Your clients are already on WhatsApp, and many prefer writing to calling. A bot can answer them straight away at any hour, but it is not always the best idea. Here is when it is worth it, what it can really do and what you need to get it going.

What a WhatsApp bot can do

  • Answer frequent questions: opening hours, prices, address, payment methods, delivery times.
  • Handle bookings and appointments: offer free slots, confirm and send reminders.
  • Report the status of an order from the order number.
  • Collect a new client’s details and pass them to your CRM before they talk to a person.
  • Hand the conversation over to a person when the question calls for it, with all the context.

When it is worth it

A bot usually pays off if two or more of these conditions apply:

  • You receive many messages with the same questions.
  • You lose clients because you are slow to reply out of hours.
  • Your team spends hours giving appointments or confirming bookings.
  • You want every contact to be recorded without copying it by hand.

If you receive few messages and each one is different, the WhatsApp Business app with saved quick replies is probably enough.

WhatsApp Business app or platform: the difference

The WhatsApp Business app is free and allows greeting messages, away messages and quick replies, but the conversation is still run by a person from a phone.

A real bot needs the WhatsApp Business Platform (Meta’s official API). With it, a system can read and answer messages automatically and connect to your calendar, your shop or your CRM. It requires a business account verified with Meta and a dedicated number.

Meta charges for messages the business starts (for example, a reminder or a promotion), at rates that depend on the type of message and the country. Replying to a client who has written to you, within the following 24 hours, has no cost per message at current rates. Always check Meta’s current prices.

Good practice so it does not annoy

  1. Say that it is an automatic assistant from the first message.
  2. Always offer a way through to a person. Nothing is more frustrating than a bot that does not understand and will not let you talk to anyone.
  3. Few options, and clear ones. Three buttons are better than a menu of ten.
  4. Do not send messages nobody asked for. Besides being annoying, you need the client’s consent for commercial communications.

How to start

For one week, note the questions you are asked most on WhatsApp. If the top five account for most of the messages, you have the bot’s script. Start with those and leave the rest to a person; you extend once you see how people respond.

If you would rather we set it up and connect it to your tools, we explain it in WhatsApp and Telegram bots.