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Visual Bot Builder & Interactive Flows

Summary​

The Visual Bot Builder allows your organization to design intelligent, multi-step conversation flows using official WhatsApp native interactive components—such as Clickable Quick-Reply Buttons and Interactive List Menus. With an intuitive drag-and-drop canvas requiring zero coding, your team can automate customer intake, provide self-service FAQ navigation, qualify sales leads, and route inquiries to human agents 24 hours a day.

All bot flows are created and managed under Automations → Bot Builder (/dashboard/automation/flows).

Accessing the Bot Builder​

  1. In the top navigation bar, click Automation.
  2. In the left-hand navigation sidebar under Automations, select Bot Builder (or Automation Flows).
  3. The interface provides three main sections:
    • Your Flows: The directory of all active and drafted bot flows organized by folder.
    • Templates Gallery: A library of ready-to-launch conversational templates tailored for common business workflows.
    • Visual Canvas: The interactive flowchart editor where you build, connect, and inspect flow blocks.

WhatsApp Native Interactive Components​

To ensure an intuitive experience on mobile devices, WhatsApp provides two official interactive message formats fully supported in Wabixo's Bot Builder:

Component TypeTechnical LimitsRecommended Use Cases
Interactive ButtonsUp to 3 clickable buttons per message block.
Maximum 20 characters per button title.		High-level menu navigation (e.g., [Sales], [Support], [Book Now]), binary confirmation questions ([Yes], [No]), or immediate actions.
Interactive List MenusUp to 10 selectable options grouped into sections.
Each option supports a title (up to 24 characters) and an optional subtitle description (up to 72 characters).		Service menus, branch/store selectors, detailed product categories, or extensive FAQ topics.

Canvas Guide: Draggable Flow Blocks​

When designing a flow in the visual editor, open the Flow Elements drawer on the left to drag blocks onto the canvas:

1. Message Blocks​

  • Text Reply: Sends a formatted text response with personalized customer attributes (e.g., customer name) and emojis.
  • Interactive Buttons: Sends a message with up to 3 tappable button choices. Each button has an output port that connects to a subsequent step.
  • Interactive List Menus: Sends a structured popup menu with up to 10 selectable items organized into clean sections.
  • Send Media: Automatically delivers a product image, video demonstration, or PDF brochure with an accompanying text caption.
  • WhatsApp Template: Inserts a pre-approved Meta message template into the conversation.

2. Action Blocks (Automation Logic)​

  • Tag Action: Automatically applies a chosen tag to the customer's profile when they traverse this step (e.g., tagging the customer as "VIP Prospect" or "Appointment Requested").
  • Assignment Action (Human Handover): Automatically routes the conversation to a specific human agent or departmental team group, simultaneously alerting the assigned team in the Team Inbox.
  • HTTP Request (Webhook): Dispatches live customer data to an external REST API or webhook endpoint (e.g., sending appointment details to an external booking system).
  • Jump to Bot: Seamlessly transitions the customer from the current bot flow into another distinct flow (e.g., jumping from a Main Menu bot into a specialized Warranty Claim bot).

Step-by-Step: Building a Bot Flow​

Step 1: Create or Select a Flow​

  1. Click + Add Flow (or pick a starter layout from the Templates Gallery).
  2. Enter a descriptive Flow Title (e.g., Customer Welcome & Intake Bot).
  3. Select or create an organizational folder to keep your flows organized.

Step 2: Configure the Starting Message (Root Node)​

  1. Click the first node on the canvas to open the Node Inspector side panel.
  2. In the inspector:
    • Header (Optional): Add a bold text headline or an illustrative image banner.
    • Body Text: Type your primary welcome message (e.g., "Welcome to Wabixo! Please select an option below so we can direct you to the right department.").
    • Footer Text (Optional): Add helpful guidance (e.g., "Tap a button below to choose").
  3. Select your interactive element: choose Buttons or List Menu.

Step 3: Add Choices & Connect Child Nodes​

  1. In the node inspector, add your button titles (e.g., Button 1: Pricing & Plans, Button 2: Support & FAQs, Button 3: Speak to Agent).
  2. On the canvas, each button displays a circular connection port.
  3. Drag a line from a button's connection port to another node:
    • Connect Pricing & Plans to a Send Media block containing your PDF pricing sheet.
    • Connect Support & FAQs to an Interactive List Menu listing top support topics.
    • Connect Speak to Agent to an Assignment Action block targeting your Support Team Group.

Step 4: Validate & Save​

  1. Review your flow connections on the canvas. Wabixo provides an automatic validation check to ensure no button ports are left disconnected.
  2. Click Save Flow.

Linking Flows to Inbound Triggers​

Once your bot flow is saved, you can activate it through multiple entry points:

  • Default Action: Set your flow as the automatic Welcome Message for all new incoming customer conversations.
  • Keyword Trigger: Link the flow to a specific word like "START", "MENU", or "BOOK" under Keyword Actions.
  • Click-to-WhatsApp Ads: Connect the flow directly to an ad campaign so customers who tap your Facebook or Instagram ad immediately launch the flow.

Wabixo includes pre-designed, battle-tested bot flow templates ready for instant deployment:

  • Lead Qualification Bot: Collects company size, budget, and contact requirements before handing off to sales.
  • Service Appointment Booking: Guides customers through service selection, location choice, and preferred appointment timing.
  • FAQ Navigator: Organizes complex support knowledge into clean, hierarchical list menus.
  • Post-Service Feedback: Automatically surveys customers and captures satisfaction ratings.

Customer Troubleshooting & FAQs​

Problem: Interactive buttons do not display on a customer's phone​

  • Why it happens: Very outdated versions of WhatsApp or certain desktop web clients may occasionally render interactive buttons as numbered text options.
  • How to fix it: Meta automatically provides native text fallbacks for older devices. Ensure your button titles are concise (under 20 characters) so they display cleanly on modern smartphone screens.

Problem: A customer typed a manual message instead of tapping a button​

  • Why it happens: Some customers ignore clickable buttons and type their question as free-form text.
  • How to fix it: Ensure you have configured the Unrecognized Interaction Fallback under Default Actions or enabled the autonomous AI Agent to handle unscripted customer questions.

Problem: Customers feel trapped in endless bot menus​

  • Why it happens: The flow loops back to previous steps without giving customers an option to reach a human.
  • How to fix it: Always include a clearly labeled button (such as "Talk to Human" or "Agent") connected to an Assignment Action block in every major menu node.