How Your Manychat Bot Can Use AI to Reply with Directions to Your Business

In today’s AI-powered world, conversational bots like Manychat have become indispensable for businesses aiming to deliver real-time, personalized experiences. One of the most practical features a Manychat bot can offer is the ability to provide instant directions to your business, using a user’s live location and artificial intelligence through Dialogflow.

Looking for a chatbot that works for you 24/7? Manychat lets you automate customer conversations, capture leads, and boost engagement across Messenger, Instagram, and more. Manychat lets you automate customer conversations, capture leads, and boost engagement across Messenger, Instagram, and more. Try Manychat now and start building smarter flows today!

In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to build a bot that automatically responds to your customers with a Google Maps direction link from their location to your business. Whether you’re running a restaurant, retail store, or salon, this powerful feature enhances the user experience and drives more in-person traffic with minimal effort.

Why Use AI for Directions in Manychat?

ManyChat already allows you to request a user’s location, but it only provides you with raw latitude and longitude coordinates. On their own, these are not very user-friendly. However, when you integrate AI tools like Dialogflow (a conversational AI by Google), you can interpret that data and respond with smart, dynamic replies — including clickable direction links.

With this system, your chatbot can automatically:

• Request a user’s location.
  
• Pass their coordinates to Dialogflow.
  
• Generate a custom Google Maps link.
  
• Send back directions to your store, office, or restaurant.
  

And the best part? It only takes a few simple steps to set up.

Step 1: Connect Dialogflow to Manychat

Before we build anything, you’ll need to connect Dialogflow to your Manychat bot. This is the tool that will power your AI-generated responses.

We recommend using Janis.ai — a trusted middleware that seamlessly bridges Dialogflow and ManyChat.

✅ Tip: Connecting Janis to your Manychat account takes less than 5 minutes. Once integrated, all user inputs (like location) can be processed by Dialogflow, which will return smart responses.

Once Dialogflow is connected, you’re ready to build the logic in your Manychat flow.

It’s easy to set up, beginner-friendly, and powerful enough for advanced users too. Join Manychat today and start creating better customer experiences instantly.

Step 2: Create a Flow in Manychat

Let’s say you’re building a restaurant bot. Inside your Welcome Message or main menu, you can add a button called “Get Directions.”

Clicking this button will take users into a dedicated flow where they’ll share their location, and receive directions in response.

Your flow only needs 4 core steps:

1. Ask for the user’s location.
   
2. Save the location data.
   
3. Trigger an action.
   
4. Send the info to Dialogflow.
   

Step 3: Capture the User’s Location

In the flow, add a User Input block right after the “Get Directions” button. Configure the reply type to Location.

This will show the user a native button that says Send Location, which opens their location-sharing prompt in Messenger.

Set a Custom User Field (CUF) to save the response. For example:

• CUF Name: send_location
  

Also, keep a default fallback message in case the user declines to share their location, and give them a Cancel option. Want to dive deeper into how Dialogflow can supercharge your chatbot? Check out our detailed guide on How to Make Your Manychat Bot Smarter with Dialogflow AI. You’ll learn how to connect Dialogflow, build intelligent responses, and take your automation to the next level with conversational AI.

Step 4: Perform an Action

Once the user shares their location, automatically continue to the next step: Perform Action.

Here, you’ll create another Custom User Field called event and give it a value that will trigger your Dialogflow Intent.

Example:

• CUF: event
  
• Value: give instructions
  

⚠️ Important: Use lowercase for event, and don’t include spaces in the value. Need a fast, no-code way to automate your messages? Manychat helps you build bots that reply, sell, and support—on autopilot. Sign up now and turn your DMs into a growth machine.

Step 5: Trigger the Default Reply Flow

Now, continue from the Action step to your Default Reply.

Your Default Reply flow should contain a Dynamic content card with an API call. This is what passes the user’s data (location, name, etc.) to Dialogflow via Janis, and receives the AI-generated response in return.

If everything is connected properly, Dialogflow will return a dynamic direction link based on the user’s coordinates and your business location.

Step 6: Create a Dialogflow Intent

Time to configure Dialogflow. Log in to your Dialogflow console and create a new Intent. You can name it something like Dynamic Directions.

In the Events section, type the same event value you defined in Manychat (give instructions in this case). This ensures Dialogflow knows when to trigger this Intent.

Now, scroll to the Responses section.

In the Text Response, paste something like:

Here is how to get to our restaurant from your location: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/#janis.send_location/640+Rogers+Rd+York+ON+M6M+1B8

Let’s break that down:

• #janis.send_location: This placeholder dynamically inserts the user’s latitude and longitude.
  
• The rest: Your business address, formatted for a URL (use + instead of spaces).
  

AI Hack: Janis will automatically replace #janis.send_location with the user’s actual GPS coordinates.

How to Format Your Address for Google Maps

Not sure how to format your address for a URL?

Just go to Google Maps, search for your business, and copy the full address. When you paste it, replace spaces with plus signs (+).

Bonus: Add Map Type Options

You can enhance your map link by customizing the map view in Google Maps. Here are some options:

Make Responses More Personalized

Dialogflow allows you to use other variables sent from Manychat, such as the user’s first name.

What the Final Experience Looks Like

Once everything is set up:

• A user clicks “Get Directions.”
  
• The bot asks for their location.
  
• They share it.
  
• Your Dialogflow Intent is triggered.
  
• The bot replies instantly with a custom Google Maps link showing directions from their location to your business.
  

When the user clicks the link, Google Maps opens with real-time navigation. That’s powerful automation that improves customer experience and makes your business easier to find. Don’t let leads slip through the cracks. Manychat helps you respond faster, convert more, and automate the boring stuff. Try it now, Manychat, and see why thousands of businesses trust Manychat every day.

Use Cases Beyond Restaurants

This approach isn’t just for restaurants. It works perfectly for:

• Retail stores
  
• Gyms and fitness studios
  
• Clinics and dental offices
  
• Beauty salons
  
• Car repair shops
  
• Event venues
  

If your business depends on local foot traffic, this feature is a game-changer.

Final Thoughts

By combining the power of Manychat, Dialogflow, and a bit of Google Maps magic, you can build a smart bot that replies with real-time, location-based directions — no coding required.

This solution not only boosts convenience for your customers but also helps you stand out with an intelligent and responsive bot.

Don’t let leads slip through the cracks. Manychat helps you respond faster, convert more, and automate the boring stuff. Try it now, Manychat, and see why thousands of businesses trust Manychat every day.

Disclaimer

This article features affiliate links, which indicate that if you click on any of the links and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission. There’s no additional cost to you, and it helps support our blog, allowing us to continue delivering valuable content. We solely endorse products or services that we think will benefit our audience.

Frequently Asked Questions