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Automations

WhatsApp automation that answers while your hands are full.

WhatsApp automation means replies and tasks that run on their own when a customer writes, a shop order changes or a set time comes. In Haiya, the WhatsApp Business platform for small businesses and teams, owners and admins build automations on the web in a visual builder, try them in a test console and switch them on. The iPhone and Android apps use and watch them: start one from a chat, see what it did and take over at any time.

  • Built in a visual builder on the web; used and watched in the iPhone and Android apps
  • Start from a gallery of ready-made automations, or from a blank canvas
  • 2 active automations on Hobby and 10 on Professional; drafts never count
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3-day free trial on every plan, through the App Store or Google Play. Meta bills its message fees to you directly, with no Haiya markup.

Takeaway cook checking his phone behind the counter, with a late WhatsApp message answered by an automatic reply

Built on the official WhatsApp Business API

What is WhatsApp automation?

WhatsApp automation is a set of steps that runs by itself on a WhatsApp Business number: a trigger starts it, such as a keyword, a customer's first message or an event from your shop, and the steps reply, ask questions, wait, choose a path and hand the chat to a person. The WhatsApp Business app offers a greeting message and an away message; the official WhatsApp Business API lets a platform such as Haiya run multi-step automations for a whole team. A WhatsApp chatbot is one kind of automation: one that holds a conversation.

Automatic messages in the WhatsApp Business app, compared with automations on the API with Haiya
WhatsApp Business appAutomations with Haiya
What starts itA customer's first message, or a message after 14 days with no chat (the greeting message)A keyword, a first message, a message about a topic, a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, a completed form, a schedule, a teammate, a lead changing stage, or your own system calling Haiya
Where it runsOn the phone, which needs a stable internet connection to send itOn the WhatsApp Business API, through Haiya, with no phone that has to stay on
What it can doSend one message you wroteSeveral steps: send, ask with buttons or a form, wait, choose a path, tag, create a lead, call another system, hand over
Who builds itWhoever holds the phoneOwners and admins, on the web; agents start a published automation from a chat
Woman at a desk working on a laptop in a calm home office, beside the steps of a WhatsApp automation built in Haiya

Visual builder

Draw the automation step by step in the web dashboard.

Pick what starts the automation, then add steps on a canvas: send a message or an approved template, ask a question with buttons or a list, wait, check a condition, tag the customer, create or move a lead, and hand the chat to a teammate or to the AI agent. Building and editing happen in the web dashboard; publishing makes the automation run on the numbers you choose.

  • Up to 10 triggers can start the same automation
  • Choose which of your WhatsApp numbers each automation runs on
  • Haiya lists anything that would stop the automation working before you publish it

Test console and runs

Try it before a customer ever sees it, then see what it did.

In the test console you type what a customer might send, and Haiya shows which trigger would start and which path the automation would take, without sending anything. A dry run walks every step with a sample customer, and "Test on my phone" sends the real messages to your own number. Once it is live, every run is listed with the steps it took.

  • Tests use the saved draft, so the published version keeps working meanwhile
  • A dry run calls your own system only when you ask it to
  • Each run shows the path it took and why it stopped
Man in a light blue shirt on a call at his desk with a laptop, beside a ready-made automation from the Haiya gallery

Gallery

Start from a ready-made automation instead of a blank canvas.

The gallery holds automations built by the Haiya team: a main menu, lead capture, callback, quotation, appointment and site-visit requests, FAQ answers, opening hours, opt-out words, abandoned-cart reminders and order status updates. Use one as it is and change only its settings, or customise a copy and make it your own.

  • One used as it is keeps receiving the Haiya team's updates
  • A customised copy is yours to edit and is no longer updated
  • Entries come with the WhatsApp forms they need
Tailor on a phone call at his cutting table, with a WhatsApp form for measurements and the answers it returned

WhatsApp forms

Ask with a WhatsApp form that opens inside the chat.

A WhatsApp form (Meta calls it a Flow) opens inside the customer's chat, with screens, fields and choices, and the answers come back to the automation. Use one for a booking, a short survey, an order request or a lead's details, then let the next steps act on the answers.

  • A form's answers become values the next steps can use
  • A completed form can start another automation
  • Teammates can also send a form from a chat in the iPhone and Android apps
More about WhatsApp forms
Online seller writing an order slip between shipping boxes and a rail of shirts, beside a WhatsApp chat about an order

Call another system

Send data to your own system and use its reply.

The "Call another system" step calls your website or software over HTTPS and saves parts of its reply for the next steps, such as an order's status or a booking reference. Its address and key are kept in a Custom HTTP connected account, never inside the automation. The other way round, your system or your shop can start an automation by calling a webhook address Haiya gives you.

  • Haiya calls only public web addresses
  • If your system does not answer in time, Haiya does not send the call again by itself
  • Looking up a WooCommerce order is a ready-made step of its own
Connect your own system with Custom HTTP

Use and watch automations from your phone.

Automations are built and changed on the web. In the iPhone and Android apps your team uses them in the conversations where they run.

