How to create an AI agent that replies to customer messages

Step by step

Create the agent

1. In the left menu, open AI Agents and click the Conversation AI tab.
2. Click Create Bot in the top-right corner.
3. Choose Guided Form Based Setup. It's the simplest option: you don't need to write technical instructions.
4. Choose the agent type: General Q&A or Appointment Booking. Click Continue.
5. Pick a brand voice from the list (or create a new one). You can click Edit to adjust the tone.

Agent settings

1. In Bot Name, enter a name that's easy to recognize (for example, "WhatsApp Support").
2. In Preferred Channels, check the channels where the agent should reply.
3. In Bot Initial Message, write the first message the agent sends. If you leave it blank, it uses a generic greeting.
4. In Wait Time Before Responding, set how many seconds the agent waits before sending its reply.
5. Click Next.

What the agent should do

1. In Information Collection, choose the details the agent should ask for: name, email, phone, street address, city.
2. In Custom Questions / Objectives, add the goals (for example, ask which service they need, or ask a yes/no question to qualify). Turn on Skip if Already Filled so it doesn't ask for what the CRM already knows.
3. If you chose appointment booking, turn on booking and pick the calendar. See the article on booking appointments with AI for details.
4. Optional: in Email Notification Settings, turn on the email alert for when the agent doesn't know the answer and choose who receives it.
5. Optional: turn on Conversation Summary to generate a summary when the conversation goes quiet.
6. Click Save.

Turn the agent on

1. A confirmation window appears. The agent starts Off and doesn't reply to anyone yet.
2. Click Test Your Bot and ask questions as if you were a customer.
3. Pick the mode: Suggestive (the AI drafts and your team sends) or Auto-Pilot (the AI replies on its own).
4. Click Save and Close.
5. To confirm it works, send a message from another phone to one of the chosen channels and check the reply in Conversations.