WhatsApp has evolved beyond a simple messaging platform, becoming the go-to tool for business communication—whether it is providing conversational customer support, nudging leads down the sales funnel, or promoting new products and services.
However, doing all of this manually can significantly add to your team’s workload, leading to slower response times. This can be quite counter-productive as most customers (73%, according to one stat) prefer WhatsApp for its reputation of quick replies.
You can turn to WhatsApp messaging automation, where you trigger pre-written messages based on certain time-based or ‘if/then’ conditions. This frees up your team’s time and gives you new ways to connect with your audience—ensuring full-funnel customer engagement.
LivingStone Stay, for example, 2xed agent productivity and initiated over 10,000 customer conversations per month by automating business messaging with WhatsApp Business API and Gallabox.
Pretty awesome, right?
In this blog, we'll delve into the various messaging automation options offered by WhatsApp Business and WhatsApp Business API, along with some best practices and real-world examples—so you can engage with your customers better.
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Given its primary business use, automated messages are not available on personal WhatsApp accounts. However, you can set up basic automations like scheduled messages using iPhone Shortcuts or third-party Android Apps like SKEDIt.
Automating Messages in WhatsApp Business
Let’s start with WhatsApp Business—the free-to-use business messaging platform by Meta. It’s a great option for small businesses who are just exploring WhatsApp for business communication. It lets you create a business profile, track message insights, and automate common messages.
WhatsApp Business gives you three default options to automate messages—
Automated greeting messages
This is a customizable message that's automatically sent to new customers or old ones after 14 days of no activity. That way, you don’t leave customers hanging when your team is otherwise occupied.
You can use these greeting messages to welcome customers, tell them about your services, or even point them toward important resources like your FAQs page.
How to set a greeting message in WhatsApp Business
- Go to Business tools > Greeting message.
- Enable Send greeting message.
- Tap Message to add or edit your message.
WhatsApp Business also gives you some flexibility on who should and shouldn’t receive the message. Here’s how you can set this up:
Go to Recipients and then choose:
- Everyone to send messages to all customers who reach out to you.
- Everyone not in address book to send to customers who aren't saved in your contacts.
- Everyone except… to send to all customers except those you specifically exclude.
- Only send to… to send only to selected customers
Automated away replies
Here, you set an automated message that goes out when someone messages you outside of business hours or during specific timeframes. This ensures your customers always receive some acknowledgment/responses even when you are unavailable.
How to set an “away” message in WhatsApp Business
- Go to Business tools > Away message.
- Enable Send away message.
- Tap Schedule and choose:
- Always send the message at all times.
- Outside of business hours to send the message when you’re out of the office.
- Custom schedule to send the message during a specified timeframe.
- Tap Message to add or edit your ‘away’ message.
Like with the greeting messages, you can customize who receives your ‘away’ messages from the Recipients section.
Quick replies
The final messaging automation option available in WhatsApp Business is ‘Quick Replies’. Here’s how this works:
- Create a set of message templates for common messages like greetings, FAQs, or sending ‘thank-you’ texts from the Business Tools tab.
- When chatting with a customer, type a slash followed by the shortcut you added for the message—/[shortcut]—to send the assigned message.
The best part is you can add up to 30 images and videos to ‘Quick Reply’ messages making it easy for you to share your product catalog, brochures, and ads.
How to set up (and send) quick replies in WhatsApp Business
- Go to Business tools > Quick replies.
- Tap ‘+’ to create a new quick reply.
- Add your shortcut phrase, message template, and optionally, images and videos.
Now, when chatting with customers, simply type /[shortcut] to send any of your quick replies.
Note: You’ll need an active internet connection to send automated messages via WhatsApp Business
Automating messages in WhatsApp Business API
If you’re serious about WhatsApp marketing and messaging automation, then you’ll benefit more from the WhatsApp Business API than the standard Business Platform. For one thing, it comes with advanced messaging automation capabilities—from multi-step conversation workflows and conversation analytics to AI-powered chatbots.
Feature
WhatsApp Business
WhatsApp Business API
Greetings
✅
✅
Away messages
✅
✅
Quick replies
✅
✅
Broadcasts
Limited options
✅
Message Scheduling
❌
✅
Auto-replies
❌
✅
Drip campaigns
❌
✅
Chatbots
❌
✅
Let’s explore how messaging automation works with WhatsApp Business API.
How message templates help with WhatsApp automation
Most automated conversations via WhatsApp Business API start with a message template—a pre-written ‘mass’ message that’s reviewed and approved by the Meta team.
While the steps to create a WhatsApp message template vary based on your WhatsApp Business Automation platform, the actual template includes three components:
- Header: A descriptive name for the template along with the message category.
- Body: The main content of the message.
- Buttons: Call-to-actions (CTAs) to nudge customers toward the desired action.
Bonus: Generate quick, Meta-compliant message templates with Gallabox’s free template generator
Once you’ve created your templates and gotten them approved by WhatsApp—this can take up to 48 hours—you can use them as your base for advanced messaging automations like drip sequences.
