"Bot or people?" is the wrong question. The right question is who does what. Good automation answers what keeps repeating and collects the first details; people handle what needs judgment, sensitivity or a decision. This article breaks that split down and shows how to set it up on WhatsApp without frustrating customers.
Two different tools: a menu bot and an AI agent
A menu bot works like a phone menu: the customer picks a topic, answers a few questions and reaches the right department. On WhatsApp the choices are buttons and lists; on other channels they are numbered options. The bot is predictable and precise, because it is built only from the options you define. In Whapiz you set it up on the "Queues & Chatbot" screen, and it works on WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and Telegram.
An AI agent answers in natural language, based on what you've taught it about your business. It can hold a free conversation ("Direct AI") or run a structured intake with questions and buttons ("AI Chatbot"). In Whapiz the AI agent answers customers on WhatsApp, is configured on the AI Settings screen, and is available on plans that include AI.
There is also a third tool that works behind the scenes: an AI assistant for agents. In the message box, an agent can ask for "AI Suggestions" for a reply, a "Conversation Summary" of a long thread, or "Sales Opportunities", and the agent decides what to send.
What to hand over to a WhatsApp bot and AI
- Greeting and routing. Ask what it's about and send it to the right department, before an agent steps in.
- Questions that keep coming back. Opening hours, address, parking, what to bring, how a process works. Information that is already written down somewhere.
- Collecting details. Name, type of request, dates, order number. The agent receives a ready conversation, without five rounds of "could I have your details?".
- Answers outside business hours. The customer gets a reply right away, and the details are collected while the 24-hour window is still open.
- Opening a task for the team. The AI agent can gather what it collected into a task, so no enquiry lives only inside the chat.
- Pointing to ready-made material. A link to your website, a document or an image that explains a process, instead of typing it out again in every conversation.
What to leave to a person
- Complaints and anger. A frustrated customer needs someone who listens and can decide.
- Prices, discounts and exceptions. Anything that needs negotiation or approval.
- Decisions that carry responsibility. Cancellations, refunds and exceptions to policy.
- Sensitive topics. Health, personal circumstances, information people don't want to type to a bot.
- Any customer who asks for a human. No arguing, and no "just one more question".
Handoff to an agent: the part most worth getting right
The best bot will fail if it has no clear way out. In Whapiz there are several layers:
- In the AI agent's Handoff Rules you define when to pass the conversation to a person: when someone asks about price, when there's a complaint, when the customer asks for an agent, when the AI can't help, or according to a rule you write yourself.
- In the menu bot you add an option that takes the customer straight to an agent.
- In the Handoff Message you tell the customer what happens next, for example that an agent will get back to them during business hours.
- It also helps to make clear from the start that the customer is talking to an automated assistant and can ask for an agent at any time. You can say so in the greeting message.
- Once an agent takes the conversation, the AI agent stops answering in it. The customer deals with one party, not two at once.
An example: an enquiry at 10 p.m.
A customer writes on WhatsApp at ten at night: "Hi, can I book a meeting for next week?". The menu bot shows buttons: "Book a meeting", "Question about an existing order" and "Agent". The customer picks the meeting option, and the AI agent asks for their name, what they need and which days suit them. It then tells the customer that an agent will get back to them tomorrow morning to confirm, and opens a task for the team with all the details.
In the morning an agent accepts the conversation, sees the details that were collected and confirms a time. She replies with a normal message, because less than 24 hours have passed since the customer's last message. The customer got an instant answer at night and a human reply in the morning, and the agent didn't have to ask a single question again.
How to teach the AI agent your business
The easy way to start is the AI Setup Assistant: you describe your business in a chat, it asks questions, and it proposes settings you can apply with one click. Then you fill in the rest on the AI Settings screen:
- A description of the business, opening hours and service areas.
- Frequently asked questions and answers, and a glossary for your field.
- Forbidden topics and a "never do" list: what the AI must not say or promise.
- The tone of voice and the reply language: Hebrew, English, Arabic or Russian.
- An escalation contact, and any disclaimers your field requires.
Before you switch it on, test the AI with real customer questions. After that, read conversations regularly and update what it knows. The AI also filters abusive content, both in incoming messages and in its own replies.
What Meta allows: AI that serves your business
Since January 2026, the terms of the WhatsApp Business Platform do not allow general-purpose AI assistants, meaning services where the AI itself is the main product. AI that answers a business's customers about that business, such as service, sales, intake and handoff to an agent, remains within what is allowed. In practice: build an AI agent that knows your business and answers about it, not a "chat about anything". Like any policy, this one gets updated, so keep an eye on Meta's current wording.
How to start: four steps
- Menu bot. Departments and basic options, including an option to talk to an agent.
- Knowledge for the AI agent. The setup assistant first, then additions on the AI Settings screen.
- Handoff rules and handoff message. When the AI stops, and what the customer is told.
- Follow-up. In the first two weeks, read conversations and adjust; after that, check regularly.
What to review after launch
- Which questions the AI couldn't answer, and what to add to what it knows.
- Which conversations were handed to an agent, and whether the handoff came in time.
- Whether customers complain that the bot sends them in circles, and where you can shorten the path to an agent.
Build it on your own number
Open a Whapiz trial account and start with the menu bot. The menu bot guide and the AI assistant guide walk through the settings.
Frequently asked questions
Does the AI agent also answer on Instagram and Messenger?
In Whapiz, the AI agent answers customers on WhatsApp. On Instagram, Messenger and Telegram the menu bot does the routing, and agents reply from the same inbox.
Does the AI keep answering after an agent joins the conversation?
No. Once an agent is handling the conversation, the AI agent does not answer in it.
Can I start with just a menu bot, without AI?
Yes. The menu bot works without AI. You can start with it and add an AI agent later.