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With almost 3 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp has established itself as a dependable platform for businesses to connect with their customers. Its ease of use, widespread accessibility, and real-time messaging capabilities make it a go-to choice for handling customer queries, providing updates, and resolving issues quickly.
Pairing this functionality with automation takes things even further.
A chatbot transforms WhatsApp into a customer service super-tool. These bots provide personalized, real-time assistance, tackling everything from FAQs to appointment bookings.
Want to take your customer support to the next level in record time? Stick around—we’ll show you how to make a WhatsApp bot in just five minutes.
Prerequisites for creating a WhatsApp chatbot
You must have the two essential prerequisites below to get started with a WhatsApp chatbot.
1. WhatsApp Business account
When integrated with a business account, the WhatsApp chatbot gets all the essential features to manage customer interactions, enhancing overall credibility. All you have to do is:
- Download the WhatsApp Business app
- Complete the setup by verifying your phone number
- Provide accurate business details
Also Read: How to Create a WhatsApp Business Account in 5 Minutes
2. WhatsApp Business API
WhatsApp AI chatbots operate via the WhatsApp Business API to effectively connect and communicate with your customers.
So, once you have a WhatsApp Business account, you need to set up the WhatsApp Business API. The API ensures that your WhatsApp chatbot can respond to common queries and deliver quick and effective customer interactions.
The API supports customer relationship management (CRM) integrations and allows the bot to access customer data (on approval) for personalized communication. You can use the API to incorporate advanced features like timely notifications, promotional messaging, and seamless 24/7 availability for global customer engagement.
One of the standout features of the WhatsApp Business API is its ability to keep your chatbot active on WhatsApp around the clock, supporting your customers' different time zones.
WhatsApp chatbots' use cases extend beyond customer service. It can be leveraged for lead generation, appointment scheduling, and more.
Plivo simplifies the process of how to create and optimize your WhatsApp chatbot by offering:
- Easy WhatsApp Business Accounts (WABA) onboarding
- Support for WhatsApp green tick verification applications
- Tools to create WhatsApp message templates
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Step-by-step guide: How to make a WhatsApp bot
Now that you’ve checked off the prerequisites, let’s dive into the process with four easy steps.
Step #1: Sign up for a chatbot builder
Selecting the right chatbot builder is essential to build a WhatsApp bot efficiently.
Platforms like Wotnot, Landbot.io, and Flow XO offer tools tailored to various business needs to help you design WhatsApp chatbots. Here’s a list of recommended chatbot platforms to consider.
To simplify the process, opt for a no-code chatbot builder. This allows you to design a bot without technical expertise or programming skills, making it accessible to anyone.
Plivo provides a no-code WhatsApp AI chatbot that uses ChatGPT to handle customer service automation. This solution helps businesses deliver instant, AI-driven responses to customer inquiries while eliminating the need for technical expertise.
You can use Plivo’s AI-Powered Chatbot for WhatsApp to set up a chatbot that aligns with your business and improves customer engagement.
Now, let’s explore how to create a WhatsApp bot using Plivo. Make sure to sign up first.
Step #2: Design the flow for your WhatsApp bot
With Plivo’s Customer Service Suite (CX), configuring the flow of the WhatsApp chatbot is simple and sleek. This step helps you customize the bot’s functions to meet specific business requirements.
Design a well-structured flow to create a WhatsApp bot that handles inquiries, schedules appointments, or generates leads. All you have to do is:
- Start by adding a main menu to offer clear navigation options.
- Add reply buttons and button lists for simplified customer responses.
- Use Plivo’s advanced auto-reply feature for a personalized experience tailored to the user's needs.
Plivo CX’s no-code tool makes it easy to design your chatbot with just a drag-and-drop component.
For example, Plivo’s Send WhatsApp and Await Reply components enable you to create branching flows that define each step of the WhatsApp conversation.
Step #3: Connect your WhatsApp Business API
As you’ve read, WhatsApp chatbots are powerful tools for scaling communication. However, to enable its full potential, you need to connect it with the WhatsApp Business API.