Start one from a chat
Pick a published automation and start it for the customer you are talking to.
Send a WhatsApp form
Send a form from the chat and see the answers when the customer sends it back.
See what is running
See the automations running for a customer, and stop one when you need to.
Take over, then hand back
Your reply ends the automation in that chat. Hand the chat back when you are done.
Build on the web
The builder, the gallery and the test console are in the web dashboard.

How to set up WhatsApp automation in Haiya.

Three steps in the web dashboard, once your number is connected.

  1. Pick a ready-made automation or start blank

    In the web dashboard, open Automations and choose an entry from the gallery, or start from an empty canvas and choose what starts it.

    New automation dialog offering ready-made automations or a blank canvas, with a name field
    Pick a ready-made automation or start blank; it stays a draft until you publish.

  2. Build it and test it

    Add the steps, then try it in the test console or on your own phone. Nothing reaches a customer until you publish.

  3. Publish it and watch it work

    Choose the numbers it runs on and switch it on. Follow its runs on the web and in the apps, and change it whenever you need.

WhatsApp automation rules and limits.

Some rules come from Meta and apply on every platform. Others are how Haiya keeps a person in charge. One limit is Haiya's plan limit.

  • Each number has one first answerer

    For each WhatsApp number you choose who answers customers first: the team, automations or the AI agent. Triggers that read what a customer writes start only on numbers where automations answer first. Triggers set off by an event, such as a completed form or a schedule, always start.

  • A teammate's reply takes over

    When a teammate sends a message in a chat, the automation running there stops. Triggers that read customer messages then stay quiet in that chat for 24 hours after the teammate's last message, unless someone hands the chat back sooner.

  • Templates outside the 24-hour window

    A business can answer in its own words for 24 hours after the customer's last message. After that, and to start a conversation, an automation can send only a message template that Meta has approved.

  • People must opt in first

    WhatsApp requires a business to get a person's agreement before messaging them. Haiya always skips opted-out contacts in marketing sends, and an automation that opens with a marketing template to people who have not written in asks the owner to confirm, on record, that they agreed.

  • Meta charges for the messages an automation sends

    Messages an automation sends are WhatsApp messages like any other. Meta charges per delivered message, by category, and each number has a monthly free tier of 1,000 service messages. Meta bills your business directly; Haiya adds no markup.

  • Haiya's limit: active automations

    Each plan sets how many automations can be switched on at the same time: 2 on Hobby and 10 on Professional; the plan table below shows Business. Drafts never count. At the limit nothing is switched off; you simply cannot switch on one more.

WhatsApp automation examples by business.

Most of these start from a ready-made automation in the gallery.

  • Shops: abandoned-cart reminders

    When a Shopify or WooCommerce checkout is left unpaid, an approved template reminds the customer after 30 minutes and again after a day, and the reminders stop as soon as the order comes in.

  • Restaurants: opening hours

    A customer who writes HOURS, or writes for the first time, gets your opening times at once, so nobody waits in silence.

  • Clinics and salons: appointment requests

    Collect the customer's details and preferred time, file an appointment request for the team, then confirm and remind them of the time you agree.

  • Property: site visits

    A WhatsApp form asks which property and when, files a site visit request for an agent, and the pipeline gets stages from visit booked to follow-up.

  • Services: quotation requests

    Collect what the customer needs and file a lead and a quote request. A person sets the price; the automation never does.

  • Any business: a main menu

    Greet a customer who says hi or MENU and let them choose with three buttons, such as prices, delivery or talking to a person.

Who it is for

Haiya suits you if

  • You answer the same questions every day and want them answered at once
  • You run the business yourself or with a small team and want WhatsApp handled while you work
  • You can sit at a computer to build an automation, then follow it from your phone
  • Your shop or your own system should message customers when something happens

Look elsewhere if

  • You want to build and edit automations only on a phone
  • You want to message people who never agreed to hear from you
  • You need one automation tool for email, SMS and other channels too

Which plans include it

What each Haiya plan includes for this feature
FeatureHobbyProfessionalBusinessCustom
Active automationsAutomations switched on at the same time. You can build and keep as many drafts as you like; only the ones running count.210UnlimitedCustom
Visual automation builderDraw what should happen when a message arrives: greet, ask a question, route to a teammate. Built in the web dashboard.IncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded
Automations in the mobile appsYou build and edit automations on the web. The iPhone and Android apps run them and show you what each one did.Run and watchRun and watchRun and watchRun and watch
Test console and run historyTry an automation safely before it goes live, then see every time it ran and what it did.IncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded
Gallery of ready-made automationsAutomations built by the Haiya team that you can switch on and adjust instead of starting from nothing.IncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded
WhatsApp formsA form that opens inside the WhatsApp chat, for orders, bookings or sign-ups. The customer never leaves the conversation.IncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded
Call your own system from an automationAn automation step that sends data to, or fetches it from, your own website or software over HTTP.IncludedIncludedIncludedIncluded

Compare every plan

Teams using it

Reviews on Trustpilot

What customers say about Haiya.

Written by businesses that use Haiya, on Haiya's public Trustpilot page. Each one links to the original review.

