). Beyond pre-built integrations, our REST API and webhook support allows connection to any custom system, proprietary software, or database with an API endpoint. If it has an API, Conferbot can connect to it.

Setup time varies by integration complexity. Pre-built integrations with popular platforms (Salesforce, Shopify, Google Sheets) take 15-30 minutes using our setup wizards - authenticate your account, map fields, and test the connection. Zapier/Make integrations take 20-45 minutes to configure multi-step workflows connecting multiple systems. Custom REST API integrations take 1-3 hours for developers to configure endpoints, authentication, data mapping, and error handling. Complex enterprise integrations with multiple systems, data transformations, and custom logic may take 1-2 weeks for initial setup and testing. Conferbot provides comprehensive documentation, video tutorials, API testing tools, and support to streamline the process. Most businesses start with one or two key integrations and expand over time as they see value.

API integrations enable your chatbot to perform virtually any business action. Data retrieval operations include looking up customer information, checking order status, verifying account details, searching product catalogs, fetching inventory levels, and retrieving records from databases. Data modification actions include creating new leads in CRM, updating customer records, processing orders and payments, booking appointments, modifying reservations, updating inventory, creating support tickets, and triggering email campaigns. Business logic operations include calculating pricing and quotes, validating information against business rules, checking eligibility for services, processing refunds, applying discounts, and routing workflows. Authentication operations include verifying user identity, checking permissions, and managing accounts. These capabilities transform your chatbot from an information source into a transactional platform that can complete end-to-end processes automatically.

Absolutely! Conferbot supports orchestrating multiple API calls within a single conversation flow to create sophisticated automated workflows. For example, a single customer service conversation might: Look up the customer in your CRM, verify their order status in your e-commerce system, check inventory availability in your warehouse management system, process a return in your returns management system, trigger a refund through your payment processor, update the customer record in your CRM, create a support ticket in your help desk, and send a confirmation email via your email platform. All of this happens seamlessly in one conversation. Conferbot manages API call sequencing, error handling, data passing between calls, and conditional logic based on responses. This capability enables complete, end-to-end automated business processes through conversational interfaces.

Conferbot implements enterprise-grade security for all API integrations. We support all standard authentication methods including API keys (securely stored encrypted), OAuth 2.0 (for platforms like Google, Salesforce, HubSpot), bearer tokens, basic authentication, custom headers, and JWT tokens. All API credentials are encrypted at rest using AES-256 encryption, transmitted over HTTPS/TLS, stored in secure vaults with access controls, never logged or exposed in conversation transcripts, and can be rotated without disrupting conversations. Conferbot also implements rate limiting to prevent abuse, request validation to ensure data integrity, error handling for failed authentication, and audit logging for security monitoring. For enterprise customers, we support custom security requirements including IP whitelisting, VPN connections, and on-premise deployment options for maximum security.

Yes! API integration enables powerful dynamic personalization that makes conversations feel highly relevant and valuable. Pull customer data from your CRM to greet users by name, reference their account history, and tailor recommendations. Access purchase history to suggest related products or services. Retrieve support history to acknowledge previous issues and provide contextual assistance. Fetch real-time inventory to show current availability and pricing. Access appointment calendars to offer specific available times. Pull contract details to provide account-specific information. Use geographic data to show location-relevant content. Access user preferences and settings to customize experiences. This real-time personalization, powered by your existing business data, makes chatbot conversations feel intelligent, informed, and valuable rather than generic and scripted. Personalized conversations show 2-3x higher engagement and conversion rates.

Conferbot supports comprehensive API integration capabilities. HTTP methods include GET (retrieve data), POST (create new records), PUT (update existing records), PATCH (partial updates), DELETE (remove records), and custom methods. Data formats supported include JSON (most common, full support), XML (parsing and generation), form data (application/x-www-form-urlencoded), multipart for file uploads, and plain text. Request customization includes custom headers, query parameters, body payloads, authentication tokens, content types, and request timeouts. Response handling includes JSON path extraction, XML parsing, error detection and handling, status code evaluation, data transformation, and conditional logic based on responses. This comprehensive support ensures compatibility with virtually any API, from modern REST APIs to legacy SOAP services.

Conferbot includes robust error handling for reliable API integrations. Configure fallback behaviors for different error scenarios: API timeout (specify retry attempts and delays), authentication failures (alert admins, provide fallback message), rate limit errors (queue requests, implement backoff), invalid data errors (validate inputs before API calls), server errors (log for debugging, provide user-friendly message), and network errors (retry logic, offline mode). You can define custom error messages for users, escalate to human agents when APIs fail, log errors for monitoring and debugging, send notifications to technical teams, implement circuit breakers to prevent cascade failures, and display cached data when live data is unavailable. Conferbot tracks API success rates, response times, and error patterns in analytics, helping you maintain reliable integrations and identify issues proactively.

Absolutely! Conferbot provides powerful data transformation capabilities to process API responses and prepare request data. Response transformations include extracting specific fields from nested JSON, mapping API field names to chatbot variables, formatting dates and numbers for display, combining multiple fields into readable messages, filtering arrays and lists, calculating derived values, converting units or currencies, handling null or missing data gracefully, and aggregating data from multiple API calls. Request transformations include formatting user inputs to match API requirements, combining multiple chatbot variables into API payloads, adding fixed values or system data, encoding data properly, and validating inputs before sending. Use JavaScript expressions for complex transformations, leverage built-in formatters for common needs, and chain transformations for sophisticated data processing. This flexibility ensures seamless integration between chatbot conversations and any API, regardless of data format differences.

