How to Automate WhatsApp Business Messages (Step by Step)

Part 1: automate with the free WhatsApp Business app

Menus vary by app version; these steps follow WhatsApp’s Help Center.

1. Greeting message

1. From the Tools tab, tap Greeting message, turn on Send greeting message and edit the text.
2. Under Recipients, choose Everyone, Everyone not in address book, Everyone except… or Only send to…, then tap Save.

WhatsApp’s greeting message page says it goes to customers who message you for the first time, and again after 14 days of inactivity in their chat.

2. Away message

1. From the Tools tab, tap Away message, turn on Send away message and edit the text.
2. Under Schedule, choose Always send, Custom schedule or Outside of business hours. The last one needs business hours in your business profile.
3. Choose the Recipients and tap Save.

Per WhatsApp’s away message page, your phone needs an active internet connection for away messages to go out.

3. Quick replies

From the Tools tab, tap Quick replies and save the messages you send often, each with a shortcut. In a chat, type / to pick one. WhatsApp’s quick replies page allows up to 50, and the app also creates default replies from your business profile, such as your hours and address.

4. Labels

Labels sort chats, for example New order, Paid or Follow up. You can create up to 20. WhatsApp’s labels page says labels are becoming lists, rolled out gradually, so you may see Lists instead.

Need wording? Our 25 auto reply messages cover greetings, after-hours and holidays.

What changed in the app in 2026

• Meta Business Agent. Its product page says the AI agent replies to customers 24/7, learns from your past chats and your website or catalog, and lets you step in whenever you want. It’s set up under Tools → Meta Business Agent, for eligible businesses in select markets. When Meta expanded it on 3 June 2026, it said getting started was free, with paid subscriptions to follow.
• The trade-off. WhatsApp’s Meta Business Agent page warns that turning it on may affect broadcast lists and greeting and away messages, and disconnects linked devices (most can be linked again).
• More devices and agents. Meta’s features page lists linking up to 10 devices and agents as a Meta Verified benefit. WhatsApp’s multi-agent page says the number depends on your Meta Verified or Meta One subscription. You select a chat and choose Assign chat to give it to an agent, and customers can’t see which agent replied.

Where the app stops

Meta’s feature list for the app covers greeting and away messages, quick replies, labels and the AI agent. It doesn’t include rules such as a follow-up when a customer goes quiet, round-robin assignment, or order updates from your store. Those run on the API (app vs API compared).

Part 2: automate with the API in Wabot

Before you start

• Connect your number under Settings → Meta Platforms: Connect your WhatsApp Business app keeps the app on your phone (coexistence), or Use a new number. Both use Meta’s Embedded Signup.
• Pick a plan. Plans start at $9/month (₹840/month + GST in India) with the shared inbox and campaigns. In India, workflows are on the Base Plan (₹9,240/year + GST); the pricing page shows your country’s options.
• Get templates approved for anything sent more than 24 hours after the customer’s last message, such as follow-ups and campaigns.

Workflow 1: reply to a keyword

1. Open Automation → Workflows and click Add workflow.
2. Name it, for example Price reply. Under How should it run? choose Automatic, under Start from pick Reply to a keyword, use the Form editor and click Create and continue.
3. The trigger is Customer sends a message: a WhatsApp Text message that contains price. Change the keyword to yours.
4. Matching is case-sensitive, so price won’t match Price. Open Advanced → Conditions and add more rules joined with OR.
5. The action is Send a message, Message type Text only. Write your reply.
6. Click Save, check the Step on switch, click Turn on workflow, then send price from your own phone to test it.

Thanks for asking! Our price list is here: [link]. Tell us what you need and how many, and we'll send you an exact quote.

The customer has just written to you, so no template is needed.

Workflow 2: follow up when a customer goes quiet

1. Add workflow, name it Follow up when quiet, choose Automatic and Blank.
2. Click Choose a trigger and pick No reply for a while (in the Timing group). Under Start when, choose The customer hasn’t replied.
3. Set After no reply for, for example 2 days (5 minutes to 30 days).
4. Click Choose an action → Send a template and pick your approved follow-up template.
5. Add Create follow-up: Call {{name}}, no reply to our last message, Due in 1 day, For The chat’s assignee. Test, save and turn it on.

Hi! Just checking in on our last message. Do you have any questions? Reply here and we'll help you right away.

