Build your own AI chatbot for WhatsApp — step by step

Your customers already message you on WhatsApp. A chatbot is not a Silicon Valley toy here — it is an after-hours receptionist that never sleeps, as long as you keep the answers honest.

What you are actually building

Not a robot that pretends to be you. A helper that answers the same five questions you already type every day: price, hours, location, “do you have stock?”, and “how do I pay?”.

The no-code route

1. Write those five answers in a Google Doc, in the language your customers use.
2. Pick a WhatsApp business tool that lets you connect an AI assistant (ManyChat, Respond.io, or your current Business App’s catalogue).

Automate routine messages with automated replies you type every day.

For privacy, consider a local AI model running offline.

3. Paste the answers as the bot’s “knowledge”. Tell it: never invent a price. If it is unsure, say a human will reply in the morning.
4. Test with your own phone. Ask weird questions on purpose.
5. Only then share the number on your status.

If a tool asks you to write code, close it. You do not need it for this job.

The rule that keeps you out of trouble

Never let the bot take a payment promise or a medical / legal answer. WhatsApp is for routing. Money and advice stay with you.

When it works, you will notice it on Monday morning: fewer “hi, are you open?” messages, and more “I want the red one, how do I pay?”. That is the point.