4 ways to automate conversations with WhatsApp Business API
WhatsApp Business API supports the standard messaging automation capabilities provided by the WhatsApp Business app—greetings, quick replies, and away messages.
Apart from those, here are some more ways WhatsApp Business API (along with your Automation Platform) can automate business messaging.
Scheduled messages
Depending on your automation platform, you can set up auto-replies, route tickets to free agents, and schedule messages to go out–based on factors such as the time since you last engaged with the customer, their past activity, or their local timezone.
Gallabox, for example, has an ‘Icebreaker’ feature that simplifies first-time customer interactions by displaying pre-set, one-click questions for easy engagement.
Broadcast messages
Like WhatsApp Business, here you send message blasts to large groups of people. But unlike the former, you get access to advanced filtering options for better audience segmentation. Plus, you can also:
- Schedule broadcasts to go out at your recipient’s local time.
- Use dynamic variables to include their personal details.
- Monitor campaign metrics from a central Broadcast dashboard.
Note: Depending on your business size and messaging frequency, you’ll come under a daily limit that goes from 250 messages to 10,000 messages per day.
Also read: Best Practises to Reach Higher WhatsApp Messaging Tiers
Drip sequences
Similar to email sequences, here you send WhatsApp messages at specific intervals using conditional (if/then) triggers. They’re particularly effective for:
- Lead nurturing
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Post-purchase follow-ups
- Reminders and status updates
Every message in a drip sequence comes in three parts:
- Trigger: The event initiates the drip sequence.
- Conditions: The criteria that must be met for the message to be sent (and stopped).
- Delivery preference: When the message should be sent.
Pro tip: As drip campaigns are templated messages (and come with a fee), make sure to monitor their performance and allocate your budget to high-performing campaigns.
Chatbots
Whether it’s setting up a 24/7 help desk or automating routine inquiries—chatbots can help you improve response times while reducing your team’s workload.
Some ways to leverage chatbots to automate conversations are:
- Programming your chatbot to provide instant answers to FAQs, such as product information, shipping details, or return policies.
- Asking qualifying questions to identify potential customers and gather information.
- Allowing customers to schedule appointments directly through the chatbot.
And as many WhatsApp Automation Platforms—such as Gallabox’s no-code chatbots—come with integrated GenAI capabilities, you can ensure human-like conversations, essentially putting customer support on autopilot.
Best practices for automating WhatsApp messages
Now that we’ve seen the different ways that you can leverage WhatsApp messaging automation, let’s quickly go over some tactical tips to ensure you get started on the right foot.
Choose a reliable WhatsApp automation platform
The effectiveness of your WhatsApp messaging automation depends on your WhatsApp Business Automation Platform. So, pick one that:
- Offers a robust feature set—auto-reply, message scheduling, segmentation, drip campaigns, no-code chatbots
- Integrates seamlessly with your existing business tools, such as CRM, ERP, or logistics software
Prioritize customer experience
Ensure your automated messages are relevant, timely, and provide value to your customers. Some things you can do are:
- Limit the frequency of your messages to avoid overwhelming customers.
- Send messages at the best ‘local’ time for your target audience to maximize engagement.
- Segment your audience to deliver targeted messages that resonate with specific customer groups or ideal customer profiles (ICPs).
- Include a clear call-to-action (CTA) in your messages to guide customers toward desired behavior.
Keep messages clear (and clean)
Well-written messages—that are equal parts informative and persuasive—are more likely to capture attention and encourage interaction. That’s why it’s important to avoid excessive sales pitches and robotic (or scripted) language.
Some other ways you can make your content more engaging are:
- Avoiding jargon or industry-specific terms that may confuse your audience.
- Offering something of value—informative content, exclusive offers, or personalized recommendations.
- Tailoring your language to the understanding level of your target audience.
- Using images, videos, and carousels to enhance engagement.
Finally, don’t forget to proofread carefully and format your messages for readability.
Inform messaging strategy with data
One of the best things about WhatsApp Business API is its analytical and reporting capabilities. From standard metrics like open and click-through rates to custom dashboards tracking the performance of individual campaigns, there’s a lot of data you can get your hands on.
Here are some ways you can leverage this data:
- Use A/B testing to gauge which type of messaging resonates best with your audience.
- Allocate budgets strategically based on the engagement performance of your drip campaigns.
- Personalize future automated messages by leveraging past customer behavior.
WhatsApp Messaging Automation: Real-world Examples
Want some inspiration? Here are some examples of popular brands who’ve killed it with their automated messaging campaigns.
Propleaf’s 24/7 support desk—powered by chatbots
If you’re a small team with global expansion plans, then you’ve got to be available when your customer is—and this will include when your team is asleep. Propleaf Reality Tech, a popular real estate brokerage firm, found their solution in WhatsApp chatbots.
According to Rajesh Kataria, Propleaf’s CEO, they were able to increase their customer connect ratio by 25%, simply by automating basic conversations with Gallabox’s chatbots.