It runs once per silence: no second nudge until the customer replies and goes quiet again. Any message you send starts the wait, campaigns included, so word the template to fit any chat. Full build: WhatsApp follow-up message automation.

Workflow 3: alert your team when nobody replied

1. Add a workflow with the trigger No reply for a while. Under Start when, choose Nobody has replied to the customer, and set the wait to 30 minutes.
2. Add Assign to team member. Under How to choose, pick Least busy or Round-robin and choose the teammates. Leave Only if the chat isn’t assigned yet on.
3. Add Create follow-up: Reply to {{name}}, waiting {{waiting_hours}} hours, for The chat’s assignee. Save and turn it on.

Replies from your team or a bot count as answers. It sends nothing to the customer, so no template is needed. To escalate to a manager, see support SLA escalation.

Add AI answers

1. Go to Automation → AI Agents → Agent Knowledge. On Teach your bot, add your common questions with Write it yourself, or pages From your website.
2. In AI bots, click Create AI Bot, pick your number, and write short instructions and a fallback message. Set Mode to Test with your own number and turn on Default AI Bot.
3. In Settings → Meta Platforms, turn on Bot Response for the number.
4. Use Try your bot, message your number from your own phone, then set Mode to Live.

The bot answers only from what you taught it, and sends your fallback message otherwise. Assigning a chat to a teammate switches the AI off for that chat. Answers are paid from your Wabot wallet, or use your own OpenAI, Anthropic or Azure OpenAI key under AI Providers. More: WhatsApp AI agent; menus plus AI: no-code chatbot guide.

Schedule a campaign

For one message to many customers at a set time, such as an offer or a reminder to a tagged list, use Campaigns.

1. Get a template approved. Offers are Marketing; reminders and updates are Utility (category rules).
2. Create the campaign and pick the audience: contacts, groups or tags. Blocked contacts are left out automatically.
3. Under Launch Options, choose Schedule for Later and set the date and time, or Send Now.
4. Check the report afterwards: sent, delivered, read and failed per contact.

Marketing campaigns go only to people who agreed to hear from you (how to collect opt-in). For a series per customer, such as five lessons over 12 days, use a drip workflow.

Part 3: mistakes to avoid

• A normal message after 24 hours. Outside the customer service window, only approved templates go out (Meta's pricing page). Follow-ups and reminders must be templates.
• Messaging people who never opted in. Meta’s Business Messaging Policy requires opt-in permission and respect for every opt-out. Bought lists lead to blocks and bans (how to avoid a ban).
• No way to reach a person. The same policy says automated experiences “must also have available prompt, clear, and direct escalation paths”. Tell customers how to reach your team, and make sure someone answers.
• Keywords that never match. Add OR rules for capitalised versions and test from your own phone before switching on.
• Two automations on one message. If two workflows match the same message, the customer can get two replies. Give each its own keyword, and decide whether the AI bot or a workflow answers.
• Nudging too often. One reminder per silence is plenty; blocks and reports pull down your quality rating.
• Unofficial auto-senders. WhatsApp’s Terms of Service list auto-messaging alongside bulk messaging as impermissible on the regular apps, the same territory as tools that get numbers banned.

Frequently asked questions

Can I automate messages in the WhatsApp Business app?

Partly. The app sends greeting and away messages automatically, and quick replies and labels speed up the rest. Eligible businesses can turn on Meta Business Agent. Follow-ups, assignment rules and order updates need the API.

How do I set an automatic reply on WhatsApp Business?

In the app, open Tools, choose Greeting message or Away message, switch it on, write the text and save. On the API, a workflow can reply to each keyword with its own answer.

Can WhatsApp send a follow-up message automatically?

Not from the app. On the API, a Wabot workflow with the No reply for a while trigger sends one approved template when a customer hasn’t replied for the time you choose, from 5 minutes to 30 days.

Can I schedule WhatsApp Business messages?

On the API, yes: create a template campaign and choose Schedule for Later. In the app, paid business broadcasts can be scheduled where Meta offers them, for eligible users in select countries.

How much does automating WhatsApp cost?

The app’s tools are free. On the API you pay a provider plan plus Meta’s per-message charges; the first 1,000 replies inside the 24-hour window are free per number each month. Wabot plans start at $9/month (₹840/month + GST in India).