AI chatbots · WhatsApp
A WhatsApp assistant that answers, follows up and hands over.
Many customers would rather message than call. An assistant on your WhatsApp Business number replies straight away, collects what your team needs and passes the conversation to a person when it should.
The problem
WhatsApp is where enquiries wait the longest.
Customers send a message and expect a quick reply. When the team is on the job, the chat sits unread, the details arrive in pieces over several messages, and nobody owns the follow-up.
A “WhatsApp us” button on your website does not change that. It opens a chat with your number, and every reply is still typed by hand. Automated replies, structured details and follow-ups need your number on the official WhatsApp Business Platform with an assistant connected to it.
How it works
Reply, collect, follow up, hand over.
The assistant runs on the official WhatsApp Business Platform, through Meta or an approved provider. It never uses unofficial tools that put your number at risk.
- 01
The customer messages you
From your website, a link, a QR code or a missed-call follow-up. Messaging first is what opens WhatsApp’s 24-hour window for free-form replies.
- 02
It answers and asks
It answers from information you approved and asks the questions you defined, such as the vehicle, the damage, the area or the urgency.
- 03
It collects the details
Text, photos and documents arrive in one conversation, and the key details become a structured summary.
- 04
It routes and follows up
The summary reaches the right person or system. Follow-ups after the 24-hour window use message templates Meta has approved, and only to people who agreed to hear from you.
- 05
A person takes over
Whenever the customer asks, or the conversation needs judgement, your team picks up the same chat with the history in front of them.
Who it helps
Businesses whose customers prefer to message.
It works best where the first message needs a few specific details and a person follows up.
Photo-first enquiries
Repairs, damage and installations where a picture saves a site visit or a second call.
After-hours messages
Replying at night and collecting the details, so the morning starts with complete enquiries.
Status and reminders
Updates and reminders customers asked for, sent with approved templates.
Moving from website chat
Continuing a website conversation on WhatsApp when the customer wants to send photos or keep the thread.
Setup
What setting it up involves.
Most of the setup is accounts and approvals on Meta’s side. We guide you through each step and test before anything goes live.
Platform access
Your number is registered on the WhatsApp Business Platform, directly with Meta or through an approved provider. Meta may ask to verify your business and must approve the display name. We first check whether your current number can be used and what that changes for the WhatsApp Business app on it.
Conversation design
We agree what it answers, what it asks, what it must never say, and exactly when it hands over to a person.
Templates
Messages sent outside the 24-hour window, such as reminders, use templates that Meta reviews. We draft them with you and submit them for approval.
Connections
Summaries and photos go to your inbox, a shared WhatsApp team inbox, a spreadsheet or your CRM, with failure alerts so nothing disappears silently.
Testing and launch
We test with realistic conversations, awkward questions and opt-out requests before your sign-off.
Limits and dependencies
What to know before you start.
Good systems are honest about their edges. These are the ones that matter for this service.
- Meta charges per message, by message type and the customer’s country. Since 1 October 2026, service replies beyond a free tier of 1,000 a month per number are charged too. A provider may add its own fee. We estimate all of these with you before launch.
- Outside the 24-hour customer-service window, only Meta-approved templates can be sent. Unplanned free-form follow-ups are not possible.
- Message only people who gave you their number and agreed to hear from you, and honour every opt-out. Marketing messages need consent under POPIA.
- WhatsApp requires a clear route to a person for automated conversations. The assistant hands over; it does not trap customers in a loop.
- AI can misunderstand or answer wrongly. Limiting it to approved content and testing reduces this, but it does not remove the risk.
- Chats can contain personal information and photos. Where they are stored, who can see them and for how long are agreed with you.
Questions
WhatsApp chatbots: common questions.
Is a “WhatsApp us” link a chatbot?
No. A wa.me link or button opens a chat with your number, and replies are typed by a person. The free WhatsApp Business app adds greeting and away messages and quick replies, but not an assistant that holds a conversation. A chatbot needs the WhatsApp Business Platform with an assistant connected to it.
What does it cost to run?
There is Meta’s per-message fee, any provider fee, the AI usage and the setup work. The guide “What a WhatsApp chatbot costs to run in South Africa” explains each one with sources. Your quote includes all of them.
Can I keep my current WhatsApp number?
Often, yes, but it depends on Meta’s current rules and how the number is used today. We check before you commit, and tell you what changes for the app on that number.
Can it message customers first?
Only with an approved template, and only to people who gave you their number and agreed to hear from you. Promotional messages need consent under POPIA. Cold or bulk messaging is not something we build.
How does it hand over to a person?
When the customer asks for one, or a rule you set is met, the chat is flagged to your team with a summary, and a person replies in the same conversation.
Guides for this decision
- Guide
The panel-beater enquiry checklist
What to capture on every new-damage call and WhatsApp, after hours included, so the estimator can act on the first callback.Read the guide - Guide
What a WhatsApp chatbot costs to run in South Africa
Meta’s per-message fees, the October 2026 change to service messages, and every other cost line, from primary sources.Read the guide - Guide
Website chatbot or WhatsApp chatbot: which first?
How the two differ in who starts the conversation, what they cost, the rules they follow and when to move a customer from one to the other.Read the guide
See what your WhatsApp could handle.
Send us three typical messages your customers send. We will show you how an assistant would reply, what it would collect and where your team would take over.