Chatbots

A chatbot answers WhatsApp conversations automatically and hands over to your team when needed. Chatbots live under Chatbots.

There are two kinds:

• Flow chatbots follow the steps you design: buttons, questions, conditions. Every plan includes them.
• AI chatbots answer in your own words from your instructions and documents. See AI chatbots (Growth plan and above).

When a chatbot starts

Start
When someone sends a keyword	For example “menu” or “book”.
When someone sends any message	Answers every new conversation on the number.
Only when a broadcast or another chatbot starts it	Used for replies to a broadcast, or as a step another chatbot transfers to.

A chatbot never answers a conversation a person is handling.

Steps

Build the chatbot from steps on the canvas. Choose ＋ to add one, and select a step to edit it.

Step	What it does
Send Message	Text, an image, video, audio or document, or an interactive message: up to three buttons, a list menu, or a link button. Buttons and list options can branch to their own steps.
Send Template	An approved WhatsApp template, for when the 24-hour window has closed.
Wait for Input	Asks a question and saves the answer as a variable. Checks it’s text, a number, an email, a phone number, a date, a URL or one of the options you list. Add a timeout and steps to run if nobody answers.
Condition	Branches on a variable: equals, contains, starts with, greater or less than, is empty, in a list, or matches a pattern.
Set Variable	Stores a value for later steps.
HTTP Request	Calls your system, sends variables and saves the response. Add steps to run if it fails.
Contact Action	Creates or updates the contact with the answers collected.
Transfer	Hands the conversation to a person on your team (it appears in the inbox) or another chatbot.
Delay	Waits before the next step.
WhatsApp Form	Sends a form and waits for the answers (when WhatsApp Forms is switched on).
Go To	Jumps to another step, for loops and menus.
End	Ends the conversation, with an optional closing message.

Steps can use variables in their text: {{contact.name}}, answers saved by Wait for Input, results of an HTTP Request, and form answers as {{flow.field_name}}.

The editor warns about unfinished steps, such as a message with no text or a button with no label, before you save.

Test a chatbot

Test chat in the editor lets you talk to the chatbot without sending real WhatsApp messages. Each step shows as it runs.

Turn it on

Switch the chatbot on with Active in the chatbot list. Edits apply straight away; conversations paused at a step that moved or was removed start again at the first step with their next message.