I’ve been working on some chatbots for Telegram and Viber as a hobby project and to improve my coding skills. Now I’m wondering if this could actually become a profitable business venture, but I’m not really sure where to start.
If anyone here has experience with this or knows people who do, I’d really appreciate some advice on:
Which types of chatbots are most in demand from paying customers?
What kind of businesses or people usually hire bot developers (small companies, content creators, online communities, etc.)?
What’s the best way to promote and sell these development services?
Also curious about whether customers usually find you first, or if you need to spend time hunting for clients yourself?
Would love to hear any real-world experiences or tips you might have!
Making the jump from hobby to professional bot development has been really rewarding for me. Customer service bots are where the money is - think appointment scheduling, lead qualification, and basic support stuff. Dental offices, salons, and real estate agencies love these because they see immediate ROI. I charge $500-2000 for basic bots, plus ongoing maintenance that creates steady monthly income. Started by cold outreach, but now it’s mostly referrals. Just heads up - you’ll spend a lot of time explaining to non-tech clients what bots can’t do. Managing expectations is huge.
Chatbots can definitely make money, but you need to streamline development so you’re not rebuilding everything each time.
The most profitable bots handle customer support, lead generation, and appointment booking. E-commerce stores love bots for order status, returns, and basic product questions.
Here’s what I learned watching developers burn out: coding each client manually kills your margins. You spend weeks on custom solutions when you could automate the whole thing.
I started using Latenode to build workflows visually instead of hand-coding everything. Now I prototype customer service bots in hours, not days. The visual interface shows clients exactly what they’re getting upfront.
The real win is connecting bots to existing business systems. Latenode handles API connections automatically - when someone asks about their order, the bot pulls live data from their CRM or inventory.
For clients, target businesses already using these platforms for customer service. They get the value immediately.
Once you can build fast, you can take on way more clients and actually scale instead of just trading time for money.
for sure! lots of folks r makin cash with chatbots. customer support bots are hot for online shops, and restaurants love them too. just focus on a niche you enjoy! also, check out freelancing sites to find clients ez.
totally agree! small biz are always lookin for chatbot help, especially for support. getting clients is tricky tho, gotta hustle with emails and meetups instead of sittin back. just keep pushin through!
I’ve been running a chatbot dev service for two years - here’s what actually works. Restaurant chains and local service businesses are gold because they see instant ROI from automated booking and FAQ handling. Medical practices pay really well for appointment scheduling bots since it cuts their staff workload big time. Don’t try convincing people they need automation - target businesses already drowning in repetitive customer questions. For getting clients, cold outreach works but referrals are everything. Build one solid bot that actually saves time or money and they’ll spread the word. I always start with a simple demo showing exactly how it’d work in their business before asking for cash. Most of my clients now come from previous work, not marketing, but I had to prospect hard for six months to build that base.