Glossary
What is a WhatsApp chatbot and what can it do for a business?
Software that replies to customers on a WhatsApp Business API number using rules, buttons or AI, with Meta's requirement to offer a human, a clinic booking example and when a bot is the wrong tool.
By Broadchat teamPublished 3 min read
Definition
Chatbot: A WhatsApp chatbot is software connected to a business number on the WhatsApp Business API that reads incoming messages and replies automatically. It can follow fixed flows with buttons and lists, collect details such as a name or pin code, look up orders, or use AI trained on the business's own information. WhatsApp policy expects automated experiences to offer customers a clear way to reach a human.
Also called: WhatsApp bot, Conversational bot, AI agent
How a WhatsApp chatbot works
What is a WhatsApp chatbot in practice? A set of rules that run each time a customer writes. A trigger starts the flow (a first message, a keyword such as "menu", a tap on a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, a new order). Each step then sends something, waits for the answer and decides what comes next. Most bots mix three things:
- Structured choices: reply buttons and list messages, so customers tap rather than type.
- Data capture: questions with validation, for example a 6-digit pin code or an email address.
- AI answers: free-text questions answered from the business's own documents, with a hand-off when the bot is unsure.
Bot replies inside the 24-hour customer service window are service messages; if the bot needs to start a conversation later, it must send an approved template.
Example: Sunrise Clinic's booking bot
The bot saves the details to the contact, confirms the slot and stops. If the parent types "fever since 3 days, is it serious?", the bot does not give medical advice; it hands the chat to reception for the morning.
When a bot helps and when it does not
| Good fit | Poor fit |
|---|---|
| Order status, booking, FAQs, lead qualification | Complaints, refunds, sensitive or medical judgement |
| After-hours first response | Customers who have already asked for a human |
| Collecting fixed details | Long negotiations |
Always give a visible "talk to a person" option. A bot that traps people is the fastest way to collect blocks, which lowers your quality rating. Bots should serve your own business's customers; a general-purpose AI assistant as the main purpose of a business number is a different case under Meta's rules, so check the policy if that is your plan.
Chatbots in Broadchat
Bots are built in Chatbots → Chatbots with a visual flow builder. Triggers include new message, keyword, Click-to-WhatsApp ad, order created, payment received, mini-app submission and inbound webhook. Steps include send message (text, media, buttons, lists, products, templates), ask question with validation, AI agent and AI router, delay, working hours and assign to agent. AI answers come from an agent set up under AI → AI Agents, guided by the instructions you write for it. Follow the build a chatbot help article or see the chatbot builder page; for the platform basics read what the WhatsApp Business API is.
Related terms
Sources
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy — WhatsApp, checked 12 October 2026
- Interactive messages (Cloud API) — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
Broadchat team · Product and partner success team
The people who build and support Broadchat, the white-label WhatsApp Business API platform. We write from what we see while onboarding partners and their clients on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, and we check every article against Meta's current documentation.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need to code to build a WhatsApp chatbot?
Not with a visual builder. You drag steps, write the messages and connect buttons to the next step. Code is only needed for unusual integrations, and even those can often be handled with a webhook step.
Can a WhatsApp chatbot send messages first?
Only with an approved message template, and only to people who opted in. Free-form bot replies are allowed while the 24-hour customer service window is open.
Will an AI chatbot make up answers?
It can if it is not given clear sources. Train it on your own price list, policies and FAQs, tell it to hand over when unsure, and review its conversations every week in the first month.