Create a Secret Password SMS Bot with AI using Voiceflow, Twilio, Make & Google Sheets

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Project Overview
3. Configuring the Conversation in Voice Flow
4. Setting up Email Authentication using Make and Google Sheets
5. Setting up Twilio for SMS Chat Bots
6. Buying Additional Numbers and Cost
7. Demo: Running the SMS Bot
8. Making the Email Registration Process
9. Validating the Email Format
10. Checking if the Email Exists
11. Handling Redemption of Passwords
12. Managing Pre-Registration for Future Events
13. Debugging and Error Handling
14. Feedback and Conclusion

Introduction

Hey guys! Welcome back to another Tutorial by Mal. This week, I completed a project using Voice Flow, Twilio, Make, and Google Sheets to create an SMS bot. The bot's purpose was to release the location of a secret techno event when provided with the correct password. As a huge fan of techno and one of my favorite DJs, who happens to be from my hometown, I was super excited to work on this project. In this tutorial, I'll walk you through the demo and the configuration process step by step. However, please note that I won't be covering the setup process in Twilio in this tutorial. If you want to see that, just let me know and I'll create a separate tutorial for it, including topics like setting up SMS chat bots, buying numbers, and the cost of text messages. So let's dive right in!

Project Overview

Before we get started, let's take a quick look at the project we'll be working on. The SMS bot is designed to interact with users and provide them with the location of an exclusive techno event. The users are required to register their emails and redeem a password to access the event details. If the password is correct, the bot sends them all the necessary information, including pictures of the venue. Now that you have an overview of the project, let's move on to configuring the conversation in Voice Flow.

Configuring the Conversation in Voice Flow

In this section, I'll guide you through the process of configuring the conversation in Voice Flow. The first step is to greet the user and ask for their email. Once the email is entered, we'll check its format using a regular expression (Regex) to ensure it's in the correct format. This helps us validate the email and avoid any potential issues later on. If the email is valid, we proceed to check if it already exists in our database.

Setting up Email Authentication using Make and Google Sheets

To authenticate the emails, we'll be using Make and Google Sheets integration. We'll start by checking if the email exists in the Google Sheets database. If it does, we retrieve the registration details, including whether the password has been redeemed or not. If the email is not found, we inform the user and ask them to try another email. If the email exists, we proceed to ask for the password.

Setting up Twilio for SMS Chat Bots

Please note that the setup process for Twilio, including buying additional numbers and understanding the cost structure, will not be covered in this tutorial. If you want more information on this topic, please let me know and I'll create a separate tutorial specifically addressing this aspect.

Demo: Running the SMS Bot

Now, let's dive into the demo of the SMS bot. I'll guide you through each step and explain the logic behind it. We start by saying hello and asking for the user's email. If the email has already been redeemed, we inform the user and bring them back to the main menu to try another email. However, if the email is registered but not yet redeemed, we ask for the password. If the password is correct, we send them all the information about the event, including the location and pictures.

Making the Email Registration Process

To ensure a smooth registration process, we first check the format of the email using Regex. This helps us avoid any potential issues caused by invalid email formats. Next, we check if the email exists in the database using the Make integration with Google Sheets. If the email is found and already redeemed, we inform the user that they can only have one password redemption per email. If the email is found but not redeemed, we proceed to ask for the password.

Validating the Email Format

To ensure that the email is valid, we use a regular expression (Regex) to check for specific Patterns, including the presence of letters or numbers, an "@", letters or numbers before the "@", a period, and at least two letters after the period. This pattern ensures that the email is in a correct format and reduces the chances of any errors during authentication.

Checking if the Email Exists

In order to validate the authenticity of the email, we check if it exists in our database. This is done using the Make integration and Google Sheets. If the email is found in the database, we proceed with further authentication and password redemption checks. However, if the email is not found, we inform the user that we couldn't find their email and they should try another one.

Handling Redemption of Passwords

Once we have validated the email and confirmed its existence in the database, we proceed to ask for the password. If the password is correct, we mark it as redeemed in the Google Sheets database and provide the user with all the details of the event, including the location and pictures. However, if the password is incorrect, we inform the user and they have one more chance to enter the correct password before being denied access.

Managing Pre-Registration for Future Events

To ensure that users can pre-register for future events, we keep track of their email and name. This information is saved in a separate sheet in Google Sheets to be used for future events or notifications. By keeping this information separate, we can easily differentiate between pre-registered and newly registered users and provide them with appropriate messages and access to events.

Debugging and Error Handling

Throughout the configuration and setup process, it's important to debug and handle any errors that may occur. While debugging is not included in the normal flow of the SMS bot, it's crucial to have proper error handling mechanisms in place to ensure a smooth user experience. In case of any errors or issues, users can reach out to support through various channels, including Twitter, email, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

Feedback and Conclusion

I hope you found this tutorial helpful and enjoyed building your own SMS bot using Voice Flow, Twilio, Make, and Google Sheets. If you have any feedback or suggestions for improvement, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. Your feedback is valuable and helps me create better tutorials in the future. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you in the next one!

Highlights

• Build an SMS bot using Voice Flow, Twilio, Make, and Google Sheets.
• Authenticate users through email registration and password redemption.
• Validate email format using regular expressions (Regex).
• Manage pre-registration for future events.
• Debug and handle errors for a smooth user experience.

FAQs

Q: Can I use this SMS bot for other types of events? A: Absolutely! The SMS bot can be customized for any type of event or scenario where you need to authenticate users and provide them with specific information.

Q: How secure is the password redemption process? A: While we have implemented basic security measures, such as checking for password redemption and allowing only one redemption per email, this SMS bot is not designed for extremely sensitive or high-security scenarios.

Q: Can I use a different platform instead of Voice Flow? A: Yes, you can choose a different platform for building the conversation flow, such as Dialogflow or Microsoft Bot Framework. The logic and principles discussed in this tutorial can be applied to different platforms.

Q: How can I handle multiple events with different passwords? A: For handling multiple events, you can modify the Google Sheets database structure to accommodate different events and their respective passwords. You can also enhance the logic in the SMS bot to handle different event scenarios.

Q: Are there any limitations on the number of users who can register? A: The number of users who can register depends on the capacity of the chosen platform (Voice Flow) and the limitations of the other integration services used (Twilio, Make, Google Sheets).

Resources:

• Voice Flow
• Twilio
• Make
• Google Sheets