Does it answer from your facts?
Ask about price or format. An invented detail fails the test.
WhatsApp AI agent · for sales chats
What should a WhatsApp AI chatbot actually do?
A useful WhatsApp AI chatbot answers from your facts, remembers the lead, asks what’s missing, then offers a call or hands off to a person.
- Free to build and test
- No card to start
- 14-day trial when you go live
Tested by 100+ marketing agencies
Lead: When does your next cohort start?
AI Setter: November 3. How many clients do you coach today?
Lead: Four, mostly from referrals.
AI Setter: You’re in the 2–10 range. Want a 15-min call?
Date from your facts · qualified
Evaluate
Six tests before you choose a tool
Run them in a trial of any WhatsApp sales chatbot, ours included, on your real questions.
Does it remember the lead?
State your need, keep chatting. It shouldn’t ask again.
Does it ask a useful next question?
Give a vague answer. It should clarify, not repeat or pitch.
Can a person take over?
Ask for a human. Your team gets the history; the AI pauses.
Does it know a link from a booking?
Click the link without booking. The lead must not show as booked.
Does it respect the window?
Go quiet for 24 hours. No free-form follow-up should go out.
The comparison test
Same question: generic AI vs your setter
Send one real question to both. Compare the facts, the voice and what happens when it’s out of scope.
- Facts: the price comes from your offer, or it says it doesn’t know
- Voice: your words, not a generic template
- Escalation: out-of-scope questions go to a person
Lead: How much is the program?
AI Setter: Great question! First, tell me a bit about your business?
- Your instructionGive the price first, then ask how many clients they have.
AI Setter: It’s $1,500, or 3 payments of $550. How many clients do you work with right now?
Test as often as you like. Test messages are free.
Start here
Rules or AI?
Manychat’s AI Step (opens in a new tab) also runs on WhatsApp: test it in your account first (see what Manychat AI does).
Known paths
A rule-based flow
Opening hours, a resource, a short menu or a fixed intake form.
Varied language
An AI step
Reads free text. You still set what matters, allowed actions and the human route.
Possible outcomes
One conversation, several possible next steps
Success isn’t “AI sent a message.” It’s a confirmed call, a qualified lead or a clear human follow-up.
Lead: Would your program fit a two-person agency?
AI Setter: It could. How many clients do you run?
Lead: Six. Leads come in, few become clients.
AI Setter: Six is in range (2 to 10). Here’s Thursday’s link.
- Update: Calendar event confirmed
Call booked · confirmed by your calendar
Lead: Would your program fit a two-person agency?
AI Setter: It could. How many clients do you run?
Lead: Six. But we’d start next quarter.
AI Setter: Noted. Any question I can answer before then?
Qualified lead · need and timing saved
Lead: Would your program fit a two-person agency?
AI Setter: It could. How many clients do you run?
Lead: Can you build a custom plan for our 12 clients?
- Update: Handed off to Alex · AI paused
Alex: Hi, Alex here. Happy to scope that with you.
Human follow-up · context passed to your team
From link to confirmed call: the WhatsApp appointment booking guide.
WhatsApp rules
WhatsApp rules that change the flow
An inbound reply and a later follow-up don’t play by the same rules. Manychat’s help center, checked September 28, 2026.
- Replies, flows and AI: within 24 hours (opens in a new tab) of the lead’s last message
- After that: an approved template (opens in a new tab) only, Marketing or Utility, with opt-in
- Templates are charged per message (opens in a new tab), by category and the recipient’s country
- From October 1, 2026, service messages past 1,000 a month per number are billed too
- US numbers: Marketing templates are paused (opens in a new tab), Utility still works
Lead: Thanks! I’ll think it over tonight.
AI Setter: Sure. Anything I can clarify meanwhile?
- Update: Tue 7:15 PM · 24-hour window closed
Window respected · approved template only
Using your Manychat account
On Manychat already? Add a setting layer
Keep what works in Manychat. The difference isn’t “AI”: it’s lead state, decision rules and measured outcomes.
Manychat, native
Entry points and AI Step
- Connects your WhatsApp number
- Triggers, flows and approved templates
- AI Step: a goal, tasks and a reply saved to a field
- Keep the flows that already work
With ManySetter
A setting layer on top
- A lead state: need, fit and stage
- Decision rules: answer, qualify, book or hand off
- Context kept from one message to the next
- Outcomes measured: qualified, booked, handed off
Getting started
Three checks before you go live
Install, then test the calendar path in your own workspace before trusting booked‑call reports.
- 01
Check plan and connection
WhatsApp needs Manychat’s Pro plan or above. Choose how your number connects (opens in a new tab).
- 02
Send and receive
Confirm your business number sends and receives through that setup.
- 03
Run the six tests
The six tests above, plus several short messages sent in a row.
FAQ
WhatsApp AI chatbot questions
No. An AI DM setter gathers context and routes the chat; a person handles judgment calls and direct requests for help.
Only when the channel’s current rules allow that message. Outside WhatsApp’s 24-hour window, approved templates, opt-in and per-message charges apply.
No. It runs through your connected Manychat account; WhatsApp needs Manychat’s Pro plan or above, billed separately.
It can be for predictable answers. Test it on your real questions first; add a setting layer when you need a lead state and measured booked calls.
Building and testing are free. Going live starts a 14-day free trial, then $119/mo per live setter. Manychat and WhatsApp charges are billed separately. See ManySetter pricing.
Put qualification between the DM and the calendar.
Start from your connected Manychat WhatsApp account. Define fit and test when to offer a call or hand off.
Build and test free · Manychat and WhatsApp charges billed separately