How to create automated messages on WhatsApp Business

Creating automated messages on WhatsApp Business has become one of the most effective strategies for businesses looking to improve their customer service, saving time and increasing sales without having to be available 24/7.

Nowadays, customers expect quick and highly personalized responses and WhatsApp automation allows brands to receive, qualify and track all inquiries immediately, even outside of business hours.

In today's guide, we will explain what automated messages are, how they actually work and, most importantly, how to get started creating automated messages on WhatsApp Business to optimize communication and turn it into real business opportunities.

What are automatic messages on WhatsApp Business?

Automatic messages on WhatsApp Business are responses or interactions sent automatically to users, without requiring manual intervention. These automations allow businesses to reply, qualify, and guide customers immediately through predefined messages, interaction rules, or chatbots.

In simple terms, this means that a business can easily configure WhatsApp Business to send messages like welcome greetings, out-of-hours replies, confirmations, reminders and even complete interaction flows capable of guiding users based on their responses.

Difference between automatic and manual replies

The main difference between automatic and manual replies on WhatsApp Business lies in who initiates and manages the replies, which can be either a person or an automated system.

Manual replies are completely human-driven, meaning each message is read, interpreted, and responded to by a team member.

In contrast, automated messages use predefined rules, templates, or chatbots to reply without a human agent.

Benefits of auto-replies

Auto-replies on WhatsApp Business can offer several operational and business benefits for all businesses, especially when they receive a high volume of interactions daily.

First and foremost, they can improve response speed, by reducing customer frustration and increasing the likelihood of retaining their interest.

They also help optimize team time, as repetitive or standard requests can be handled through automation.

Another key benefit is consistency in communication. By using predefined messages, a company can ensure that all customers receive clear and professional information, in line with its brand image.

When to automate and when not to automate

When to automate

Automation is recommended when:

• The requests are repetitive
• It is the first contact with a customer
• It occurs outside of business hours
• The daily message volume is very high
• It is necessary for structured processes

When not to automate

It is recommended to avoid automation when:

• The customer has a complex or very sensitive issue
• An important negotiation or sale is underway
• The customer's message is very generic or ambiguous
• Automation may come across as cold or robotic

Types of automated messages on WhatsApp Business

There are various types of automated messages available on WhatsApp Business. Each has a specific purpose within your communication and customer service strategy. Below are the most common ones for all businesses.

Welcome messages

These are the first messages a user receives at the beginning of an interaction. They serve to greet the customer, introduce themselves and guide them through the support process. They usually include initial options or questions, by ensuring the customer feels guided through the process.

Away messages

These are automatically sent when the company is unavailable and inform the customer that the team cannot respond at that time. They often indicate when they can receive assistance and what they can do in the meantime.

Quick replies

These are predefined messages activated by commands or keywords and allow you to quickly respond to frequently asked questions, like business hours, product prices, location, or payment methods.

Chatbots and conversational flows

These are more advanced systems capable of maintaining a structured interaction with the user by asking questions, gathering important information, scheduling appointments, or qualifying leads before transferring the conversation to a human operator.

Requirements for automating messages on WhatsApp Business

Automating messages on WhatsApp Business requires more than just "activating an option": you must meet certain technical and operational requirements. The main ones are:

• Having a suitable WhatsApp Business account
• Working with a WhatsApp Business Service Provider (BSP)
• Verifying your business in Meta (Business Manager)
• Defining message templates (when applicable)
• Choosing an automation tool or CRM

WhatsApp Business App vs. WhatsApp Business API

The difference between the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business API is crucial to understanding the potential of professionally automating messages and conversations.

What is the WhatsApp Business app?

The WhatsApp Business app is the free, basic version of WhatsApp for all businesses and is designed primarily for small businesses that manage conversations manually or with simple automations.

What is the WhatsApp Business API?

The WhatsApp Business API is the scalable professional solution for both medium and large businesses and is designed for companies that handle a high volume of messages daily. They have customer support or sales teams and require true automation.

All this proves that the official WhatsApp Business API is the best choice for automating conversations within your company.