Webhooks are reverse APIs that allow Conferbot to send data to your systems automatically when events occur, enabling real-time automation. Configure webhooks to trigger when conversations start or end, users submit forms or provide information, specific goals are reached, chatbot detects certain conditions or keywords, or custom events you define. Webhook payloads include complete conversation transcripts, user information and attributes, chatbot variables and collected data, conversation metadata (source, device, timestamp), and custom data you configure. Your system receives this data in real-time via HTTP POST to your endpoint. Common webhook uses include creating CRM leads automatically, logging conversations to databases, triggering business workflows, sending notifications to teams, updating dashboards, and syncing data to analytics platforms. Webhooks complement API calls - APIs let your chatbot pull/push data to systems on demand, while webhooks push data automatically when events occur.

API integration enables countless valuable business scenarios. Customer service automation: Look up orders, process returns, update shipping addresses, verify account information, and create support tickets without human intervention. Sales and lead generation: Automatically create CRM leads, qualify prospects using business logic, check product availability, provide real-time pricing, and schedule sales calls. E-commerce automation: Search product catalogs, check inventory, process orders, apply discounts, handle cart recovery, and track shipments. Appointment scheduling: Check calendar availability, book appointments, send reminders, handle rescheduling, and sync to calendars. Payment processing: Verify payment methods, process transactions, issue refunds, and check subscription status. Account management: Verify identities, update profiles, manage preferences, and reset passwords. Each integration eliminates manual work, provides instant responses, operates 24/7, scales infinitely, and creates superior customer experiences.

E-commerce businesses gain tremendous value from chatbot API integrations. Product discovery: Search catalogs by name, category, or attributes, filter by price range or features, show product details and images, compare products, and provide intelligent recommendations based on preferences. Inventory and pricing: Check real-time stock levels, show pricing and discounts, calculate shipping costs, verify delivery timeframes, and check product availability at specific locations. Order management: Create orders automatically, apply promo codes, calculate taxes, process payments securely, generate order confirmations, and provide order tracking. Customer support: Look up order status, process returns and exchanges, issue refunds, update shipping addresses, and answer product questions using catalog data. Cart recovery: Detect abandoned carts, remind customers, offer incentives, and complete purchases conversationally. These integrations create seamless shopping experiences that increase conversion rates 30-50%.

Optimize API integration performance with these proven strategies: Cache frequently accessed data to reduce API calls and improve speed, implement asynchronous calls for non-critical data that doesn't need immediate responses, batch multiple operations into single API calls when possible, set appropriate timeouts (typically 10-30 seconds) balancing user experience and reliability, implement retry logic with exponential backoff for transient failures, validate user inputs before making API calls to prevent unnecessary requests, use conditional logic to make API calls only when necessary, monitor API response times and optimize slow endpoints, leverage webhooks for real-time updates instead of polling, minimize data transferred (request only needed fields), implement rate limit handling to stay within API quotas, log and monitor API performance metrics, and maintain fallback behaviors for API failures. Well-optimized integrations provide fast, reliable experiences while minimizing costs and technical issues.

Maintain data privacy and compliance with comprehensive security practices: Only request and transfer necessary data (data minimization), encrypt data in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest, implement proper authentication and authorization for API access, maintain audit logs of all data access and transfers, comply with relevant regulations (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA), obtain user consent before sharing data with external systems, anonymize or pseudonymize personal data when possible, implement data retention policies and automatic deletion, provide users with data access and deletion rights, use secure credential storage and rotation, validate and sanitize all inputs to prevent injection attacks, implement rate limiting to prevent abuse, monitor for unusual access patterns, and maintain vendor security assessments for third-party integrations. Conferbot supports compliance requirements with built-in security features, compliance certifications (SOC 2), and guidance for regulatory adherence. For regulated industries, consider our enterprise plan with enhanced security options.

API integration availability varies by plan. Free plans include basic integrations with popular platforms like Google Sheets and limited webhook support. Starter plans ($19/month) include pre-built integrations with major platforms, Zapier/Make connectivity, and basic webhook support. Pro plans ($39/month) add custom REST API integrations, unlimited webhooks, and advanced integration features. Business plans ($59/month) include everything plus premium integrations, dedicated support, and higher rate limits. Enterprise plans offer custom integrations, dedicated integration assistance, on-premise options, and unlimited API calls. There are no per-integration fees or per-call charges within reasonable usage limits - integrations are included in plan pricing. For businesses with extensive integration needs, Enterprise plans provide the most value with unlimited capabilities and dedicated support for complex integrations.

Conferbot provides comprehensive integration support at all levels. All users access extensive documentation with step-by-step guides for common integrations, video tutorials showing setup processes, API reference documentation with examples, pre-built integration templates, and a community forum for peer support. Pro and Business plans include email support with responses within 24 hours, integration troubleshooting assistance, help with error diagnosis, and guidance on best practices. Enterprise plans provide dedicated integration support, custom integration development assistance, priority support with faster response times, scheduled onboarding calls, technical account managers, and proactive monitoring of integration health. We also offer professional services for complex custom integrations, migration assistance from other platforms, and integration strategy consulting. Most integration issues are resolved quickly with our detailed documentation and support resources.

Start your API integration journey with this recommended approach: First, identify the most valuable integration for your business (typically CRM for lead generation, help desk for support, or e-commerce platform for sales). Use our pre-built integration if available - these take 15-30 minutes with guided setup wizards. Follow our step-by-step documentation with screenshots and videos. Test the integration thoroughly with sample data before going live. Start simple with basic data exchange, then expand to more complex workflows as you gain confidence. Monitor analytics to measure integration impact on your business goals. For your first integration, focus on read operations (fetching data) before write operations (creating/updating records). Join our community forum to learn from others who've implemented similar integrations. Consider scheduling an onboarding call (available on higher plans) for guided setup assistance. Once you've successfully implemented one integration, adding more becomes progressively easier as you understand the patterns and capabilities.