Make.com chatbot guide

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How to Build a ManyChat Chatbot with Make.com

This step-by-step guide shows you how to connect ManyChat to make.com so you can build a Facebook Messenger chatbot that sends dynamic, personalized data without writing a single line of code.

By the end, you will know how to capture user input, trigger an automation scenario, retrieve external information, and send the right reply back into Messenger automatically.

What You Need Before Connecting ManyChat and Make.com

Before setting up your automation, prepare the following accounts and assets so the integration runs smoothly.

  • A Facebook Page connected to your ManyChat account.
  • A ManyChat Pro account with access to Growth Tools and custom fields.
  • A make.com account with permission to create scenarios.
  • The external app or data source you want to connect through make.com (for example, a CRM or database).

When these are ready, you can move on to planning the actual chatbot flow.

Plan Your Chatbot Use Case for Make.com

Before building anything inside ManyChat or make.com, clarify what your chatbot should do and what information it needs to send or receive.

Typical use cases include:

  • Sending product or pricing details based on user questions.
  • Checking an order status and returning tracking information.
  • Booking appointments through an external calendar tool.
  • Saving leads into a CRM when users provide contact details.

Once the use case is clear, break it down into three parts:

  1. What the user types or selects in Messenger.
  2. What make.com must do with that information.
  3. What reply should be sent back to the user.

Create the Conversation Flow in ManyChat

Next, build the user-facing flow in ManyChat. This is where you capture user input and send it to make.com for processing.

Step 1: Set Up a New Flow in ManyChat

  1. Log in to ManyChat and open your bot.
  2. Go to Automation and click + New Flow.
  3. Name the flow clearly (for example, Order Lookup with Make.com).
  4. Add a starting step, such as a Keyword trigger or a Main Menu button, depending on how users will access the feature.

Use simple, clear copy so users understand what information they need to provide.

Step 2: Capture User Input in ManyChat

The chatbot must collect the data that make.com will use. For an order lookup example, this might be an email address or order number.

  1. Add a User Input block to your flow.
  2. Ask a specific question, such as “Please enter your order number.”
  3. Set the Reply Type (text, number, email, etc.) to match the data you expect.
  4. Save the response into a Custom User Field so you can pass it to make.com.

Keep the question focused. The fewer variations in user responses, the easier it is to process in your automation scenario.

Connect ManyChat to Make.com via Webhooks

ManyChat sends data to make.com using webhooks. You will first configure a webhook in make.com, then call it from your ManyChat flow.

Step 3: Create a Webhook in Make.com

  1. Log in to your make.com account.
  2. Click Create a new scenario.
  3. In the scenario canvas, search for and add the Webhooks module.
  4. Choose Custom webhook and create a new webhook.
  5. Copy the unique webhook URL generated by make.com. You will paste this URL into ManyChat.

Keep the scenario in editing mode so you can test the webhook shortly.

Step 4: Call the Make.com Webhook from ManyChat

  1. Return to your ManyChat flow.
  2. After the User Input block, add an Action.
  3. Select External Request or Send HTTP Request (depending on the interface version).
  4. Paste the webhook URL from make.com into the request URL field.
  5. Set the method to POST.
  6. In the request body or query parameters, map the custom fields that hold the user’s responses, such as the order number.

Publish the flow so ManyChat can send a test payload to your webhook.

Configure Data Processing Inside Make.com

Now that ManyChat can trigger your scenario, configure make.com to process the incoming information and prepare the response.

Step 5: Test and Inspect the Incoming Webhook Data

  1. In your make.com scenario, open the Webhooks module and click Run once.
  2. Go to your Messenger bot and walk through the flow as a user.
  3. Submit the requested information so ManyChat sends data to the webhook.
  4. Return to make.com and inspect the received bundle; confirm that the fields you need (such as email or order ID) are present.

If some data is missing, adjust your ManyChat mapping and send another test.

Step 6: Add Modules to Access External Data

With the incoming data verified, connect the services that will supply the final answer for the user.

  1. In the make.com scenario, add the appropriate module after the Webhooks step (for example, a Google Sheets, CRM, or e‑commerce platform module).
  2. Use the values from the webhook (like an order ID) to search or filter records.
  3. Map the fields you want to return to the user, such as order status, delivery date, or a personalized message.
  4. Optionally, add filters and routers inside make.com if the flow should branch based on conditions, like whether an order is found.

This is the core of your automation. You can add more modules to log events, update databases, or trigger other workflows.

Send the Response Back from Make.com to ManyChat

To close the loop, make.com must send a response back that ManyChat can display as a message in Messenger.

Step 7: Return Structured Data from Make.com

  1. At the end of your scenario, add another Webhooks > Custom Webhook Response module or a compatible response step.
  2. Build a JSON or plain-text response that includes the data you want ManyChat to show. For example:
    {“order_status”: “Shipped”, “delivery_date”: “2024-07-20”}
  3. Map the fields from your external modules into this response body.
  4. Save and run the scenario once to ensure it completes without errors.

The structure of the response should match what your ManyChat action expects, so you can parse it easily on the bot side.

Step 8: Display the Automation Result in ManyChat

  1. Back in ManyChat, edit the action that calls the make.com webhook, or add a step that handles the returned data.
  2. Configure how ManyChat reads the webhook response (depending on the current ManyChat interface, this might be automatic or require parsing).
  3. Create a message block that uses the returned values. For example:
    “Your order is currently {{order_status}} and is expected to arrive on {{delivery_date}}.”
  4. Connect this message block after the external request action.

Test the full user journey from start to finish to confirm the correct information appears in Messenger.

Test, Monitor, and Improve Your Make.com Chatbot

Once everything is connected, thorough testing is essential to ensure a reliable experience.

  • Run multiple test cases with different user inputs.
  • Check how the bot behaves when no records are found or when data is incomplete.
  • Review the execution history in make.com to debug any failed operations.
  • Monitor user responses in ManyChat to refine your wording and flow.

As you learn from users, you can extend your automation scenario with more modules or additional branches.

Where to Learn More About Make.com and ManyChat Automation

To go deeper into advanced chatbot and automation strategies, you can study additional resources and examples built on top of make.com.

By combining the visual flow builder in ManyChat with the flexible automation engine of make.com, you can deliver powerful Messenger experiences that pull live data from your favorite apps and systems with no coding required.

Need Help With Make.com?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Make scenarios, work with ConsultEvo — certified workflow and automation specialists.

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