Step 1: Create the account type variable

A variable is a placeholder that you can use to store a value for a user. Each variable is created to hold one specific piece of information, like a name or option selection.

The variable's value is assigned by actions that are triggered by the user's interaction with your chatbot. If the chatbot tries to use the variable before a value has been assigned, it will use a default value, or a blank value if there's no default.

In this guide, we're using a variable to store the user's account type so the chatbot can direct the conversation to the appropriate passage for that account type. If the user hasn't told the chatbot their account type when it tries to direct the conversation, the chatbot will need to ask for it.

We'll create this variable with no default value, which means it will be blank until a value is assigned. We will configure the Logic so that if the variable has a value, the conversation goes to the appropriate passage, and if the variable is blank, the chatbot asks for the user's account type.

Let's create a variable for our user's account type:

1. Open the Create section of the left-hand navigation.
2. Click Variables.
3. Click + Variable.
4. Type AccountType as the name for your variable.
   You'll use this name to add the variable to your chatbot content. Variable names should be short but descriptive, and can use letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation.
   You can change a variable's name later if you need to.
5. Click Create.
6. In the Description field, type User's account type (business or personal).
7. Click Save.

We've created a variable to capture our user's account type. Now let's create the passage where we'll ask the user their account type so we can store the value.