Services · WhatsApp chatbot
A WhatsApp chatbot for your small business
A WhatsApp chatbot for Australian small businesses: answers questions, takes bookings and hands over to you. How it works, Meta's rules and what it costs.
A WhatsApp chatbot answers the messages customers send to your business on WhatsApp, at any hour, from the information you approve. It replies to the everyday questions, works out what each person needs, takes bookings or quote requests where it can, and passes the conversation to you when a person should take it. With Realtiq it is part of the chat assistant, so the same answers also work on your website, Instagram, Facebook, email and SMS.
For many customers, WhatsApp is simply the easiest way to reach a business: no forms, no hold music, and the conversation stays in their pocket. The catch is that someone has to answer, and fast. That is the job the chatbot does.
What it does on WhatsApp
- Answers the repeated questions. Prices, hours, location, parking, service areas, what to bring, how long a job takes: whatever you give it, in your tone.
- Works out the enquiry. It asks one question at a time, the way a good receptionist would, until it knows what the customer needs.
- Books and collects. It takes bookings, appointment requests and quote details, with a name and a way to reach the customer. Photos customers send stay in the thread for you to see.
- Hands over. Complaints, negotiations, anything unusual and anything you have not approved go to a person, with a summary so nobody asks the customer twice.
- Stays on script. It answers from the information you approved and does not invent prices, discounts or promises.
The WhatsApp Business app or a chatbot?
If you or one person on your team can answer every message within the hour, the free WhatsApp Business app is often enough. It has a business profile, a catalogue, quick replies and greeting and away messages. Our WhatsApp Business setup guide walks through it.
A chatbot starts to make sense when:
| Sign | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Messages arrive after hours and go cold by morning | Customers book with whoever answers first |
| Most chats start with the same five questions | The answers can be written once and reused |
| Several people need to see the conversations | One phone with the app becomes a bottleneck |
| Bookings should land in your calendar | Someone retypes every enquiry by hand |
A chatbot runs on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform rather than only on the app on your phone. Whether you can keep using the app on the same number depends on your setup, and we confirm it before anything changes.
Meta's rules, in plain terms
WhatsApp is Meta's platform, so a few of its rules shape how any WhatsApp chatbot works. These come from Meta's own documentation; check the current version, because Meta updates it.
- The 24-hour window. According to Meta's WhatsApp pricing documentation, when a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens, and each new message from them restarts it. Inside that window the chatbot can reply freely. Outside it, a business can only send pre-approved template messages.
- Messages are charged per message. Meta has charged per delivered message since 1 July 2025, by category: marketing, utility and authentication templates, plus service replies inside the window. From 1 October 2026 Meta charges service messages again, after a free tier of 1,000 service messages per business phone number per month. Those fees are Meta's, not ours, and they are listed in your proposal.
- AI as part of your service. Meta's terms for the WhatsApp Business Platform restrict providers whose AI is the primary product being offered, rather than incidental or ancillary to it, and Meta decides how that applies. A chatbot that answers questions about your own business sits on the customer service side of that line.
- Marketing messages need consent. In Australia, commercial electronic messages fall under the Spam Act, and the ACMA's guidance covers consent, identifying your business and offering an unsubscribe. Answering a customer who messaged you is different from sending promotions. This is general information, not legal advice; for your situation, consult your adviser.
How setup works
- We talk. You tell us the questions you get on WhatsApp, what should happen with each one, and who should be alerted when a person is needed.
- We write what it knows. Your answers, prices, hours and handover rules, written in your tone and checked by you.
- Your account, in your name. The WhatsApp Business account and any Meta accounts are set up in your name, so they stay yours.
- You test it. You try to trip it up before a customer sees it, and we adjust until you are happy.
- Live, then tuned. We review conversations with you and sharpen the answers where they need it.
What it costs
WhatsApp is one of the channels of the chat assistant, so there is no separate WhatsApp fee from Realtiq. One setup fee and one monthly fee cover every channel you choose: WhatsApp, your website chat, Instagram, Facebook, email, SMS and missed-call text back.
Prices in Australian dollars. Every proposal is confirmed in writing before we start.
Meta's per-message fees and any third party accounts are set up in your name and listed in the proposal. Calendar, CRM and other integrations are scoped and quoted separately. The full details are on the AI chatbot page, and our guide to what an AI chatbot costs a small business explains what to compare between quotes. If Instagram is your busier inbox, see replying to Instagram DMs.
Common questions
What is a WhatsApp chatbot?
It is an assistant connected to your business's WhatsApp that replies to customer messages automatically, from information you approve, and hands the conversation to a person when it needs one.
Can I keep my current WhatsApp number?
Often, yes, but it depends on how the number is set up today. We check that on the first call before anything is moved, so you know exactly what changes.
Does a WhatsApp chatbot cost extra in Meta fees?
Meta charges per message on its WhatsApp Business Platform, with a monthly free tier for service replies on each number. Those fees are Meta's, paid in your name, and we list them in the proposal.
Can it send promotions to my customers?
It can send approved template messages, but promotional messages need the customer's consent under Australian spam rules and Meta's own policies. Most businesses start with answering incoming messages, which is where the chatbot does most of its work.
Will customers know they are talking to a chatbot?
It says it is an AI assistant if a customer asks, and it hands over to a person rather than guessing.
Talk it through, 15 minutes
Book a 15 minute call to see how a chat assistant would answer your WhatsApp, or try the live chat first.