How can I automate WhatsApp replies for my business?

The options, from simple to capable

There are three levels. The free WhatsApp Business app has a greeting message, an away message and quick replies you tap yourself. That covers "we're closed" but not real questions. Rule-based chatbots answer from fixed menus (press 1 for prices), which works for a few common questions but frustrates people with anything else. AI assistants read the customer's message and reply in normal language from information you provide, and the better ones can also take actions such as booking. The second and third levels need the official WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API) on your business number.

Rules that apply whatever tool you use

WhatsApp lets a business reply freely only within 24 hours of the customer's last message. After that, or to start a new conversation, only a Meta-approved template can be sent. Any automated reply system has to work inside that window. Meta also charges per template conversation, billed to the business by Meta, while replies inside the 24-hour window are free. Before choosing a tool, check that it uses the official platform on your own number, not an unofficial workaround that can get the number blocked.

What to decide before you switch anything on

An automated reply is only as good as what it knows and what it is allowed to do. Write these down first. It also helps to start in a mode where the system drafts replies and a person sends them, so you can see how it answers before trusting it. Keep these notes short and factual. If something isn't written down, a good assistant should say it doesn't know and pass the customer to a person, rather than guess. Review the list every few months, when prices or hours change.

1. List your opening hours, address, services, prices and policies.
2. Write the questions you want asked of new enquiries.
3. Choose what it may do besides answering, such as booking.
4. Pick the words that always go to a person, like refund or complaint.
5. Set quiet hours and a daily reply limit per conversation.

How DukeOS does it

With Duke on duty (Growth plan and above), Duke answers customers who write to your WhatsApp number at any hour, using only what you put in What Duke knows, your services and your prices. You choose the mode: Drafts, where Duke writes each reply and someone on your team sends it with one tap, or On its own. Besides answering, you can let it save the customer's details and enquiry, fill in pages you chose, and book, move or cancel that customer's own appointments in free times. It works only for the customer who wrote, with the permissions of the person who put it on duty.

When a person takes over

Duke hands a conversation to your team when the customer uses one of your hand-over words, asks for a person, raises money, refunds, discounts, complaints or cancelling something paid for, reaches the daily reply limit, or asks something it can't answer. You're notified and it stays quiet in that conversation until you give it back. On duty it never handles money, cancels paid things, deletes, exports, changes settings or messages anyone who didn't write first. Every reply and change is on the customer's timeline and in the audit log.

Apps in DukeOS that do this

• Duke on duty→
• WhatsApp→
• Bookings→
• CRM→
• Custom pages→
• Audit log→