Email

What it does#

Email asks the customer for their email address and waits for an answer that looks like one (name@example.com). If it doesn't, the customer is asked to try again. The address is saved so later steps can use it.

Email only collects the address: it doesn't send an email or check that the mailbox exists. To send an email, add a Gmail step after it.

Set it up#

1. 1

   Add the step

   Drag Email from the Flow group in the Steps panel and connect the step before it.

2. 2

   Name it and write the question

   Click the step. Change the name to something clear, such as customerEmail. Under Message, replace the example with your question, for example What email should we send your booking confirmation to?

   

   

3. 3

   Connect the next step

   Drag the step's output to what comes next. The Phone preview tab shows Waits for a valid email.

4. 4

   Use the address

   Write {{@customerEmail}} in any later message or step, for example as the recipient in a Gmail step.

To keep a copy of the answer in another variable, fill in Save answer to (optional), for example contact_email. Handy when several branches ask for the email.

What counts as an email#

• Accepted: dana@example.com, Dana.Levy+booking@example.co.il. Upper and lower case are kept as typed.
• Asked again: dana@example (no ending such as .com), My email is dana@example.com (a sentence, not just the address), two addresses in one message, addresses with spaces or non-English letters.

Messages#

Click the step and open Messages at the bottom of its settings to change what the bot says on its own here. Messages has Not a valid email address: what the customer gets when the answer isn't an email.

Each field shows the default in grey. Leave it empty to keep the default, or write your own: it applies to every Email step in this chatbot and goes live with Publish. Use for all my chatbots makes it the text for all your chatbots (account owner or admin). More texts are in Settings > System messages.

Errors and what you see#

• The customer gets "The email entered is invalid, try again". The answer wasn't one email address on its own. Ask for only the address in your question. They stay on this step until they send a valid one. You can change this reply in the bot's messages (Bot settings).
• "This step isn't ready yet". Connect the step before it and the next step.
• A valid-looking address bounces later. The step checks the format, not the mailbox. Add an Options step such as Is {{@customerEmail}} correct? so customers can fix typos.

Examples#

Confirm before you use it. Email (customerEmail) → Options Is {{@customerEmail}} correct? with Yes and Change it. Connect Change it back to the Email step.

Send a confirmation. Email → Gmail with {{@customerEmail}} as the recipient and the booking details in the body.