Starbucks’ free Odd Giraffe Notebook campaign
WhatsApp messaging automation also works great for marketing messages—particularly if you’re nudging customers toward a purchase with freebies.
Starbucks India, for instance, partnered with Odd Giraffe with a one-day campaign (September 1, 2024) and gave Starbucks Rewards Members a free ‘custom’ notebook for orders over INR 750.
Pro tip: Make sure you segment your audience like Starbucks for maximum engagement. They targeted brand loyalists (reward members) as they’re more likely to buy their favorite cup of coffee and better appreciate the custom notebook.
Huggs Beverages’ integrated marketing automations
A top marketing trend is integrated campaigns—connecting with customers on multiple platforms. And that’s what Huggs Beverages did. They first created a quiz on their website to help customers pick the right products.
Using Gallabox Flows and Drip Sequences, they sent the report directly to customers' WhatsApp numbers and nudged them toward a purchase. The campaign was so successful that they saw a 30% increase in conversions.
ITEES’ automated appointment confirmation and reminder messages
One repetitive task that should definitely be automated is utility conversation—order confirmation, reminders, post-purchase follow-ups, and such. And that’s what ITEES—a leading eye hospital—did.
They set up automated sequences to confirm appointments, remind customers about an appointment, and book follow-ups. The result: a 500% growth in patient footfall and 3x improvement in return patients.
GrowthX’s re-engagement message
Have you ever started a form or added something to your cart and then gotten distracted and forgotten about it? It happens a lot. And the best way to regain a customer’s attention is with a re-engagement message.
A week before the official bootcamp, GrowthX (a membership program for SaaS folks) sent a re-engagement message to create a sense of FOMO and get leads back into the funnel.
How Meta’s Policies Impact WhatsApp Messaging Automation
One reason for WhatsApp’s popularity is Meta’s strict anti-spam protocols and review processes, of which two are to be noted in particular:
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy lays out the rules businesses must follow for commercial WhatsApp use. It covers prohibited content and strategies to prevent being flagged as spam, ensuring a positive and compliant experience.
- WhatsApp Messaging Guidelines are specific to the message content and apply to 1:1 chats, calls, group chats, communities, and status updates. These form the foundation for WhatsApp's automated content moderation and human review processes and are used to assess reported spam and blocked accounts.
Going against these can result in warnings and temporary (or permanent) account suspension.
Here are some common guidelines to ensure you’re compliant:
- Get customer consent before messaging them, and ensure that your products or services are compliant with Meta’s Commerce Policy.
- Include clear direct escalation paths (that direct customers to a human agent) when using automated messaging.
- Conform to the 24-hour messaging window for non-template messages and avoid unwanted (or frequent) communications to avoid being reported as spam.
- Ensure that your messages comply with global and region-specific data privacy regulations.
Why Automate WhatsApp Messages with Gallabox?
Whether you’re looking to engage customers at every stage of their buying journey, speed up your response times, or streamline team operations, WhatsApp Business API can help you do all of this—all while complying with Meta’s communication policies and protocols.
And if you’re looking for an affordable yet scalable WhatsApp business automation platform, then may we suggest Gallabox? Here’s how Gallabox can help you automate WhatsApp business communication:
- Schedule messages: Time your messages for maximum impact by sending customers messages at the optimal time in their local timezone.
- Re-engage customers: Follow up with customers who haven't responded to your messages.
- Personalize your broadcasts: Segment your audience based on industry type or past behavior to ensure hyper-personalized mass messages.
- Auto-resolve chats: Close conversations after a specific period if customers don’t respond to you.
- Build no-code chatbots: Automate routine conversations with custom, AI-powered chatbots.
There’s a lot more, but we’ll let you see for yourself—sign up for a free trial and explore how Gallabox can help you make the most of WhatsApp Business API.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why send automated messages via WhatsApp?
WhatsApp messaging automation can help you improve customer engagement (24/7 availability and full-funnel lead nurturing), free up your team (routine follow-ups can be automated), and save costs (scale your communication with a smaller team).
2. Is it free to send automated messages on WhatsApp?
The standard WhatsApp Business App offers some basic automation features (like greetings and away messages) for free.
However, you’ll need to subscribe to a WhatsApp business automation platform to access WhatsApp Business API and its more advanced automation capabilities.
You’ll also have to pay an additional fee for certain types of mass messages like transactional and promotional messages. This actual fee depends on the type of message and your location.
Bonus: Estimate your WhatsApp messaging costs with Gallabox’s free pricing calculator.
3. What is an ‘away’ message in WhatsApp and how to set one?
An "away" message is an automated response sent to customers when your business is unavailable.
To set one, go to Tools > Away message and toggle on Send away message.
4. What is the 24-hour messaging rule on WhatsApp?
Designed to prevent spam and ensure a positive user experience for WhatsApp users, the 24-hour messaging rule on WhatsApp limits businesses to sending messages to customers only within 24 hours of the customer's last interaction with the business.
This applies to only free-form, non-template messages like customer service conversations. To contact customers outside the 24-hour window, you need to use a pre-approved message template, which comes with additional fees.
