A chatbot that asks good questions sends your team better leads. A chatbot that asks too many, or asks them badly, sends people away. This guide covers what to ask, how to phrase it, and examples for three common industries.

The four things worth knowing

Most qualification frameworks come down to four questions:

Need: what problem are they trying to solve?
Timing: when do they want to start?
Budget: can they afford what you offer?
Authority: do they make the decision, or someone else?

You rarely need all four. Ask only the ones that change what happens next.

How to phrase them in a chat

One question per message. A chat should feel like a conversation, not a form.
Use buttons for predictable answers. "This month / In 3 months / Just looking" is faster than typing.
Explain why you ask when it is personal: "So we can suggest the right plan, roughly how many people are on your team?"
Do not ask what you can work out. If they came from your pricing page, you know they care about price.
Ask budget softly. Offer ranges instead of an open box.

Example: a service business

An interior design studio:

"What are you planning?" Buttons: Full home / One room / Office / Just exploring.
"When would you like to start?" Buttons: Within a month / 1 to 3 months / Later.
"Which city is the property in?"
"Roughly what budget do you have in mind?" Ranges as buttons.
"Can we send you some ideas? What is the best email?"

A full-home project starting within a month goes straight to a designer.

Example: real estate

"Are you looking to buy or rent?"
"Which area are you interested in?"
"How many bedrooms?"
"What is your budget range?"
"When are you hoping to move?"
"Would you like to schedule a visit? Share your name and number and we will confirm a time."

Example: education and courses

"Which course are you interested in?"
"Is this for you or for someone else?" This tells you whether you are talking to the student or a parent.
"When would you like to start?"
"Would you prefer online or in-person classes?"
"Can we send you the fee details and the schedule? What is your email?"

Answer questions too

Qualification works both ways. If a lead asks about fees, delivery or availability halfway through, answer it before continuing. A chatbot trained on your real information can do this without losing its place.

What to do with the answers

Ready now and a good fit: hand to a person straight away, with the chat history.
Interested but not ready: share useful information and keep their details for follow-up.
Not a fit: point them to something useful and thank them.

Setting this up with IotaBot

In IotaBot you can ask these questions with quick-action buttons and collect details with forms inside the chat, on your website and on WhatsApp. The AI answers questions from your knowledge base along the way and hands ready leads to your team. See the lead generation chatbot page.