WhatsApp Auto Replies That Answer From Your FAQ Sheet
A WhatsApp auto reply usually means a fixed greeting or away message. AeroChat reads what the customer actually asked and answers it from your website, your uploaded documents and a Google Sheet of FAQs and prices. Questions it cannot answer go to a second tab in the same sheet, so you know what to add next.
What happens today
The WhatsApp Business app lets you set one greeting, one away message and a few quick replies. The customer still waits for a person to answer the real question about price, stock or opening hours.
The same ten questions arrive every day. Someone types the answers again, and when a price changes, the old one keeps going out from saved replies.
How it runs on WhatsApp
- A customer asks a question on WhatsApp, in any language.
- AeroChat reads your FAQ sheet in Google Sheets and the pages it was trained on, and finds the answer.
- It replies in the customer’s language, with the current price or policy from the sheet.
- If the answer is not there, it says your team will follow up and writes the question, the customer’s number and the time to an Unanswered tab in the sheet.
- If the customer asks for a person, it hands the conversation to your team in the AeroChat inbox.
- When you add the answer to the sheet, AeroChat uses it from the next conversation.
The recipe
Copy this into AeroChat
When a customer asks a question on WhatsApp, follow these steps.
- Look for the answer in the FAQ tab of our Google Sheet Customer FAQs (example), then in our website pages.
- Answer with the price, stock or policy exactly as written in the sheet. Do not round or guess prices.
- If you cannot find the answer, tell them our team will reply during opening hours, 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday (example).
- Add a row to the Unanswered tab with the date, their phone number or email, and their question word for word.
- If they ask for a person, hand the conversation to the support team.
Keep answers to three sentences or fewer unless they ask for more detail. Reply in the customer’s language.
Use your own sheet name, tab names and opening hours.
Connect the systems behind it
- Google Sheets: holds your FAQs and price list for AeroChat to read, and the Unanswered tab it writes to.
- Notion: if your team keeps its FAQs and policies in a Notion page or database, AeroChat reads the answer from there.
- HubSpot: when a question needs a person, AeroChat logs it on the contact so your team sees what was asked.
Your website is the other source. AeroChat trains on its pages, and on Shopify or WordPress it also reads your products directly. Google Sheets connects by signing in with a Google account.
Using a different system? If it has a public API, it connects to AeroChat the same way: describe what you want, paste in its key, and it runs.
Can’t find your tool? Message us in the chat on this page and we’ll tell you how it connects.
What it costs on WhatsApp
Customer questions cost nothing to receive. Each auto reply inside the 24-hour customer service window is a service message: free up to 1,000 a month per business phone number, then charged per message. No template is needed because every reply answers a message the customer just sent. Rates vary by country and are set in Meta’s rate cards. AeroChat passes Meta’s WhatsApp fees through at cost. One complete answer instead of a greeting followed by a separate reply means fewer messages, which now saves money once you pass the free tier.
Also on Instagram, Messenger, TikTok and web chat
Your FAQ sheet answers the same questions on every channel. The same workflow runs on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok (direct messages and TikTok Shop buyer chat), Telegram, the chat on your website and email, with the same connections behind it. You describe it once and switch on the channels you use.
Who uses it
Retail and service businesses run it, including fashion stores, beauty stores, dental clinics, hair and beauty salons, spas, hotels, restaurants and caterers, tuition centres, property agents, aircon and home services and B2B suppliers.
Read more: how to set an automatic reply in WhatsApp.
Questions
How do I set up an automatic reply on WhatsApp Business?
In the WhatsApp Business app you can set a greeting and an away message under business tools. For replies that answer the actual question, connect your number to AeroChat through embedded signup and give it your FAQs, website and sheet.
Are WhatsApp auto replies free?
Replies sent within 24 hours of the customer’s last message are free up to 1,000 a month per business number. After that each reply is charged per message, at a rate that depends on the country. AeroChat passes Meta’s fees through at cost.
Can it reply in more than one language?
Yes. It replies in the customer’s language, including mixed languages such as Singlish and Manglish, from the same FAQ sheet.
Which plan do I need?
Workflows via Skills are on every plan, Free included. Starter gives 500 AI responses and 3 seats. Growth gives 2,000 AI responses and 10 seats, and adds payment links and broadcasts. Advanced gives 5,000 AI responses and 25 seats.
Turn your FAQ list into replies that answer
Put your top questions in a sheet, connect it, and send your own number a test question.
Start your 7-day free trial. No credit card needed.
On Shopify? Install AeroChat from the Shopify App Store.
Related: customer service from your own records and after-hours replies.