  • At Zinen Technologies Ltd we use Haiya every day, and it has made team communication much easier. When a WhatsApp message comes in, we assign the lead to the right team member. From there, they can create a quote, send an invoice and even request payment through M-Pesa, all in one place. This has helped us a lot. We’re very satisfied and looking forward to more features.

    James MwangiDirector, Zinen Technologies, KenyaTrustpilot,
    Read the storyZinen Technologies

  • Already use Haiya?

    Tell other teams how it went

    Read every review on Trustpilot · 1 review

Automations work with the rest of Haiya.

An automation starts the work. These are the parts that carry it on.

Connect it to your tools

Each one shows how it connects to Haiya. See all integrations

  • Custom HTTP

    Save your system's https address and key once as a Custom HTTP account, then call it from any automation with the Call another system step and keep parts of its reply. Your system can also start an automation by calling an incoming-webhook URL.

    • Built in

  • WooCommerce

    Two separate things. A built-in, read-only connector lets an automation look up a WooCommerce order by number, phone or email. Abandoned-cart and order events reach Haiya by webhook, set up in WordPress.

    • Built in: order lookup
    • Via API and webhooks: cart and order events

  • Shopify

    Shopify sends checkout and order events to a Haiya automation through webhooks you create in Shopify admin, and the automation sends your approved WhatsApp template to the customer. There is no Shopify app to install.

    • Via API and webhooks

  • Zapier

    There is no published Zapier app for Haiya. Haiya posts its eight business events to a Zapier Catch Hook URL, and a Zap can start a Haiya automation by calling an incoming-webhook URL.

    • Via API and webhooks

  • Make

    The same mechanism as Zapier, with Make's Custom webhook. Haiya posts its eight business events to the webhook's address, and a scenario starts a Haiya automation by calling an incoming-webhook URL. There is no Make module.

    • Via API and webhooks

  • n8n

    The same mechanism as Zapier, with n8n's Webhook node. Haiya posts its eight business events to the node's address, and a workflow starts a Haiya automation by calling an incoming-webhook URL. There is no n8n node for Haiya.

    • Via API and webhooks

Questions about WhatsApp automation and chatbots.

Meta sets and bills its own message fees. From Meta's rate card, .

What is WhatsApp automation?

WhatsApp automation is a set of steps that runs by itself on a WhatsApp Business number when something happens, such as a keyword, a customer's first message or a shop order changing. The steps send messages, ask questions, wait, choose a path and hand the chat to a person. In Haiya you build automations on the web and your team uses and watches them in the iPhone and Android apps.

Can I automate WhatsApp messages without the API?

Partly. The WhatsApp Business app can send a greeting message and an away message from the phone, which needs an internet connection to send them. Automations with several steps, WhatsApp forms and calls to your own system need the official WhatsApp Business API, through a platform such as Haiya.

What is the difference between a WhatsApp chatbot and WhatsApp automation?

A WhatsApp chatbot is an automation that holds a conversation: it asks and answers. Automation is wider and also covers reminders, order updates and handing work to your team. In Haiya, an automation follows the steps you draw. Haiya AI's AI agent is separate: it answers customers from your own knowledge on the numbers where you put it first, and an automation can hand a chat to it.

Can I build WhatsApp automations on my phone?

No. In Haiya, automations are built and changed in the web dashboard. The iPhone and Android apps use them: a teammate can start a published automation from a chat, send a WhatsApp form, see what is running for a customer, stop it, and hand the chat back after taking over.

Is WhatsApp automation allowed?

Yes, when it runs on the official WhatsApp Business API, messages only people who agreed to hear from you and starts conversations with approved templates. Tools that automate the WhatsApp app or WhatsApp Web from a personal number are against WhatsApp's terms. Haiya uses only the official API, and Meta's policies still apply to what your automations send.

How much does WhatsApp automation cost with Haiya?

Automations are included on every Haiya plan, from $8 a month; the plans differ in how many automations can be switched on at once. Separately, Meta charges per delivered message, by category, and each number has a monthly free tier of 1,000 service messages. Meta bills your business directly, and Haiya adds no markup.

Can I test an automation before customers see it?

Yes. In the test console you type what a customer might send and see which trigger would start and which path it would take, with nothing sent. A dry run walks every step with a sample customer, and "Test on my phone" sends the real messages to your own number. Nothing reaches a customer until you publish.

Can an automation send data to my own system or my shop?

Yes. The "Call another system" step calls your system over HTTPS and saves parts of its reply, and your system can start an automation by calling a webhook address. WooCommerce order lookup is built in. Shopify and WooCommerce cart and order events reach Haiya by webhook and drive ready-made reminder and order-update automations. Zapier, Make and n8n connect through Haiya's API and webhooks, using their own webhook steps.

What happens when a customer wants to talk to a person?

An automation can hand the chat to a teammate at any step, for example when the customer taps a button for a person. And whenever a teammate replies, the automation stops in that chat, so the person always wins. The team can hand the chat back to automations when they are done.

Build your first WhatsApp automation.

Start in the app today: 3 days free, then from $8 a month. Build on the web, watch from your phone.

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Smiling market trader in a white hijab at her fruit stall, beside a WhatsApp chat about an order of pawpaw