WhatsApp Chat Bot: How to Create

In the modern digital era, a WhatsApp chat bot is becoming an integral part of an effective communication strategy for business.

Chat bots provide a fast and automated way to interact with customers, handling inquiries, collecting information, and even conducting transactions.

In this article, we will look at how to create a WhatsApp chat bot.

Why do you need chat bots at all?

Chat bots allow you to automate most customer interactions. This means your team can focus on more complex and meaningful tasks. In addition, using chat bots can help with:

• Quick response to customer inquiries: Bots are available 24/7, which speeds up response times.
• Collecting feedback: Chat bots can gather information about user preferences and opinions.
• Lead generation: Chat bots can help attract and process potential clients (leads).

Advantages of chat bots in WhatsApp

WhatsApp is one of the most popular messengers in the world, and using it for business offers the following advantages:

• Huge audience: WhatsApp has over 2 billion active users worldwide, and in Russia it is still the most popular messenger.
• High level of engagement: Users often check WhatsApp and trust it, unlike, for example, Telegram — which is becoming an over-spammed platform with lots of channel-groups where spammers add people without their consent.
• The ability to MESSAGE FIRST: this is a key advantage, no other messenger allows a bot to message first. All other messengers require a person to first enter the bot and click the “Start” button or otherwise initiate interaction — write something. Only after that does the bot get the right to message the person.

What do you need to create a WhatsApp chat bot?

• WhatsApp Business account: To start, you need to register a business account on Facebook and connect your number for the WhatsApp Business API. Usually, this process is organized through some kind of bot builder (more on this below).
• Bot builder (for example, Chotam): This is a tool that helps you create and manage a chat bot without the need for programming knowledge. You can also write your bot’s logic yourself in some programming language, but this requires a lot of specialized knowledge, so 99% of bots are made on some platforms/builders, where you can set the logic without programming.
• Interaction scenario: Define how your bot will interact with users. First, just come up with it (draw it on paper) — what conditions, in what case, how to respond to what — and then transfer this to the bot builder.

How to connect everything correctly?

Step 1: Register a WhatsApp Business account

Verify your phone number in your Facebook account, and follow the instructions to create a WhatsApp account. Here is a video tutorial

Step 2: Choose and set up a bot builder

We recommend using Chotam. Go to the platform’s website and register.

Step 3: Integrate the builder with your WhatsApp number

This process varies in different builders, but is usually quite simple. You need to link your WhatsApp number created in Step 1 with the builder. Follow the service’s instructions or write to the support chat.

Step 4: Create a scenario

In Chotam, you can create “chains” that determine how the bot will respond to various requests, keywords, or button presses.

Typical scenarios for a WhatsApp chat bot

• Customer service: automatic response to frequently asked questions, solving simple problems.
• Sales and marketing: product recommendations, mailing information about discounts and promotions.
• Lead generation: collecting contact information and interests of potential clients.

A WhatsApp chat bot provides a whole range of benefits for business, from improving customer service quality to effective lead generation. With builders like Chotam, creating a chat bot is easier than ever. They provide flexible tools for setting up scenarios and integrating with your WhatsApp Business account, allowing you to maximize your engagement with your audience.