Automatic replies and reply flows
Zid WhatsApp can answer customers for you in two ways. The Automatic reply sends one message as soon as a customer starts a new chat. Reply flows send interactive messages with buttons or lists that guide customers step by step to the answer they need. Both live in Whatsapp > Settings.
Both features need an active WhatsApp subscription and an active number. Their cards on the settings page are disabled otherwise.
Set up the automatic reply
The automatic reply is sent once per 24-hour session, when a customer starts a new chat.
Open Whatsapp > Settings.
In the Automatic reply card, click Edit.
Sample data from a demo store. Write your message in Reply message (Arabic) or Reply message (English), depending on your store's default language. It holds up to 4,096 characters.
To personalize the message, click a value next to Suggested values: Store name or Store URL. It's inserted where your cursor is and replaced with your store's details when sent.
Check the message in the Preview card. On a small screen, click Preview at the top to open it.
Sample data from a demo store. Click Save. If the automatic reply is off, the button reads Activate and turns it on as it saves.
To stop the automatic reply, turn its switch off. The card then disappears from the settings page and the automatic reply can't be turned back on; use a reply flow instead.
A good automatic reply is short, says that it's automatic and when your team will answer, and invites the customer to describe their question in detail. Add the Store name value for a personal touch. Because it goes out right away, it also reassures customers who write outside your working hours.
The customer receives the reply as soon as they start a chat, and you see it in live chat, where your team continues the conversation:
Automatic replies and reply flow messages are support messages. Each one counts toward your free support messages for the month, and uses points once those run out. See Message templates and costs.
Reply flows
A reply flow starts when a customer sends you a message. Its first step sends a message with buttons or a list and waits a limited time for the customer to choose. Each choice leads to the step linked to it, until the customer reaches the final step. If a reply doesn't match any option, the choices are sent again; after a limited number of attempts, the flow ends. The flow also ends when the customer stops replying or the 24-hour window closes.
Only one flow can be active at a time, and you can have up to 20 flows. The others stay saved as drafts, so you can switch between them, for example by season.
Everything in the editor is one of three things:
| Part | What it is |
|---|---|
| Flow | The whole conversation, from the customer's first message to the last automatic reply. |
| Step | One message your store sends. It can show options under it, and a flow can have many steps. |
| Option | A button or list row the customer taps under a message. Each option leads to a new step of its own. |
What happens between messages
Zid remembers where each customer is in the flow. These timings are fixed and need no setup:
On the customer's first message, the active flow starts at the first step, whatever they wrote.
If the customer types instead of tapping an option, the same choices are sent again, then once more. On the third attempt, the conversation closes.
For 15 minutes after the flow ends, Zid ignores the customer's messages, so a word like "OK" doesn't reopen the menu.
After 30 minutes without a reply, the conversation counts as abandoned. When the customer writes again, the flow starts over from the first step.
If the customer types قائمة, الرئيسية, menu or start, the quiet period is canceled and the flow starts over at once. End your final messages with a line such as "Type menu to go back".
The flows list
Open Whatsapp > Automatic replies in the sidebar, or click Edit in the Replies flow card in Whatsapp > Settings. The Automatic replies page opens with your flows:
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Name / Nodes | The flow's name and how many steps it has. Click the name to edit. |
| Status | Active for the live flow, Draft for the others. |
| Created date / Updated date | When the flow was created and last changed. |
The actions menu (⋮) on each flow offers Edit, Activate or Deactivate, Clone and Delete. If the list can't load, the page shows Couldn't load flows with a Retry button.
Create a reply flow
On the flows list, click Create automation.
Sample data from a demo store. Enter the Flow name, up to 100 characters, and click Create flow. The flow editor opens.
Build the steps (see the next section).
Click Create at the top of the editor. New flows are saved as Draft.
Activate the flow when it's ready (see below).
Build the flow in the editor
The editor shows your flow as a diagram. It starts with Incoming message (when a customer sends a message on WhatsApp), followed by the first step. Before you select anything, the side panel explains how flows work.
