WhatsApp bot examples: 12 flows by industry, with the messages and buttons written out

Most WhatsApp bot examples online are screenshots of a greeting and a menu. That’s the easy part. What you need when you sit down to build one is the whole script: each message, each button label, what happens when the customer types something unexpected, and where a person steps in.

Here are twelve, written out. Five are drawn as chats and seven as step lists. If you’re still deciding between button flows and an AI agent, our WhatsApp chatbot explainer covers that choice and the costs; this page is the scripts.

WhatsApp chatbot buttons: the limits Meta sets

Check these before you write a single label, because a button that’s one character too long won’t send.

Message type	Meta’s limits
Reply buttons	Up to 3 buttons. Label up to 20 characters. Body text up to 1,024 characters. Optional header (text, image, video or document) and a footer of up to 60 characters.
List	Up to 10 rows in total, in up to 10 sections. Row title up to 24 characters, row description up to 72. The button that opens the list: up to 20 characters. Body text up to 4,096 characters.

“Talk to a person” is 16 characters; “Reschedule my appointment” is 25 and won’t fit. Buttons on approved templates follow separate rules, covered in our template examples.

All of these messages can only be sent within 24 hours of the customer’s last message. A tap on a button counts as a message from the customer, so each tap keeps the window open.

Online stores

1. Order status

CV Charu Verma talking to Rangrez Studio

1. Charu Verma:
   where is my order 10:12 am
2. Rangrez Studio:
   Hi Charu, happy to check. Please send your order number. It starts with RS. 10:12 am
3. Charu Verma:
   RS20418 10:13 am
4. Bot looks up RS20418 in the store
5. Rangrez Studio:
   Order RS20418: 2 cotton kurtas, shipped on 2 October, expected by Tuesday 6 October. Anything else? 10:13 am
   • Change address
   • Talk to a person
   • That's all, thanks
6. Charu Verma:
   That's all, thanks 10:14 am

If the number doesn’t match an order, ask once more, then hand over. Don’t loop.

2. Returns

Customer  taps "Return an item" or types "return"
Bot       Sorry it didn't work out. Which order is this about? Please send the order number.
Customer  RS20391
Bot       What went wrong?
          [Wrong size] [Damaged item] [Changed my mind]
Customer  taps "Damaged item"
Bot       Please send one photo of the damage. Our returns desk will reply with the pick-up date today.
Customer  sends a photo
          Tagged: return, damaged. Assigned to the returns desk with order number and photo.

The bot gathers; a person decides. Refund approvals shouldn’t be automated at a small brand, because the exceptions are where customers get angry.

3. COD confirmation

Trigger   the store reports a new cash-on-delivery order
Bot       (utility template) Hi Charu, we've received your COD order RS20455 for ₹1,890. Please confirm so we can ship it.
          [Confirm order] [Cancel order]
Customer  taps "Confirm order"
Bot       Confirmed. It ships tomorrow and you'll get tracking here.
          No tap in 24 hours: tagged "COD unconfirmed" for a phone call before dispatch.

Two cautions. The first message goes to someone who hasn’t written to you, so it has to be an approved template, and it’s billed at the utility rate. And the bot shouldn’t cancel anything in your store by itself: a “Cancel order” tap should land with a person who cancels it properly.

Property and education

4. Real estate enquiry

ES Elango Subramanian talking to Neelgiri Homes

1. Elango Subramanian:
   Hi, price for the Saravanampatti project? 8:41 pm
2. Neelgiri Homes:
   Hi Elango, thanks for asking about Neelgiri Meadows. Which home are you looking at? 8:41 pm
   • 2 BHK
   • 3 BHK
   • Villa plot
3. Elango Subramanian:
   3 BHK 8:42 pm
4. Neelgiri Homes:
   3 BHK homes are 1,480 sq ft and start at ₹92 lakh, all inclusive. Would you like to see the sample flat? 8:42 pm
   • This weekend
   • Next week
   • Call me first
5. Elango Subramanian:
   This weekend 8:43 pm
6. Tagged: 3 BHK · site visit · assigned to the sales executive on duty
7. Neelgiri Homes:
   Noted. Our sales executive will message you tonight to fix the time. 8:43 pm

Our real estate enquiry playbook covers routing and follow-up after this point.

