Quick replies in WhatsApp Business, without being on your phone all day
Customers would rather message than email. With the WhatsApp Business skill, GENI answers the standard questions, prepares appointments and passes the rest on to you. How to set it up, within the rules.
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The short answer
With the WhatsApp Business skill in dGENIX, GENI reads the messages customers send you on WhatsApp. Standard questions, such as opening hours, prices or the status of an appointment, it answers itself using information from your knowledge document. If a customer wants an appointment, GENI prepares a proposal. Anything that needs advice or a decision, it passes on to you. That way you reply quickly, even when you are out on a job, and you stay within WhatsApp's rules for business messaging.
Why WhatsApp
For many customers WhatsApp is the easiest channel. They send a quick question and expect a fast reply. For a business owner who is busy all day, that means picking up your phone constantly, or keeping customers waiting.
A large share of those messages is the same. When are you open? What does an MOT cost? Can I come by on Thursday? Those questions have a fixed answer, and GENI can give it.
What GENI does and what not
| GENI does | You do |
|---|---|
| Give opening hours, address, price indications | Tailored advice |
| Explain how a service works | Quote for an unusual job |
| Prepare an appointment proposal | Handle complaints |
| Ask whether a customer wants to send a photo | Decide on exceptions |
| Pass on the rest with a summary | Take over the conversation where needed |
GENI is honest when it passes something on: "I am passing your question to Mark, he will reply today." Customers value a quick honest answer more than an hour of silence.
How to set it up
Step 1: make sure you have a WhatsApp Business account
The connection works with WhatsApp Business, the business version. If you do not have it yet, set it up for your business number first.
Step 2: connect the skill
Go to Skills and activate WhatsApp Business. Follow the steps to connect your account.
Step 3: complete your knowledge document
GENI answers from what it knows. Put in your knowledge document your opening hours, address, main services with price indications and the questions you get most often, with the answer. The more complete, the more GENI can answer itself.
Step 4: set the limits
Write down what GENI never answers itself:
"On WhatsApp, only answer questions about opening hours, address, price indications and how our services work. Prepare appointment requests as a proposal for me. Pass complaints, questions about ongoing jobs and anything you are unsure about straight to me, with a summary. Always tell the customer you are passing it on."
Step 5: read along in the first week
Look at every conversation in the first week. Was the tone right, were the answers correct, did it pass on the right things? Correct what is off, and GENI remembers it.
WhatsApp's rules
WhatsApp has rules for business messaging. Two that matter:
- The customer starts the conversation. Replying to a customer's message is fine. Sending unsolicited messages to customers is only possible within WhatsApp's rules, with their consent and often with approved templates.
- Be open that it is an assistant. Let customers know an assistant answers the first questions.
For the basics of connecting safely: connecting tools safely.
An example: a car garage
A garage gets dozens of messages every day. Since GENI handles the first line, questions about opening hours, the price of an MOT and whether a courtesy car is available get answered right away. Anyone who wants an appointment is asked which day and which registration, and the garage gets a proposal to confirm. A customer who messages about a rattling noise is told the mechanic will call back today, and the mechanic gets a summary with the registration. The owner checks the proposals twice a day instead of looking at his phone all day.
What customers ask is also content
The questions customers ask on WhatsApp are exactly the questions others ask Google and AI assistants. Have GENI list the most frequently asked questions once a month. Every question that comes back often is a topic for an article or a frequently asked questions block on your site. The AI Content engine helps you plan and write those articles.
That works both ways: your site answers the questions before customers message, and anyone who still messages gets an answer from GENI with a link to the article. That saves messages, and it helps your visibility.
Also ask GENI which questions it could not answer and passed on. Those show what is still missing from your knowledge document.
Outside working hours
Many customers message in the evening or at weekends. GENI can then answer the standard questions and tell the rest when you will reply: "Thanks for your message. Mark will look at it on Monday morning." That way a customer feels heard, even when you are not working, and you start Monday with an overview instead of a pile of separate messages.
Frequently asked questions
Can GENI handle voice messages?
With the Voice message skill GENI can transcribe spoken messages, so it can respond to those too.
What if a customer is angry?
Then GENI passes the conversation straight to you. An angry customer wants a person.
Can I take over the conversation myself?
Yes. You can always reply yourself in WhatsApp Business.
Where do I start?
dGENIX is in early access. Join the waitlist, or first read connecting tools for a small business.
