Workflows: a bot that replies for you

What the tour covers, step by step

Connect a few blocks — trigger, message, condition, wait — and let it answer while you're away.

1. 01

   A flow is a chatbot made of blocks

   Create new flow starts from a blank canvas or a template: Welcome bot, FAQ keyword bot, Away message, Lead qualifier. The On switch on each card decides whether it runs.

   Read the narration

   Welcome to Workflows — chatbot flows that reply for you, even while you're away. A flow is just a chain of simple blocks. To make one, press Create new flow and pick a template: a welcome bot, an FAQ bot that answers when someone says 'price', an away message for after hours, or a lead qualifier. Each card here is a flow, and the On switch decides whether it runs.

2. 02

   Triggers — when does it start?

   Pick exactly one: any message, a keyword, the first message of the day, the very first message, or only when another automation starts it. The reactivation interval stops repeats.

   Read the narration

   Inside the editor, the left side starts with Triggers — the rule for when this flow wakes up. Choose exactly one: when any message arrives, when the message contains keywords, the customer's first message of the day, their very first message ever, or only when another automation starts it. Here I've chosen keywords: price, comma, cost. Someone types 'what's the price?' and the flow starts. The reactivation interval below stops it firing again for the same person for a while, so nobody gets the same greeting five times in a row.

3. 03

   Send message block

   Double-click a block to edit it on the right. Type the text or pick a saved quick reply. {{keyword}} inserts the word that triggered the flow.

   Read the narration

   This is a Send message block — the workhorse. Double-click any block to open its settings on the right. Type the message, or pick one of your saved quick replies if you want to send a photo or a file. You can use double curly braces for variables: for example, keyword becomes the exact word the customer typed.

4. 04

   Condition — two paths

   Tests the customer's last message against a pattern. 'When it matches' goes one way, 'When it doesn't match' the other.

   Read the narration

   A Condition block lets the flow make a decision. It looks at the customer's last message and checks it against a pattern — here, price or cost. It has two outputs: when it matches, and when it doesn't. Connect each output to a different block and your bot answers differently depending on what the person said.

5. 05

   Wait — feel human

   Pauses a few seconds before the next block. Instant replies look robotic; a short wait plus the automatic 'typing…' looks like a person.

   Read the narration

   The Wait block is small but important. It pauses for a few seconds before the next block runs. Instant replies feel robotic — a short pause, plus the typing indicator InboxCRM shows automatically, makes the bot feel like a real person on the other end.

6. 06

   Connect the blocks

   Drag from a block's output pill (the dot on its right edge) onto the next block's left dot. Each output leads to exactly one block; Backspace removes a selected line.

   Read the narration

   Blocks do nothing until they're connected. Drag from an output pill — the little dot on the right edge of a block — and drop it on the left dot of the next block. Watch the 'when it matches' output connect to the price-list message. Each output leads to exactly one block; connecting a second line replaces the first. Select a line and press Backspace to remove it.

7. 07

   Test it safely

   Simulate flow runs a dry run in a chat preview — you type the customer's replies. Nothing is sent to real people.

   Read the narration

   Before switching it on, press Simulate flow. You get a chat-like preview where you play the customer: type 'what's the price?' and watch the bot walk through your blocks. Nothing is sent to anyone real — it's a rehearsal.

8. 08

   Save and activate

   Changes save by themselves — watch 'Saved' in the top bar. Flip Active to turn the flow on. Inactive flows never fire.

   Read the narration

   There's no save button — every change saves by itself, and the word Saved in the top bar confirms it. When you're happy, flip the Active switch. Only active flows fire. You can also turn flows on and off from the cards on the Workflows page.

9. 09

   Where flows run

   Flows run inside your WhatsApp Web tab on this computer. Keep WhatsApp Web open, or the bot can't see incoming messages.

   Read the narration

   One thing people miss: flows run inside your WhatsApp Web tab, on this computer. There's no server replying on your behalf. So keep WhatsApp Web open in a tab while you want the bot working — if the tab is closed or the computer is asleep, nothing is answered until it's back. The Rules section in the sidebar lets you limit a flow to business hours, skip group chats, or stay quiet when you already have that chat open.

10. 10

    Build your first bot

    Open Workflows, start from the Welcome bot template, edit the greeting, simulate once, then switch it on.

    Read the narration

    You've seen every piece. The easiest first bot: open Workflows, create a flow from the Welcome bot template, change the greeting to your own words, simulate it once, and switch it on. Ten minutes, and your customers get an instant answer every time.