5. Coaching admissions

Parent    hi what is the fees for class 11
Bot       Welcome to Vector Classes, Patna. Which course are you asking about?
          [List button: See courses]
            Class 11 JEE
            Class 11 NEET
            Class 12 JEE
            Class 12 NEET
            Dropper batch
Parent    picks "Class 11 JEE"
Bot       Class 11 JEE: ₹1,18,000 for the year, payable in three instalments. The next batch starts on 2 November.
          [Book a demo class] [Talk to counsellor]
Parent    taps "Book a demo class"
Bot       Please send the student's name and current school.
          Tagged: Class 11 JEE, demo. Assigned to a counsellor.

Five courses won’t fit in three buttons, so this uses a list. The admissions playbook has the follow-up.

Appointments and bookings

6. Clinic appointment

FS Fatima Sheikh talking to Aravali Skin Clinic

1. Fatima Sheikh:
   Need appointment with dr rathore 9:05 am
2. Aravali Skin Clinic:
   Hi Fatima. Dr Rathore sees patients Monday to Saturday. Which day suits you? 9:05 am
   • Tomorrow
   • Later this week
   • Next week
3. Fatima Sheikh:
   Later this week 9:06 am
4. Aravali Skin Clinic:
   And what time of day? 9:06 am
   • Morning
   • Afternoon
   • Evening
5. Fatima Sheikh:
   Morning 9:06 am
6. Sent to the front desk: later this week · morning
7. Aravali Skin Clinic:
   Confirmed: Thursday 8 October, 11:30 am with Dr Rathore. Please bring any earlier prescriptions. 9:14 am

Keep symptoms out of the bot. Ask for a day and a time, nothing medical. Reminders and reschedules are in the clinic playbook.

7. Travel quote

Customer  Kerala package for 4 in December?
Bot       Happy to help plan it. How many nights?
          [3 to 4 nights] [5 to 6 nights] [7 or more]
Customer  taps "5 to 6 nights"
Bot       What's your budget per person, without flights?
          [Under ₹20,000] [₹20,000 to ₹35,000] [Above ₹35,000]
Customer  taps "₹20,000 to ₹35,000"
Bot       Thanks. Please send your travel dates and the city you're starting from. A planner will send two itineraries by tomorrow noon.
          Tagged: Kerala, 4 people, 5 to 6 nights, mid budget. Assigned to a planner.

The quote itself is a person’s job. See the travel playbook.

8. Restaurant reservation

Customer  table for tonight?
Bot       Welcome to Saffron Courtyard. For how many people?
          [2] [3 to 4] [5 or more]
Customer  taps "3 to 4"
Bot       What time would you like?
          [7:30 pm] [8:30 pm] [9:30 pm]
Customer  taps "8:30 pm"
Bot       Please send the name for the booking. We'll confirm in a few minutes.
          Sent to the host desk. The host confirms, or offers the nearest free time.

“5 or more” should go straight to a person. Large tables need a conversation about seating and a deposit.

9. Home service booking

Customer  ac not cooling
Bot       Sorry about that. What do you need?
          [Repair visit] [Regular service] [New installation]
Customer  taps "Repair visit"
Bot       Please share your area and PIN code.
Customer  Dharampeth 440010
Bot       A repair visit in Dharampeth is ₹499, adjusted against any repair. When should the technician come?
          [Today] [Tomorrow] [This weekend]
Customer  taps "Tomorrow"
          Tagged: repair, 440010. Assigned to the dispatcher, who confirms the time slot.

State the visit charge before asking for a slot. It cuts cancellations at the door.

