Choose the route before designing the bot
Decide whether the WhatsApp Business app is enough or whether a supported Business Platform integration is required. Confirm number ownership, business verification, provider access and how staff will reply. Check current messaging rules and charges with Meta and the selected provider before committing to a flow.
Keep answers grounded in current information
Define the source of truth for services, prices, availability and opening hours. Assign someone to maintain it. For information that changes frequently, read from an authorised system or pass the question to staff. Test mixed English, Malay and Chinese requests if that reflects your customer base. A fluent answer is not proof it is accurate.
Design the handover as carefully as the reply
A customer asking for a person should reach a defined queue. Send the team a useful summary, the original context and the next action. Tell the customer what to expect using actual service hours. Avoid inventing a response deadline the business cannot meet.
| Situation | Next action |
|---|---|
| General service question | Answer from approved material. |
| Price depends on project scope | Collect requirements and assign an owner. |
| Missing or contradictory information | Clarify or pass to staff. |
| Sensitive complaint or account change | Use the agreed human review process. |
Connect records without duplicating them
Use a stable enquiry reference and look for an existing record before creating a new one. Track messages that failed to sync and support a safe retry. Store only necessary information with appropriate access. An enquiry should not disappear because the CRM was unavailable for a moment.
Judge completion, not message volume
Evaluate whether enquiries reached the right owner, whether answers needed correction and whether customers completed the intended next step. Include provider usage costs and the time staff spend resolving exceptions. Start with a limited set of questions and expand when the team can maintain the information and support the workflow.