Set up replies you can trust

Choose a narrow question

Write down the exact information the reply should provide. For opening hours, include the days, closing time and any collection cutoff. Keep the answer short enough to read in a conversation. Do not promise that an order is ready, a repair is complete or a refund is approved unless a person has checked it. A keyword rule cannot establish those facts simply because a message contains the word “ready”.

Write the rule, then test its boundaries

Create a clearly named rule such as Opening hours. Add specific keywords separated by commas and write the reply. Matching ignores capitalisation, so there is no need to add both “Hours” and “hours”. Avoid very short or broad terms that appear in unrelated questions. Keep the rule disabled while you review the wording and compare it with your website's location page.

Test with messages you expect and messages that should not receive the same answer. Include an ordinary hours question, an unrelated complaint and a question containing several topics. When a reply is too broad, narrow the keywords or remove the rule. The preview lets you inspect the interface; checking actual message behaviour requires a configured connection and a controlled test conversation.

Keep a person responsible for the inbox

Decide who checks conversations that need attention and when they will do it. A quick automated answer does not resolve every request. If a customer asks about a specific repair, the colleague handling that job should read the conversation before replying. Use the inbox and handover controls where appropriate, and pause replies while correcting a rule that gives the wrong answer. Tell customers only the response times your team can actually keep.

The current WhatsApp connection is a beta that depends on a separate worker and a linked session. It is not an official WhatsApp Cloud API connection. Watch the connection status and test recovery when a session disconnects before relying on it for customer conversations. Keep a manual way to respond available.

Review what ran

Set aside time to inspect recent activity and failed work. If a message or publication fails, read its state before retrying it. A scheduled item and a delivered item are different things. Keep the schedule in the correct timezone and cancel anything that no longer makes sense, such as a collection reminder after the customer has already collected their order.

Automation in this workspace brings reply rules, schedules and execution results together. It is not a general visual workflow engine. Add one repeatable task at a time, test it, and keep a record of who owns it. Review the rule whenever opening hours, prices or your service process changes.

• Use a precise question and a checked answer.
• Test expected messages and unrelated questions.
• Assign a person to review conversations and failures.