Help Center | tawk.to | Using Base Prompt instructions for lead capture

Using Base Prompt instructions for lead capture

The instructions below are for desktops and laptops only.

You can use the Base Prompt to train your AI agent to collect leads directly during chats. This guide gives short, practical prompt examples and a simple conversation flow you can adapt to your business.

Basics: Confirm the visitor’s name and email

If your Pre-Chat Form is disabled, you can get your AI agent confirm a visitor’s name and email at the beginning or end of a conversation. This ensures you always have accurate contact information.

Suggested prompt examples:

- Always confirm the visitor's name and email at the start of the conversation.

- After answering the visitor’s question, ask for their email and offer to add them to our mailing list for deals and updates.

Short and direct instructions like these help your agent stay consistent across chats.

Collect relevant lead details

Tell your AI agent exactly which details to gather based on your business or product. This helps ensure that the information your team receives is useful and actionable.

Suggested prompt snippet:

- If the visitor is interested in [product/service], always confirm [relevant lead attribute].

Example:

- If the visitor is interested in purchasing a property, always confirm the size in square feet, location, number of rooms, and budget.

Segment leads early

If you handle multiple product types or services, it’s best to segment leads early in the chat. This allows the AI to guide conversations more efficiently and direct leads to the right team.

Suggested prompt snippet:

- After the visitor starts the conversation, always confirm [relevant lead attribute] as the first thing.

For example:

- After the visitor starts the conversation, always confirm if they want to purchase or rent a vehicle as the first question.

Use the Lead Capture Form (recommended)

The Lead Capture Form helps you gather structured information directly from visitors. To make the most of it, connect it with AI Assist and your shortcuts.

Steps

1. Add the Lead Capture Form to a shortcut. In your shortcut settings, click Add Element under the shortcut Message and select Lead Capture Form. For detailed steps, see this guide: Capturing leads via the tawk.to Lead Capture Form

2. Add relevant questions to that shortcut to help train AI Assist to use it.

3. Enable the shortcut as a Data Source so AI Assist can offer it automatically in chat.

Tip:
You can create a shortcut (for example, named more-info) linked to your Lead Capture Form. Add related suggested messages like “Send me more info.” Then, include instructions in your Base Prompt telling the AI to suggest this option when appropriate. When a visitor clicks it, the form will appear instantly in the chat.

4. Add instructions in the Base Prompt for your AI agent to offer “Send me more info” as a suggested message, which will appear as a button your visitor can click.

For example:

- if the customer is looking for more information, and if you are unable to answer, say this:

"I'm sorry, I don't have that information right now. Would you like us to send you more information to your email/mobile?

[option] Send me more info"

When the customer clicks “Send me more info”, your AI agent will offer the Lead Capture Form.

Example conversation flow

Combining the instructions above can help your AI agent collect high-quality lead data in a natural, step-by-step flow.

Suggested prompt snippet:

- if the customer wants to purchase [product/services], ask to confirm [detail 1].

- once the customer confirms [detail 1], ask to confirm [detail 2].

- once the customer confirms [detail 2], ask to confirm [detail 3].

- once you have confirmed [detail 1], [detail 2], and [detail 3], ask for the customer’s preferred contact method and the best email/phone to contact them at.

- once the customer has confirmed their preferred contact method, say:
''Thank you for your details. I’ll convey this information to our sales team and our representative will contact you within a business day.”

For example:

- if the customer wants to purchase a house, ask to confirm their budget.

- once the customer confirms their budget, ask to confirm their preferred location.

- once the customer confirms their preferred location, ask to confirm how many bedrooms they’re looking for.

- once you have confirmed the budget, location, and number of bedrooms, ask for the customer’s preferred contact method and the best email/phone to contact them at.

- once the customer has confirmed their preferred contact method, say:''Thank you for your details. I’ll convey this information to our sales team and our representative will contact you within a business day.”

This kind of structured flow helps you capture complete, accurate information without overwhelming visitors.

Additional considerations

Pre-Chat Form vs. in-chat capture
If you already use a Pre-Chat Form, your AI agent can use that data to personalize responses. If not, instruct it to collect the same information during the chat.
Be clear and concise
Write Base Prompt instructions using short, direct sentences. Complex or vague phrasing can cause inconsistent results.
Privacy and data protection
Avoid collecting sensitive personal information (such as government IDs or payment details) unless you have a secure and compliant process in place. If such details are needed, direct the visitor to a secure form or a human agent.
Train with shortcuts
Make sure your shortcuts include the same questions as your Base Prompt so the AI agent can use them naturally when offering forms.
Test and improve
Run live chat sessions to test your prompts. Track the quality and completion rate of captured leads. Adjust your Base Prompt and shortcuts as needed to improve results.

Using Base Prompt to restrict AI Assist responses

Using Base Prompt to direct vistors to search result pages
Understanding the Base Prompt
Creating and managing shortcuts