> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xpressbot.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ask Questions

> Ask the customer a question, wait for their answer, check it, and save it — every Ask step explained.

## What is this?

An **Ask** step sends a question and then **waits** for the customer to answer. When they do, the platform checks the answer is the right kind (for example a real email address), saves it to a custom field, and moves on. If they don't answer properly, it follows a different path.

It's the easiest way to collect information — names, emails, dates, photos — without a human typing anything.

\[SCREENSHOT: automation-steps-ask-config — An Ask Text step's settings panel showing the question text, validation settings, and the field to save the answer in]

## What can I do here?

| Step                          | Asks for                                      | Notes                                        |
| ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| [Ask Text](#ask-text)         | Any text                                      | Names, addresses typed by hand, free answers |
| [Ask Number](#ask-number)     | A number                                      | Budget, quantity, age                        |
| [Ask Date](#ask-date)         | A date                                        | Appointment day                              |
| [Ask Email](#ask-email)       | An email address                              | Checked for a valid email                    |
| [Ask Location](#ask-location) | A shared location                             | Saved with a map address                     |
| [Ask Address](#ask-address)   | A full address, using WhatsApp's address form | India only                                   |
| [Ask Image](#ask-image)       | A photo                                       | JPEG or PNG, up to 5 MB                      |
| [Ask Video](#ask-video)       | A video                                       | MP4 or 3GPP, up to 16 MB                     |
| [Ask Audio](#ask-audio)       | A voice message or audio                      | Up to 16 MB                                  |
| [Ask File](#ask-file)         | A document                                    | PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or text        |

## How to use it

### The settings every Ask step shares

* **Question Text** (required) — what to ask. You can use variables.
* **Store response in field** — the custom field where the answer is saved. Create the field first in [Custom Fields](/workspace/contacts/custom-fields).
* **Validation Settings**
  * **Attempt limit** — how many tries the customer gets. After this, the step follows the **Not Submitted** path.
  * **Validation error message** — what the customer sees when the answer isn't valid, such as "That doesn't look like an email — please try again."
* **Submission Deadline** — a number of minutes, hours, or days to wait. After that, the step follows **Not Submitted**. The customer can still answer late.

**Two paths:** **Submitted** (a valid answer arrived) and **Not Submitted** (too many wrong tries, or the deadline passed). Connect both.

### Ask Text

Asks for any text and saves it. Use it for names, cities, a description of the problem, or a product search phrase (see [Product Search](/workspace/automation/steps/send-messages#product-search)).

### Ask Number

Asks for a number and checks that the answer is numeric. Use it for budgets, quantities, or ages.

### Ask Date

Asks the customer to choose a date. Use it for appointment days or delivery dates.

### Ask Email

Asks for an email address and checks that it looks valid.

### Ask Location

Asks the customer to share their location from WhatsApp. It's saved automatically with its **latitude**, **longitude**, and a readable street address, so later steps can use those values as variables.

### Ask Address

Shows WhatsApp's **native address form**. The form is pre-filled with any addresses already saved for the contact, and the result is saved automatically in the address table for later steps.

<Warning>
  WhatsApp's native address form isn't available for every business yet. It's currently only available to businesses based in India and their customers in India.
</Warning>

### Ask Image, Ask Video, Ask Audio, Ask File

Ask the customer to send a file. Use them for ID proof, damaged-item photos, voice notes, or documents.

| Step          | Accepted                                                                                                                              | Size limit |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- |
| **Ask Image** | JPEG, PNG                                                                                                                             | 5 MB       |
| **Ask Video** | MP4, 3GPP                                                                                                                             | 16 MB      |
| **Ask Audio** | MP3                                                                                                                                   | 16 MB      |
| **Ask File**  | Choose the type: any file, **PDF**, **Word** (.doc, .docx), **Excel** (.xls, .xlsx), **PowerPoint** (.ppt, .pptx), or **Text** (.txt) | 100 MB     |

For **Ask File**, set **Expected Format** to control which file types the customer may upload.

### Ask steps on other channels

Instagram, Facebook, and Web Chat each have **Ask Text**, **Ask Number**, and **Ask Email** steps — see [Instagram Steps](/workspace/automation/steps/instagram-steps), [Facebook Steps](/workspace/automation/steps/facebook-steps), and [Web Chat Steps](/workspace/automation/steps/web-chat-steps).

### Example: capture a lead

1. **Ask Text** — "What's your name?" → saved in *Name*.
2. **Ask Email** — "What's your email?" → saved in *Email*.
3. **Ask Number** — "What's your budget?" → saved in *Budget*.
4. **Update Label** — add the label *New Lead*.
5. **Assign team member** — hand the lead to your sales team.

Connect each step's **Not Submitted** path to a polite fallback — for example a message that says a teammate will follow up.

## Troubleshooting / Technical Notes

* **The automation is stuck on the question.** It's waiting for the customer. Set a **Submission Deadline** and connect **Not Submitted** so something happens if they never reply.
* **The answer isn't saved anywhere.** Choose a field under **Store response in field**.
* **The customer's file was rejected.** Check the format and size limit for that step. Use **Validation error message** to tell them what's accepted.
* **Ask Address doesn't appear for the customer.** It's only available for India-based businesses and customers so far.

## Related docs

* [Builder Steps overview](/workspace/automation/steps/overview)
* [Custom Fields](/workspace/contacts/custom-fields)
* [Send Messages](/workspace/automation/steps/send-messages)
* [Logic & Timing](/workspace/automation/steps/logic-and-timing)