Necessary tools for automation

To effectively manage automated messages on WhatsApp Business, it is essential to have the right tools. These tools allow you to design workflows, centralize interactions, connect systems and scale operations without ever losing control or the quality of your communication.

Callbell: the ideal messaging CRM for WhatsApp Business

A messaging CRM is the foundation of any type of automated strategy for WhatsApp Business. This tool centralizes all interactions in a single dashboard, facilitating chat management and allowing you to organize leads through tags, funnels and assignment rules.

Among the tools on the market, Callbell stands out as one of the best options for managing automated messages and centralizing interactions, especially if your company is aiming to increase sales by improving the customer experience.

Callbell not only works with WhatsApp Business but also with other social networks like Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and WebChat. This means you will no longer have conversations scattered across different apps.

Chatbot platform

A chatbot platform allows you to conceive and design automated conversational flows without competing with advanced programs. With these tools, companies can create welcome messages, interactive menus, qualification questions, routing to human agents and automated processes such as scheduling appointments or entering important data.

In this case, the ideal tool is definitely Callbell, which offers a powerful and very easy-to-configure chatbot that can be seamlessly integrated into corporate communication channels. This allows you to respond to customers with intelligent and automated flows, whether preconfigured or AI-based.

Integrations with other systems

Integrations are essential for automation to have a real impact on your business. Thanks to connections with external systems like sales CRMs, e-commerce platforms, payment tools, or internal management software, it will be possible to trigger automatic messages based on real-time data. As mentioned previously, Callbell's instant messaging can also be integrated into other systems via the API and Zapier.

How to set up automated messages step by step

Now we will detail the entire process for setting up automated messages:

A) Prepare your account for automation

1. Log in to Callbell and go to your account settings

2. Connect your channels (depending on which ones your company uses):

3. Create your team and users, if you have multiple, so you can assign chats.

B) Basic automation: Quick replies

This is the first thing to set up, as it saves you time and improves your conversations.

Step-by-step procedure:

1. Go to Settings, conversations, and then quick replies

2. Click "Create quick reply" and choose the type of response you want to create

3. Complete the process:

Depending on the type of response you choose, you will be asked to fill out various options. The simplest is definitely filling out the text of the response and the body of the message you want to implement.

4. Save and test within the chat.

C) Operational automation: Reminders + scheduled messages

This will help you avoid losing leads due to lack of follow-up

Step-by-step procedure:

1. Create a reminder within the chat (e.g., "Follow up within 24 hours")

2. Configure:

• When it triggers (e.g., 24 hours, 3 days)
• Which message should be sent automatically

D) Team automation: Automatic chat assignment

If you have multiple agents:

Step-by-step procedure:

1. Go to Settings, team management, and then assignment rules

2. Enable automatic assignment (round robin)

3. Define:

• Which agents should participate
• Status-based condition (Available / Unavailable)
• Whether you want to reassign reopened chats when the agent is no longer available

E) Advanced automation: Chatbot

If you are looking for more comprehensive automation, a chatbot is the ideal solution. To create one, follow these steps:

1. Create a chatbot flow with a clear objective:

• Qualify leads (service, budget, city, urgency)
• Provide quick information (prices, basis, hours, terms)
• Forward to a human agent if and when necessary

2. Design a very simple initial menu:

• "1) Sales 2) Support 3) Talk to an agent"

3. Define the assignment rules:

• If the user selects "Sales", assign the sales team
• If the user selects "human/agent", assign directly to a human agent

4. Test the flow and make any necessary adjustments.

You can find a more detailed guide on how to create a chatbot flow by clicking here.

Conclusion

Creating automated messages and workflows on WhatsApp is now essential for thousands of companies looking to offer extremely fast customer service. But it is not just about responding to messages; it is about turning every interaction into a business opportunity through organization, comprehensive automation and well-structured follow-up.

In this regard, our solution centralizes all messaging channels on a single platform, thus facilitating teamwork, automating key processes and transforming interactions into truly measurable sales funnels. Implementing Callbell as a CRM for messaging can not only optimize customer service but also increase productivity, improving the end user experience and increasing the likelihood of sales.

If you would like to try it free for 7 days, click here.