Automatic follow-ups
Let ApnaBot remind customers for you. Nudge enquiries that didn't book, ask for reviews, chase pending payments and win back old customers.
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What it does
A follow-up is a message ApnaBot sends on its own when something happens, or doesn't happen. You choose one of these:
| Use case | When it sends |
|---|---|
| Enquiry follow-up | A customer messaged but didn't book. Sent while WhatsApp still allows a free reply. |
| Review request | After a booking is marked Completed. Thanks them and asks for a review. |
| Payment reminder | A payment you asked for is still pending. |
| Win back | A past customer hasn't messaged in a while. Needs an approved marketing template. |
| Custom | Your own message and timing. |
When to use it
Glow Beauty Salon
Many people ask "rate for facial?" and never book. Priya sets an Enquiry follow-up for 3 hours later: "Hi, we have slots tomorrow evening. Shall I book one for you?". Bookings from enquiries go up without her typing anything.
Steps
Pick a use case
Open Follow-ups. Under Pick what you'd like to automate, tap a card, or tap + New follow-up.
Write the message
Give it a Name and write the Message. Tap + Customer name (or + Business name, and for bookings + Booking code / + Amount due) to fill these in for each customer. If you've chosen Hindi or Marathi, add those versions too.
If the message may go out after the 24-hour chat window has closed, pick an approved WhatsApp template too. How to make one. Templates with a header picture, video or PDF work once the file is added, and so do link and call buttons. If the template's header has a variable, you'll see Header
{{1}}source. If a button's link ends in a variable, you'll see Button "…" link ending source: choose Fixed text and type the end of the link, or Booking code for booking follow-ups. A preview on the right shows the message.Choose when to send
Set the delay, for example Send after the customer's last message by 3 hours. Pick the Send hours (India time) so nobody gets a message at midnight, plus a Daily limit and Max messages per customer.
Check who gets it
The Audience step lists who is Always skipped: customers who sent STOP, blocked customers, customers you've paused the bot for, and anyone who already got a follow-up today.
Review and turn it on
Check the summary (When, Send hours, Daily limit, Audience now). Tick Turn on now and save. You can switch it off or on any time from the list.
Example
storefrontSharma Travels
Vikram turns on Review request, sent 1 day after a trip is marked Completed: "Thank you for travelling with Sharma Travels, {{customerName}}! Please rate us on Google: …". He also turns on Payment reminder 6 hours after he sends a QR.
Good to know
- A follow-up stops itself for a customer when it no longer makes sense. Examples: they messaged again, they booked, the payment was marked paid, or the booking was cancelled.
- Win back and other messages sent after the free window need an approved template. Marketing templates only go to customers who opted in.
- Message templates are managed under Broadcasts, which is turned off by default. If you don't have a usable template and you don't see Broadcasts in the menu, the Message step shows a note instead of Create a template →. Ask ApnaBot support to turn Broadcasts on.
- Each customer gets at most one follow-up a day, across all your follow-ups.
- Open a follow-up from the list to see each message as Sent — free text, Sent — template, Skipped (with the reason) or Failed. Tap Learn more next to a reason to see what it means below.
- Costs: messages sent as a template may be charged by WhatsApp (Meta), billed to your WhatsApp Business account, not ApnaBot. Free-text messages inside the 24-hour window don't use a template.
Why a follow-up was skipped or failed
Each message in a follow-up's list shows why it didn't go out. Most reasons mean things changed and the message wasn't needed any more.
| What the list says | What it means |
|---|---|
| The customer messaged again before it was sent. · The customer booked. · The payment was marked paid. · The booking was cancelled. · The booking is no longer marked completed. · The payment request changed before it was sent. | The follow-up stopped itself because it no longer made sense. Nothing to do. |
| They already got a follow-up today. | Each customer gets at most one follow-up a day, across all your follow-ups. |
| You've blocked this customer. · The bot is paused for this customer. | Blocked customers and customers you paused the bot for are always skipped. To resume the bot, open their chat in Replies and tap Resume bot. |
| The customer sent STOP. | Only the customer can undo this, by sending START or tapping Yes on an opt-in link. What STOP does. |
| The customer hasn't opted in to marketing messages. | Marketing templates, like Win back, only go to customers who opted in. How opt-in links work. |
| The free 24-hour chat window was about to close. · The chat window had closed and there was no approved template to send. | After the chat window closes, WhatsApp only allows an approved template. Edit the follow-up and pick a WhatsApp template in the Message step. Templates ApnaBot can't send yet, for example ones with quick-reply buttons, or a header with no file added, aren't listed. |
| The template's header image, video or PDF is missing. | Add the file under Broadcasts, in Message templates, with Add header media. If you don't see Broadcasts in the menu, ask ApnaBot support to turn it on. |
| The template now has a button or part ApnaBot can't send (for example a quick-reply button). · The template now uses named variables, which ApnaBot can't fill. | The template was changed in WhatsApp Manager. Edit the follow-up and pick another template. |
| The template changed in WhatsApp since this follow-up was saved, so its variables no longer match. | Open the follow-up, pick the template again and fill in its variables. |
| A value the template's header or button needs was empty. | For example a customer with no name and no fallback. Fill in the Fallback or add the name. |
| WhatsApp wasn't connected. | Connect your number again in Settings. |
| WhatsApp didn't accept the message. · Something went wrong while sending. · Sending was interrupted; it won't be retried. | Shown as Failed. If you see many, check that WhatsApp is connected in Settings and that your template is still approved. |
| The customer no longer exists. · The booking no longer exists. | It was deleted before the message was due. |
Related
- Send offers with templates and broadcastsCreate a WhatsApp message template, get it approved by Meta, and send it to everyone, a group, chosen customers or a filtered list.
- Opt-in links, QR posters and STOPAsk customers' permission to send offers with a link or a printed QR poster, and understand what happens when someone sends STOP.
- Manage your bookingsSee every booking request from WhatsApp, update its status, add private notes and record payments.
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