Creating a chatbot can take anywhere from a few hours to several months, depending on the complexity of the bot and the tools used to build it.

For more straightforward rule-based chatbots, it takes only a few hours to create a simple version using a platform like Serviceform. Serviceform provides pre-built chatbot templates plus drag-and-drop interfaces that make it easy to build a bot without coding knowledge.

However, more complex chatbots that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to understand and respond to natural language can take much longer to develop. Developing a custom chatbot from scratch can require a team of developers and take several months to complete.

It's important to keep in mind that creating a chatbot is not a one-time task. Once the chatbot is built, it needs to be tested, optimised, and updated regularly to ensure it's meeting user needs and providing a good user experience.