WhatsApp is where your customers already are. The problem is that questions arrive at all hours and they are almost always the same: do you deliver? when do you open? can you send the menu? A well-built bot answers those instantly and leaves your team free for what really needs a person.
What is worth automating
- The greeting and a clear menu, with no more than five or six options.
- Information that does not change: hours, locations, payment methods, delivery areas.
- Menus or catalogs as an image or PDF.
- The first part of an order or booking: what they want, for when and under what name.
When to hand off to a person
The most common mistake is expecting the bot to solve everything. Hand the conversation to your team when:
- The customer asks for it ("talk to a person" should always be a visible option).
- There is a sale or an order ready to close.
- It is a complaint or something sensitive.
- The customer writes something that does not fit any menu option.
When that happens, the bot should tell the customer someone will reply soon and then step back, so it does not compete with the person taking over.
WhatsApp’s 24-hour window
WhatsApp Business lets you reply freely within 24 hours of the customer’s last message. After that, you can only message them with templates approved by Meta. That is why your team needs to see handed-off conversations quickly: a chat left unanswered for a day cannot simply be picked up again.
Also keep in mind that Meta may charge for using the WhatsApp Business platform under its own pricing, separate from what you pay for the bot or the tool.
From chat to lead
A bot does not end at the reply. Every order or quote should be recorded as a lead, with its source, status and owner. In the Client Portal, bot orders land in the CRM next to Instagram and Messenger messages, so your team works from a single inbox.
Checklist before you switch it on
- A WhatsApp Business number connected through Meta.
- Greeting, main menu and a talk-to-a-person option.
- Business hours and an after-hours message.
- A data-processing notice linking to your privacy policy.
- One person responsible for reviewing conversations the bot hands off.