Leads, feedback and questions

10. Lead capture from a click-to-WhatsApp ad

HS Harsimran Sandhu talking to Kitchen Katha Interiors

1. From ad: Modular kitchens, festive offer
2. Harsimran Sandhu:
   Hi, I saw your ad for modular kitchens. Please share details. 6:20 pm
3. Kitchen Katha Interiors:
   Hi Harsimran, thanks for writing in. What shape is your kitchen? 6:20 pm
   • L-shaped
   • Straight or parallel
   • Not sure
4. Harsimran Sandhu:
   L-shaped 6:21 pm
5. Kitchen Katha Interiors:
   L-shaped kitchens start at about ₹1.6 lakh for a 10 by 8 ft layout. A designer can call you with options. When is good? 6:21 pm
   • Today evening
   • Tomorrow morning
   • Just message me
6. Harsimran Sandhu:
   Tomorrow morning 6:22 pm
7. Kitchen Katha Interiors:
   Done. One last thing: may we send you offers on WhatsApp now and then? 6:22 pm
   • Yes, send offers
   • No thanks
8. Harsimran Sandhu:
   No thanks 6:22 pm
9. Tagged: ad lead · L-shaped · call tomorrow morning · no marketing

When a chat starts from an ad on the customer’s phone and you reply within 24 hours, Meta opens a free window of up to 7 days. Our ads guide explains what it covers.

11. Feedback after a job

Trigger   two days after the job is marked done
Bot       (utility template) Hi Harsimran, your kitchen installation was completed on 3 October. Was everything as expected?
          [All good] [Something's wrong]
Customer  taps "Something's wrong"
Bot       Sorry to hear that. Please tell us what happened, with a photo if you can. The site supervisor will call you today.
          Tagged: complaint. Assigned to the supervisor, marked urgent.

A feedback request counts as utility only when it names a specific order or visit. On “All good”, thank them and stop; that’s the moment to ask for a review, once.

12. FAQ answered by an AI agent, with a handoff

DR Dinesh Raman talking to Thirumalai Electronics

1. Dinesh Raman:
   does the 7kg front load washing machine come with installation or extra charge 11:08 pm
2. Thirumalai Electronics:
   Installation is free for washing machines bought from us, within Madurai city limits. Outside the city there is a ₹350 visit charge. The inlet pipe and stand are not included. 11:08 pm
3. Dinesh Raman:
   ok and can i exchange my old semi automatic? how much will i get 11:10 pm
4. Thirumalai Electronics:
   We do take old machines in exchange, but the value depends on the model and condition, and I can't confirm an amount. I've asked the store team to reply with a figure when they open at 10 am. 11:10 pm
5. Handed to store sales with a summary: 7 kg front load, asked about installation (answered), wants exchange value for a semi-automatic

This is the flow buttons can’t do: a long typed question at 11 pm. The agent is only as good as the pages it reads, so the installation policy has to be written down somewhere first.

What makes a WhatsApp support bot bearable

Looking back over the twelve, the same few choices repeat.

• One question per message. Two questions in one bubble get one answer.
• Give the price or the answer early. Flows 4 and 9 state a number in the second or third message.
• Every menu has a way to a person, and typed text that the bot doesn’t understand goes to a person after one retry.
• The bot writes down what it learned. Tags and a short note save the customer from repeating themselves, which is the complaint people have about bots.
• Outside working hours, say when a person will reply. “By 10 am tomorrow” is better than silence.

Count the messages too. Flow 1 does its job in two bot messages and flow 10 in three. Since 1 October 2026 each one is a service message: free for the first 1,000 per business number per month, then ₹0.115 per delivered message in India, before GST. At 1,500 chats a month, a four-message flow sends 6,000 messages and costs about ₹575; padded to eight messages it costs about ₹1,265. Those chat counts are an example, not a benchmark.

Start with one

Pick the flow that matches your most common chat and build only that. Write the messages in a document first, read them aloud, and check every button label against the 20-character limit. Then run it after closing time for a week and read every conversation it had. Terms such as service message and customer service window are in the glossary.