How to set up a bot without breaking things: a checklist
Before you switch on any automation, run through this checklist.
You've set up a bot. It worked for a week. Then it quietly broke, and you only found out when a customer complained.
Step by step
- Write down what the bot does in one sentence.
- Write down what it must never do (delete, pay, publish without checking).
- Decide who checks it and how often.
- Test with fake data first.
- Turn it on for a small slice (one form, one inbox) before everything.
- Put a reminder in your calendar to review it in 30 days.
Watch-outs
- Every bot needs an owner.
- Keep a list of every automation and what accounts it uses.
- Remove access for tools you stop using.
A worked example
A Sydney accountant sets up a review request automation without testing. It sends 40 emails to old clients at once, some with the wrong name. After that, she uses this checklist for every bot: test with her own email, start small, name an owner, and review after 30 days.
Her next bot, an invoice reminder, runs smoothly because she tested every message and checked who'd receive them first.
What it costs in Australia
The checklist is free. The costs are in the tools you connect; see each guide for current AUD pricing. Budget a little time each month to review how your bots are working.
Prices are approx., October 2026, converted at about A$1.43 per US$1 where the vendor charges in US dollars. Your bank may add a foreign transaction fee. Check the vendor's pricing page before you buy.
The legal bits
Before turning on any bot that sends messages, check the Spam Act 2003 (consent, identification, unsubscribe). Before any chatbot or bot that collects personal information, check the Privacy Act and your privacy policy. Document what each bot does and who owns it.
Need the AI prompts? On our sister site: Find the bottlenecks in a process · Write a checklist for a repeat job.
The pre-launch checklist
- Write one sentence on what the bot does. 'When a job is marked complete, send one review request email two days later.' If you can't write it in one sentence, it's too complicated for a first bot.
- Name an owner. One person who gets the error emails and checks it monthly. If that's you, put it in your calendar.
- Test with yourself first. Run every path: the happy path, a missing email address, a duplicate contact, someone who replies STOP.
- Check who it'll reach. Before the first live run, look at the actual list. Old clients? People who unsubscribed? Staff?
- Start small. Turn it on for one service, one suburb or ten customers for the first week.
- Keep a human gate on anything customer-facing that could embarrass you: replies to complaints, prices, refunds.
- Write down how to switch it off. Where's the off switch, and who has the login?
- Review at 30 days. Is it saving time? Any complaints? Any errors? Keep, fix or kill it.
Where bots usually go wrong
Most broken bots aren't dramatic. A password changes and the connection quietly stops. A form field gets renamed and every email says 'Hi {first_name}'. A free plan hits its monthly limit on the 20th. The fix is boring: error notifications turned on, a monthly glance at the run history, and one owner who knows how it works.
Questions
Why bother?
Because bots fail quietly. A checklist makes sure you notice.
Can I get help?
Yes, get in touch with me via the contact page.
How do I test without bothering customers?
Use your own email and phone number, or a test contact.
How often should I review my bots?
After 30 days, then every quarter.
Do this today
List every automation you already have running. Note what it does and who owns it.
Related guides
- How to set up an appointment booking bot
- How to set up an invoice reminder bot
- How to set up a missed-call text-back bot
Need prompts for the AI steps? See 40 AI use cases with copyable prompts. Want a hand? Get in touch.