WhatsApp Automation for Business
How businesses use the official WhatsApp Business API to reply instantly, qualify leads and follow up automatically, without writing code.
WhatsApp automation means using software on the official WhatsApp Business API to send and answer WhatsApp messages without a person typing each one: welcome and away messages, keyword replies, chatbot flows, AI answers from your own content, workflows that act when a lead's CRM card moves or a date comes round, timed follow-up sequences and scheduled broadcasts. BizBotify is a WhatsApp Business API platform for Indian businesses that does all of this from one dashboard, with a shared team inbox and a built-in Sales CRM, from ₹1,499/month billed annually.
What you can automate on WhatsApp
| Automation | What it does | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome & away messages | Replies automatically to a first message, or outside business hours | Acknowledge every enquiry in seconds |
| Keyword rules | Sends a set reply when a message contains a word such as "price" or "catalogue" | Price lists, location, timings |
| Chatbot flows | A drag-and-drop conversation: buttons, questions, branches, hand-off to an agent | Lead qualification, order status, bookings |
| AI auto-reply | Answers free-text questions from a knowledge base built from your website | Product and policy questions, 24/7 |
| WhatsApp Flows | Meta's native in-chat forms for structured answers (how to build one) | Appointment booking, sign-ups, surveys |
| Drip / nurture sequences | A timed series of messages that a workflow starts (a tag is added, a card enters a stage) or you add people to by hand, stopped when the customer replies | New-lead follow-up, post-demo reminders |
| Broadcast campaigns | Approved template messages to a tagged or segmented audience, scheduled and paced | Offers, launches, reminders |
| Workflows | When a card is created, enters a stage, is won or lost, a tag is added, a field changes or a date comes round: sends an approved template, tags, assigns an owner, creates a task, or starts a follow-up or chatbot flow (how Workflows work) | Confirm a site visit when the card moves to Site visit |
Automation that follows your CRM
Chatbots and keyword rules react to what customers type. Workflows react to what happens on your board and contacts: when a lead's card is created, enters a stage, is won or lost, a tag is added or a date comes round, a workflow sends an approved WhatsApp template, assigns an owner, creates a task or starts a follow-up.
- Try it on a real card first: it shows the steps that would run and the message, and changes and sends nothing.
- Brakes built in: customers who opted out never get a template, and a message that would go out more than 6 hours late is skipped.
- Run history explains every run in plain words.
See WhatsApp CRM automation with Workflows for the triggers, steps and ready-made workflows.
Rules Meta sets for every WhatsApp automation
Automation runs on the WhatsApp Business API (Meta's Cloud API), never on the regular WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app. Tools that automate the phone app are unofficial and put your number at risk of a ban.
- 24-hour customer service window. After a customer messages you, you can reply with any content for 24 hours. Chatbots and AI replies work inside this window.
- Templates outside the window. To message someone first, or after 24 hours, you must use a message template Meta has approved (marketing, utility or authentication).
- Opt-in and opt-out. Only message people who agreed to hear from you, and honour STOP requests. BizBotify handles STOP/START automatically.
- Pacing. Sudden large sends to cold lists get numbers blocked. BizBotify paces broadcasts and supports daily send budgets.
How to set up WhatsApp automation in BizBotify
- Connect your number to the WhatsApp Business API from the onboarding wizard (setup guide). Most businesses finish in under 30 minutes.
- Turn on welcome and away messages so every enquiry gets an instant reply (welcome messages, away messages).
- Train the AI by pasting your website URL; it answers from your pages and hands off to a person when it is not confident (AI chatbot guide).
- Build a chatbot flow for your most common journey, such as lead qualification (chatbot flows).
- Add a follow-up sequence for leads who go quiet (nurture sequences).
- Add a workflow under Automation → Workflows: pick what starts it, add conditions, then the steps. Try it on a real card before you switch it on.
- Send your first campaign with an approved template (broadcast campaigns).
Chatbot flows, drip sequences and campaigns are unlimited on every paid plan; plans differ only in users, monthly outgoing messages and whether AI is included. Contacts are unlimited too. See pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is WhatsApp automation allowed by WhatsApp?
Yes, when it runs on the official WhatsApp Business API and follows Meta's policies: opt-in, approved templates for business-initiated messages, and replies inside the 24-hour window. Automating the regular WhatsApp app with unofficial tools breaks WhatsApp's terms and can get the number banned.
Can I automate WhatsApp without coding?
Yes. BizBotify's chatbot builder is drag-and-drop, the AI learns from your website URL, and sequences and campaigns are set up from forms. API keys are available if a developer wants to trigger messages from your own systems.
Can the WhatsApp chatbot hand a chat to a person?
Yes. A chatbot flow can assign the chat to an agent or team, and the AI escalates to the shared inbox when it is not confident. Your team can also pause bot replies on a single chat.
Can WhatsApp automation react when a lead changes stage?
Yes. In BizBotify, a workflow on A card enters a stage sends an approved WhatsApp template, assigns an owner, creates a task or starts a follow-up or chatbot flow when a lead's card moves. A workflow never reacts to a message; chatbot flows and keyword rules do that. See WhatsApp CRM automation.
How much does WhatsApp automation cost?
BizBotify plans start at ₹1,499/month billed annually (Starter) and ₹2,999/month (Growth, AI included). Meta charges its own per-message fees for template messages; BizBotify adds 0% markup. See WhatsApp API pricing in India.
Can I use my existing WhatsApp number?
Yes. If the number runs on the WhatsApp Business app, choose Use my existing WhatsApp Business app number when you connect: you keep using the app on your phone, chats sync both ways, and your recent one-to-one chats come into BizBotify. A number on the regular WhatsApp app, or one you want to run only in BizBotify, is connected as a new number and must first be removed from WhatsApp.