How to Create a WhatsApp Bot with AI Without Coding: Automatic Customer Support for Your Business

The bot needs a WhatsApp Business number registered with Meta. If you already have the WhatsApp Business app with your business number, you can move to the next step.

If you don’t have WhatsApp Business yet:

1. Download the WhatsApp Business app (free) on your phone from the app store.
2. Open the app and register your business phone number (it can be the same one you already use for business, as long as it’s not registered as personal WhatsApp).
3. Complete your business profile: name, category, description and hours.
4. Activate the app at least once so the number is verified.

Important: The number you connect to ManyChat will be linked to Meta’s API and will no longer work in the regular WhatsApp Business app (this is normal for all API-based WhatsApp bots). Choose a dedicated number for the bot if you don’t want to lose access to the app.

ManyChat is the most popular message automation platform and the easiest to use without coding.

1. Go to https://manychat.com and click “Get Started Free”.
2. Create your account with your Google email or any email address.
3. During registration, select WhatsApp as your primary channel.
4. ManyChat will ask you to choose a plan. For WhatsApp you need the Pro plan ($39/mo). You can start a trial to explore the dashboard and activate it when you’re ready.

Looking for an alternative? Wati (wati.io) is another popular option for WhatsApp bots in Latin America, with plans starting at approximately $49/mo. Confirm prices on their official page.

This step connects your WhatsApp Business number with Meta’s API so ManyChat can send and receive messages.

1. In the ManyChat dashboard, go to Settings → WhatsApp (or follow the initial setup wizard).
2. Click “Connect WhatsApp”. A Facebook/Meta window will open.
3. Sign in with the Facebook account of your business admin.
4. Follow Meta’s steps to:
   • Create or select your Meta Business Suite account.
   • Verify your phone number (Meta will send a code via SMS or call).
   • Accept the WhatsApp Business API terms.
5. Once done, you’ll return to ManyChat and see your number connected and shown in green.

The process takes 15 to 30 minutes. If the number doesn’t verify, make sure it’s not active in the WhatsApp Business app at the same time.

A flow is the sequence of messages the bot sends automatically when someone writes to you. Start with a welcome flow.

1. In the ManyChat dashboard, go to Flows and click “New Flow”.

2. Choose the “Welcome Message” template or start with a blank one.

3. The visual editor opens: you’ll see message blocks connected with arrows.

4. Click the first block and write the welcome message. Example:

   “Hi, I’m the assistant for [Your Business]. I can help you with information about our products, hours and prices. What do you need today?”

5. Add a Quick Replies block: buttons the customer can tap to choose options, such as:

   • “View products”
   • “Prices and hours”
   • “Talk to a person”

6. For each button, add the next message block with the corresponding information.

7. Click Save to save the flow.

Tip: start simple. A welcome flow with 3 options already resolves 80% of the most frequent questions.

To see how to build more complex multi-step automations, check our tutorial How to create AI agents with Make.

ManyChat’s Pro plan includes ManyChat AI, which can respond to your customers’ open-ended questions using artificial intelligence, without you having to create a flow for every possible question.

1. In the ManyChat dashboard, go to ManyChat AI → AI Reply.
2. Enable the “AI Reply” feature.
3. Add knowledge about your business: you can paste text directly (product descriptions, FAQs, return policies, etc.) or connect a URL from your website so the AI learns from it.
4. Configure when you want the AI to respond: for example, when the customer asks a question not covered by an existing flow.
5. Save the changes.

How it works in practice:

• The customer types a question like: “Do you have discounts for students?”
• If you don’t have a flow for that question, ManyChat AI generates a response based on the knowledge you gave it.
• You can review conversations in real time from the dashboard and take over whenever you need.

To see more ideas on automating your social media and messaging presence, check our tutorial How to automate your social media with AI.

Before opening it to the public, test the bot from your own phone.

1. In ManyChat, go to your welcome flow and click “Test Flow” or “Preview”.
2. ManyChat will send the flow to your own WhatsApp number so you can see how the customer sees it.
3. Check that messages display correctly, buttons work and AI replies properly.
4. When everything looks good, go to Settings → WhatsApp → Triggers and activate the welcome trigger so the flow starts every time someone writes to you for the first time.
5. Click Publish on your flow to publish and activate it.

Ask a friend or family member to send a test message to the bot’s number to confirm it from the outside.

Problem	Fix
The number won’t verify in Meta	Make sure the number is not active in the WhatsApp Business app at that moment; close the app before verifying
ManyChat says the number is already in use	The number may be connected to another Meta account or another bot platform; disconnect it first from your Meta Business account
The bot doesn’t reply when people write	Verify the flow is published (“Publish” button) and the welcome trigger is activated
The AI gives incorrect answers	Review the knowledge you added in ManyChat AI and update the information; be more specific in descriptions
Customers can’t see the option buttons	WhatsApp buttons have a character limit: keep texts short (under 20 characters per button)