To edit a step:
Click the step in the diagram. The Edit reply panel opens.
Optionally give it a Reply name, such as Main menu, so you can find it later.
Write the message customers receive, up to 1,024 characters.
To let the customer choose what comes next, turn on Add interactive replies, then pick a type under Interactive reply types:
Buttons: up to 3 buttons in the same message. Each button label holds up to 20 characters. Click Add option to add a button.
List: options shown in a separate menu. Enter the List button label (up to 20 characters), then add sections with Add section. Give each section a title and add options with Add option; each option has a title of up to 24 characters and an optional description of up to 72 characters. A list holds up to 10 options in total, however many sections you split them into.
Each new button or list option creates a linked step in the diagram, joined to the option by a Go to node card. Click that step to write what the customer receives after choosing it.
The Go to node and End cards appear on their own and need no editing. Fill in every other card: an empty step would send the customer an empty message, so the flow can't be saved until each step has its message.
Click a button or option in the diagram to rename it, edit its description, or Remove it. A step needs at least one option while interactive replies are on.
A step without interactive replies sends its message and ends that path; the diagram shows End after it. Use such steps for answers that need no follow-up, such as your return policy or size chart.
A step uses either buttons or a list, not both. Buttons suit up to three short choices, such as yes or no. A list suits more choices, or choices that need a line of explanation. To offer both, put them in two steps one after the other.
Use Find a step at the top of the diagram to jump to a step by its name or code. The first step is marked First step.
Plan a useful flow
Start with the three questions customers ask you most. Open your chats from the last week and count them. A small flow that works beats a large one that confuses customers.
Name each option so it explains itself, such as "Track my order" rather than "Orders", and use the list description to say what comes next.
Keep paths short: three steps should reach any answer.
Don't leave customers at a dead end. In each final message, tell them what happens next, such as a team member following up in the same chat, or end it with "Type menu to go back".
Write the way your team talks to customers, and use emojis sparingly to break up long text.
Example: a fashion store
This flow covers the questions fashion stores get most:
The first step, Main menu, sends "Welcome to our fashion store. How can we help you today?" with a list of five options: Browse products, Offers and sales, Track my order, Returns or exchanges, and Size help.
Browse products, Offers and sales, and Size help each lead to one message without options, which ends the conversation: links to the store's main categories, this season's offers and how long they last, or the size chart and how to measure. Each ends with "Type menu to go back".
Returns or exchanges branches again. It sends "We accept returns within 14 days of delivery. What do you need?" with three buttons:
Return conditions: a step with the conditions in detail, which ends the conversation.
How to return my order: a step with the steps and the shipping number, which ends the conversation.
I need help: a step that asks the customer to type their order number and the reason for the return, so your team can follow up in live chat.
Preview a flow
In the editor, open the more menu (⋮) beside the save button and choose Preview.
Chat with the flow as a customer would: choose buttons and list options and follow the replies.
Click Reset to start over, or Close when you're done.
After you activate a flow, message your store's WhatsApp number from your own phone and go through each path once. Problems that don't show in the editor appear quickly in a real chat.
Save, activate or deactivate a flow
Click Save at the top of the editor to save your changes. The button stays disabled while any step is incomplete, such as an empty message or a button without a label.
To activate a flow, choose Activate from the more menu (⋮) in the editor or in the flows list, and confirm. Activating a flow deactivates the flow that was active, so only one default flow runs.
To stop a flow, choose Deactivate and confirm. It stops running for your customers.
To switch to another flow while editing, pick it from the selector at the top of the editor. The exit icon at the top returns you to the flows list.
Clone or delete a flow
Clone creates a draft copy of a flow. Enter a New flow name (optional), up to 100 characters, or leave it empty to get a generated name, then click Clone flow. You can't clone when you have 20 flows.
Delete removes a flow after you confirm with Delete flow. If the flow is active, the dialog warns you that it's live for your customers. Deleting can't be undone.
Messages sent by reply flows appear in the message logs as Automated reply, and automatic replies as Auto-responder.
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