How to create a chatbot for WhatsApp?
The chatbot builder helps you to create your own chatbot for WhatsApp Business. Draw complex response flows, with events (eg. user sent message), actions (eg. send response message) and conditions (eg. check segment). With our Bot Builder, you can craft customized experiences on WhatsApp Business in little to no-time.
This guide goes into explaining how to drive automated conversations on WhatsApp Business. As an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, Crisp can provide you with the ability to connect WhatsApp Business to our chatbot software. No need to access to the Business API.
Want to craft a chatbot using WhatsApp API? Get in touch with our team, we can give you an access to WhatsApp Business API.
Note that if you haven't connected WhatsApp Business to our chatbot platform, you should follow this guide: How to connect WhatsApp Business with Crisp?
If you' re not an existing Crisp customer, creating a bot for WhatApp is 100% free for the time of your trial (which can go up to 30 days). Make sure to create an account before going through the tutorial.
➡️ Click here to create an account on Crisp.
To build automated responses for WhatsApp, you'll need the following requirements:
A WhatsApp Business Account Connected to Crisp
The chatbot plugin
A Crisp Account set as "Owner"
Now that you're ready to build a bot, let's get down to the creation process. For the sake of this tutorial, we're going to create a department routing bot that will require WhatsApp users to interact buttons on which he can tap to be routed to the right department in your company.
Go to Plugins, look for the bot plugin and hit "Configure the plugin"
Click on "New Scenario" at the bottom left and hit "Use a Sample Scenario". From there, choose "Department Bot".
Hover the "User Message Matches" block and click on the Pen to edit the script behaviour.
In the Origins section, hit "WhatsApp" so the bot triggers on messages coming from WhatsApp Only, and hit "Apply changes"
Note that if you want the bot to become omnichannel, that's totally possible as Crisp supports more than 10 different channels.
Test the chatbot by sending a message from your WhatsApp personal account to the WhatsApp Business Account you linked with Crisp.
And voilà, you have created your first chatbot for WhatsApp. Now, you can take advantage of the numerous use-cases offered by Crisp.
It is possible to create message templates with buttons and you might want to use the bot to be triggered. It is helpful because it can keep the conversation going once a user selects a button from WhatsApp and the template itself. To do this, you will need to create a bot starting with a User Message Action event block.
The "Type" should be set to "Button Click" and the "Match" will be composed as such: {{button_value}}:{{template_name}} . You will need to replace the {{button_value}} with the text of the button and the {{template_name}} with the name of your template. Both the values should be in lowercase and you should replace any spaces with an underscore ( _ ).
For example, if you have a template called "Sample Issue Resolution" with two buttons "Yes"" and "No", your message match should look like this yes:sample_issue_resolution for when the button "Yes" is clicked and no:sample_issue_resolution for when the button "No" is clicked.
Crisp chatbot builder offers a large number of possibilities for WhatsApp. For example, you could create an[ FAQ bot](/en/article/how-to-create-a-support-bot-to-answer-customers-automatically-t8724w/) through WhatsApp, using Crisp Knowledge Base.
Note that you can connect Crisp with Instagram and Facebook Messenger so you have one scenario built for the 3 channels:
Connect Crisp with WhatsApp Business Platform
Connect Crisp with Instagram DMs
Connect Crisp with Facebook Messenger
Want know more about Crisp Chatbot Builder? Click here to access a dedicated guide.
This guide goes into explaining how to drive automated conversations on WhatsApp Business. As an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, Crisp can provide you with the ability to connect WhatsApp Business to our chatbot software. No need to access to the Business API.
Want to craft a chatbot using WhatsApp API? Get in touch with our team, we can give you an access to WhatsApp Business API.
Note that if you haven't connected WhatsApp Business to our chatbot platform, you should follow this guide: How to connect WhatsApp Business with Crisp?
If you' re not an existing Crisp customer, creating a bot for WhatApp is 100% free for the time of your trial (which can go up to 30 days). Make sure to create an account before going through the tutorial.
➡️ Click here to create an account on Crisp.
What do I need to build a WhatsApp bot?
To build automated responses for WhatsApp, you'll need the following requirements:
A WhatsApp Business Account Connected to Crisp
The chatbot plugin
A Crisp Account set as "Owner"
Create a chatbot using WhatsApp
Now that you're ready to build a bot, let's get down to the creation process. For the sake of this tutorial, we're going to create a department routing bot that will require WhatsApp users to interact buttons on which he can tap to be routed to the right department in your company.
Go to Plugins, look for the bot plugin and hit "Configure the plugin"
Click on "New Scenario" at the bottom left and hit "Use a Sample Scenario". From there, choose "Department Bot".
Hover the "User Message Matches" block and click on the Pen to edit the script behaviour.
In the Origins section, hit "WhatsApp" so the bot triggers on messages coming from WhatsApp Only, and hit "Apply changes"
Note that if you want the bot to become omnichannel, that's totally possible as Crisp supports more than 10 different channels.
Test the chatbot by sending a message from your WhatsApp personal account to the WhatsApp Business Account you linked with Crisp.
And voilà, you have created your first chatbot for WhatsApp. Now, you can take advantage of the numerous use-cases offered by Crisp.
Trigger a Bot from a WhatsApp Message Template
It is possible to create message templates with buttons and you might want to use the bot to be triggered. It is helpful because it can keep the conversation going once a user selects a button from WhatsApp and the template itself. To do this, you will need to create a bot starting with a User Message Action event block.
The "Type" should be set to "Button Click" and the "Match" will be composed as such: {{button_value}}:{{template_name}} . You will need to replace the {{button_value}} with the text of the button and the {{template_name}} with the name of your template. Both the values should be in lowercase and you should replace any spaces with an underscore ( _ ).
For example, if you have a template called "Sample Issue Resolution" with two buttons "Yes"" and "No", your message match should look like this yes:sample_issue_resolution for when the button "Yes" is clicked and no:sample_issue_resolution for when the button "No" is clicked.
Going beyond with Crisp Chatbot Builder
Crisp chatbot builder offers a large number of possibilities for WhatsApp. For example, you could create an[ FAQ bot](/en/article/how-to-create-a-support-bot-to-answer-customers-automatically-t8724w/) through WhatsApp, using Crisp Knowledge Base.
Note that you can connect Crisp with Instagram and Facebook Messenger so you have one scenario built for the 3 channels:
Connect Crisp with WhatsApp Business Platform
Connect Crisp with Instagram DMs
Connect Crisp with Facebook Messenger
Want know more about Crisp Chatbot Builder? Click here to access a dedicated guide.
Updated on: 31/07/2023
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