Ask Nodes

Who can use this?

• Gallabox users with Bot Builder access (Owners and Admins included)

Ask nodes pause the bot flow and wait for the customer to reply with a specific type of input — text, email, phone number, date, file, location, or a button/list selection. The response is stored in a variable for use in downstream nodes.

Plan Availability

Node	Basic	Essential	Advanced
Ask Text	✓	✓	✓
Ask Email	✓	✓	✓
Ask Number	✓	✓	✓
Ask Phone	✓	✓	✓
Ask Date	✓	✓	✓
Ask URL	✓	✓	✓
Ask Reply Buttons	✓	✓	✓
Ask List	✓	✓	✓
Ask Keyword Options	✓	✓	✓
Ask Collections List	✓	✓	✓
Ask Address	✓	✓	✓
Ask File	—	✓	✓
Ask Location	—	✓	✓
Ask Form	—	✓	✓

How Ask Nodes Work

1. The bot sends a question — the customer sees the message in WhatsApp, Instagram, or Web Chat
2. The flow pauses — the bot waits for the customer’s reply
3. The customer responds — the input is validated and stored in a variable you name
4. The flow continues — the next node uses {{variable_name}} to insert the value

If the customer sends the wrong type of input (e.g., text when you asked for a phone number), the bot shows your configured retry message and stays on the same step.

Ask Node Types

Text Input Nodes

Ask Text

Collects any open-ended text response. No format validation.

Example: Question: “What’s your order number?” → stores reply in {{order_number}}

Use when you need free-form text — order IDs, names, notes, custom queries.

Ask Email

Validates that the input is a properly formatted email address (must contain @ and a domain).

Example: Question: “Please share your email address for your account” → stored in {{contact_email}}

Ask Phone

Validates a phone number format. Supports international formats.

Example: Question: “What’s the best number to reach you?” → stored in {{customer_phone}}

Ask Number

Accepts only numeric input. Can be configured with min/max values.

Example: Question: “How many units would you like to order?” → stored in {{quantity}}

Validation: set min=1, max=1000 to restrict range.

Ask URL

Validates a properly formatted URL (must start with http:// or https://).

Example: Question: “Share your website URL” → stored in {{website_url}}

Ask Date

Opens a date picker on Web Chat; accepts natural language dates on WhatsApp/Instagram (“next Monday”, “December 15”).

Example: Question: “When would you like your delivery?” → stored in {{delivery_date}} in YYYY-MM-DD format

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Choice-Based Nodes

Ask Reply Buttons

Shows up to 3 tappable buttons. The customer taps instead of typing — reduces errors.

Example: Question: “What do you need help with?”
Buttons: [Track Order] [Place Order] [Talk to Agent]

The selected button text is stored in your variable. Use a Condition node to branch based on the selection.

Ask List

Shows a structured list of options — scrollable, can have more options than buttons.

Example: Question: “Select your department:“
Options: [Sales] [Support] [Billing] [Returns] [Other]

Ask Keyword Options

Matches the customer’s typed keyword against a list of predefined triggers.

Example: Question: “Type ‘sales’ for Sales, ‘support’ for Support, ‘demo’ to book a demo”

If customer types “sales” → {{keyword_response}} = “sales” → branch to sales flow.

Ask Collections List

Shows WhatsApp collections (product or service categories) as selectable options.

Example: Question: “Browse our categories:” → sends a collection of category cards

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Advanced Input Nodes (Essential+)

Ask Address

Collects a structured address with fields: street, city, state, postal code, country.

Example: Question: “Please share your delivery address” → stored in {{delivery_address}} as structured JSON

Ask File

Asks the customer to upload a file — images, PDFs, or documents.

Example: Question: “Upload your ID document for verification” → stored in {{id_document}} as a file reference

Limits: WhatsApp supports files up to 16MB; supported formats depend on the channel.

Ask Location

Asks the customer to share their current location. Works on WhatsApp and Web Chat.

Example: Question: “Share your location to find the nearest store” → stored in {{customer_location}} as lat/long coordinates

Ask Form

Combines multiple fields into one screen — the customer fills in all fields in one go.

Example: Collect booking details: name, email, phone, date, notes — all in a single form submission.

Example configuration:

• Field 1: Name (text)
• Field 2: Email (email)
• Field 3: Preferred date (date)
• Field 4: Notes (text, optional)

To request a payment during a flow, use the Send WhatsApp Payment node — payments are a Send node, not an Ask node.

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Validating Input

Each Ask node has built-in validation. You can also configure retry behavior:

Node	Validation	Retry message example
Ask Email	Format check (@ + domain)	“Please enter a valid email like [e-mail]”
Ask Phone	Format check (digits + optional prefix)	“Please enter a valid phone number (e.g., 9876543210)“
Ask Number	Min/max numeric values	”Please enter a number between 1 and 1000”
Ask Date	Min date / max date	”Please choose a date in the future”
Ask URL	Must start with http:// or https://	“Please enter a valid URL starting with https://“

Storing Responses in Variables

Every Ask node saves the customer’s response to a variable you name:

1. Find the Variable name field in the Ask node
2. Enter a descriptive name: customer_email, delivery_date, support_topic
3. Use {{customer_email}} in any downstream Send node to personalise the message

Example flow:

Ask Phone → Variable: "support_phone"
  → next node: "We'll call you at {{support_phone}} within 2 hours"

Branching Based on Ask Responses

Use a Condition node after an Ask node to split the flow:

Ask Number → "How many units?"
  → Condition: {{quantity}} >= 10 → Send bulk pricing message
  → Condition: {{quantity}} < 10 → Send standard pricing message

For Ask Reply Buttons:

Ask Reply Buttons: [Track Order] [Place Order] [Talk to Agent]
  → Condition: {{help_topic}} = "Track Order" → Track order flow
  → Condition: {{help_topic}} = "Place Order" → Place order flow
  → Condition: {{help_topic}} = "Talk to Agent" → Assign to agent

FAQs

The bot keeps repeating the same question — what do I do?

The customer is either:

1. Sending the wrong type of input — e.g., typing text when you asked for a phone number
2. Not responding at all — the session may have timed out

Check your retry message is clear: “Please enter a 10-digit phone number, e.g., 9876543210.” Also check the timeout setting — if the customer takes too long, the session expires and the flow restarts. Consider adding a Condition node that checks if the variable is empty after a timeout and routes to a different branch or sends a “Taking too long?” message.

Can customers respond with natural language dates like 'next Tuesday'?

Yes — on WhatsApp and Instagram, Gallabox’s NLP understands natural language dates (“next Monday”, “December 15”, “in 3 days”). On Web Chat, the customer sees a date picker. Dates are stored in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD) in variables, so you can use them in calculations or comparisons with a Condition node.

Ask File doesn't work on WhatsApp — why?

Ask File requires the customer to upload a file. WhatsApp supports file uploads, but file size and type are limited by Meta’s API. For WhatsApp, an alternative is Ask Text with instructions like “Reply with your document name and we’ll send you a secure upload link.”

How do I make an Ask node optional — skip if the customer doesn't respond?

Add a Condition node after the Ask node that checks if the variable is empty:

Condition: {{customer_email}} is empty
  → true: Send "No email provided — we'll continue without it"
  → false: Send "Thanks! We've sent a confirmation to {{customer_email}}"

You can also set a timeout in the Ask node that routes to a different branch if no response is received within the configured time.