Unlike the standard WhatsApp Business app, the API can handle high messaging volumes; companies can build their WhatsApp chatbots to align with business needs.
With Plivo, getting access to the API is simple. Use the integrated signup system to verify your numbers quickly and start sending messages without delay. When paired with the WhatsApp Business API, your chatbot becomes scalable, responsive, and effortless to manage and meet the growing demands of customer engagement.
Learn more about getting started with WhatsApp API.
Step #4: Go live with your WhatsApp chatbot
After creating a WhatsApp bot flow and gaining access to the WhatsApp Business API, it’s time to let your WhatsApp bot go live.
In this final step, you’ll connect the WhatsApp Business API (Step #3) with the chatbot you built in the second step. The WhatsApp chatbot is now ready to be configured and tested. Once everything is set up, simply hit ‘Deploy’. The bot will go live, engaging with your customers directly in the app and providing seamless customer support.
Why use a Whatsapp chatbot for your business?
With a WhatsApp bot, you can resolve up to 90% of customer queries using AI, offering fast, scalable, and cost-efficient solutions for your business. Consider the following three scenarios that illustrate its use cases:
Scenario 1: Fast-growing businesses
What happens when your business grows faster than your support team can manage? Your customer inquiries pile up, and you need a solution that scales along effortlessly. Without it, you risk:
- Long wait times for your customers.
- Overwhelmed support agents.
- Inconsistent service quality.
- High costs of hiring and training.
- Low customer satisfaction scores (CSAT).
Here, a WhatsApp chatbot acts like an expert team member without the time or expense of training a team member. AI-powered WhatsApp chatbots handle 95% of routine support tickets, provide 24/7 customer support, and reduce operational costs.
Scenario 2: Small businesses with limited personnel
As a small business owner, you’re wearing many hats—customer support is one of them. The result? No dedicated support team, lost sales opportunities, inconsistent response times, and limited availability for customer needs.
A WhatsApp bot is like hiring a professional support team at a fraction of the cost.
With WhatsApp chatbots, you can focus on growing your business while offering excellent service through your chatbot. AI automation allows you to manage multiple channels, such as chat, email, and WhatsApp, without increasing headcount. Your AI chatbot works tirelessly, delivering efficient, professional support around the clock.
Scenario 3: Established businesses with seasonal peaks
For businesses that experience seasonal fluctuations, support challenges include:
- Understaffed teams during peak seasons.
- Overspending on staff during slow periods.
- Low support quality from temporary hires.
- High error rates, damaging company reputation.
AI-powered WhatsApp bots effortlessly handle spikes in demand without the need for seasonal hires. Deploying the WhatsApp chatbot ensures consistent support quality throughout the year, reduces costs associated with seasonal staffing, and delivers reliable service regardless of the season.
Plus, with automation, you can be assured that your customers receive timely, accurate responses without overburdening your team.
Use Plivo’s ChatGPT-powered no-code WhatsApp chatbot
Fortunately, with Plivo, you don’t need to build your chatbot from scratch.
Plivo CX comes with an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot builder that allows you to automate tasks and facilitate customer interactions, improve lead engagement, and deliver personalized user experiences — all while stepping into modern sales processes.
This solution easily connects with your business tools, making WhatsApp bots a powerful addition to your sales toolkit. Here’s what it offers:
- Omnichannel support: Deliver seamless customer service across multiple channels from a single dashboard for easy management.
- Quick integrations: Connect Plivo CX with your existing tools to gain a unified view of the customer journey and comprehensive data insights.
- Automated workflows: Design personalized customer journeys on WhatsApp and other platforms with a visual workflow builder.
- Real-time analytics: Track and analyze customer interactions to improve the WhatsApp bot’s performance over time.
- Agent coaching tools: Enhance customer support with features like call recording, barge, and whisper, ensuring your bot provides the best experience.
Ready to set up your chatbot? Book a demo for Plivo CX today and see how the WhatsApp chatbot can fulfill your customer support needs.
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