How to create a WhatsApp automation

See how to build a WhatsApp automation, which allows you to ask questions and send personalized recommendations.

For instance, you can run quizzes, surveys, and buying guides all through WhatsApp messages. Not only is this a quick and easy way to engage your audience, it is a great way to gather more data and inform your marketing strategies.

This article focuses on the steps to create an automation. For details on how automations work, their settings, etc., see getting started with automations, although note that it currently does not mention WhatsApp specifically.

Before you begin

Please note the following:

• You must already have WhatsApp set up.
• Your outbound messages are "service" messages and free.
• Each automation must include at least:
  • 1 message.
  • 2 choices per message.
  • 1 recommendation.

Build an automation

Set up an automation and its trigger keywords

1. Navigate to Automations.
2. Click Create automation.
3. Once in the new automation, click on the Trigger.
4. Select a trigger type from the right sidebar, either:

   • Always on

     or

   • Message response (i.e., a campaign or flow message)

     

5. Type in the word or phrase you want as the trigger keyword. Please note that:
   • Trigger keywords work by checking if an inbound text is an exact match to those words.
     • Ex: if you use “Pets” as a trigger keyword, the automation will only trigger for “Pets,” and not “pet” or “petsitter.”
   • Trigger keywords must be:
     • 4 or more characters.
     • Unique (i.e., they cannot be used for any other automation, subscribe keyword, or compliance keyword).
6. Click Save.
7. Optional: to add more trigger keywords:
   • Click the trigger again.
   • Select Add keyword.

Create your messages and add choices

1. Click Add message.

   

2. Add in your message text in the Message box.
3. Include at least 2 choices for the message. Note that:
   • Choices are numbered sequentially.
   • Subscribers can reply with either the choice text or the number.
   • Choices are recognized using “contains” logic:
     • A choice can appear anywhere in a message (including as part of another word).
     • Abbreviations or misspelled words may be recognized (although it is not guaranteed).
   • Best practices for choices are to not use:
     • Single numbers or letters as choices (e.g., the number “21” or only the letter “A”).
     • Hard to spell words.
     • Long phrases.
4. Optional: to add more choices, select Add Choice.
5. Optional: name your message in the Internal name field under Settings. Naming your messages makes it easier to refer back to them later.
6. Optional: to set profile properties based on choices, toggle on the Assign response to a profile property option under Settings.

   • For the example below, this sets a custom profile property of “Pet” to be either “Cat,” “Dog,” or “Other.”

     

7. Select Save.
8. Optional: add more messages by clicking the plus (+) button and selecting Add message.
   • We recommend limiting the number of messages to 2-3 per automation.

Add recommendations

Let's say you have a cupcake shop, and your automation is trying to direct customers to a product they'll love. Your recommendations can leverage all of the answers someone provided to questions like "vanilla or chocolate?" or "what's your favorite fruit?"

1. After your messages, select the plus (+) button and then click Add recommendation.

   

2. Name your recommendation something descriptive (e.g., “Chocolate strawberry lovers”).
3. Add in your message.
   • Example: “We also love chocolate and strawberry together. Try some of our favorites.”
4. Select which choice combination you want this recommendation to apply to (e.g., people who selected both “strawberry” and “chocolate”).

   • You can select multiple choice combinations for a single recommendation.

     

5. Select Save.
6. Click the arrow for Default recommendation.
7. Name the recommendation.
8. Type out your default recommendation message, which acts as a fallback for your recommendations. Often, people use a best seller or new product as the default.

   • Example: “A classic combo! Check out our products here: www.cupcakes123.com/products”

     

9. Click Save.
10. Add a recommendation for each choice combination, or use your default recommendation to send to all other choice combinations.

Optional: adjust your settings

Optional: adjust any session settings for your automation. To do so:

1. Click the gear icon in the upper right.

2. Select Session settings.

   

3. You can update the following settings:
   • Channel Scoping
   • Reprompt response
   • Fallback response
   • Maximum number of reprompts
   • Maximum timeout (in hours)

Preview and turn on an automation

Once you're happy with your automation:

1. Preview the automation by clicking the "play" button in the upper right
   • The preview is slightly different from the live experience. It doesn't catch typos or show link shortening. Learn more about previewing an automation.
2. Double-check your trigger keywords, messages and choices, and recommendations.
   • Once the automation is on, you must turn it off to edit it, which causes it to immediately drop everyone currently in the automation.
3. Click Turn on in the upper right.

Once you turn on an automation, it will send to any WhatsApp subscriber who sends a trigger keyword.

Additional resources

• Learn more about automations on the Help Center
• See how to collect consent for WhatsApp
• Check out this guide to WhatsApp deliverability