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Bot Reply is ChatSyncs’s flow builder for automating WhatsApp conversations. Instead of one canned reply, you design a full customer journey on a visual canvas: a keyword trigger starts the flow, then connected blocks send messages, collect answers, save them, and route the conversation — all without writing code.

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Open the builder

Bot Reply lives in the Bot Manager, alongside AI Agent, Broadcast Campaign, Chat Widget, Sequence, Input Flow, and WhatsApp Flows. Click Create on the Bot Reply list to open a blank canvas.
Bot Manager showing the Bot Reply list with a Create button
The canvas opens with a Start Bot Flow block already on it, and a Flow blocks panel on the left for dragging on messages, data-collection blocks, and interactive components.
Bot Reply canvas showing the Start Bot Flow block and the flow blocks sidebar

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Configure the trigger

Double-click Start Bot Flow to open its configuration panel, then:
1

Set Trigger Keywords

Enter the words or phrases that should start this flow, e.g. hi, hello, hey, start, help.
2

Choose a keyword matching type

Exact keyword match fires only on an exact word; String match also fires on similar/partial keywords.
3

Give the flow a Title

Use a clear, descriptive title such as welcome_bot, support_bot, or lead_capture_bot — this is how you’ll find it later in the Bot Reply list.
4

Save

Click Save Changes to apply the configuration.
Configure Reference panel with Trigger Keywords, Keyword matching type, and Title fields
Pick keywords your customers actually type. A flow titled welcome_bot triggered on hi, hello, hey, start, help will catch most incoming first messages.

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Automation Actions

The same configuration panel has an Automation Actions section for managing the contact without sending a visible message:
  • Add / Remove Label(s) — tag contacts by demographic, interest, lead status, or purchase history so you can target them later with segmented campaigns.
  • Unsubscribe from Sequence — stop an automated message sequence (onboarding, lead nurturing, promotions, re-engagement) for this contact.
  • Assign Conversation to a group — hand the conversation to a team (e.g. Sales, Support, Executive) so any member of that team can pick it up.
  • Assign conversation to a user — hand the conversation to one specific team member.
Automation Actions panel with Add Label, Remove Label, Unsubscribe from Sequence, and conversation assignment fields

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Data & Integrations

The Data & Integrations section collects what the bot learns from the conversation and sends it where you need it:
  • Save to Custom Field — store a user’s reply (name, email, phone, etc.) in a custom field you’ve created under Custom Fields.
  • Forward Data to Webhook — POST the collected fields to an external URL (a CRM, database, or custom app) as JSON, e.g. {"name": "{{user_name}}", "email": "{{user_email}}"}.
  • Sync Data to Google Sheets — connect a Google account, pick a spreadsheet and worksheet, and map each custom field to a column; every new submission adds a row automatically.
Data & Integrations panel with Save to Custom Field, Forward Data to Webhook, and Sync Data to Google Sheets fields
Example — a lead-capture flow:
1

User sends 'Hi'

The trigger keyword starts the flow.
2

Bot asks for Name, Email, and Phone

Each answer is captured as it arrives.
3

Responses save to custom fields

e.g. user_name, user_email, user_phone.
4

Data forwards to a webhook

For CRM processing.
5

Data syncs to Google Sheets

For reporting and tracking — no manual entry.

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Add flow components

After saving Start Bot Flow, hover the block and drag its connector dot onto the canvas to open the list of components you can chain after it.
Flow blocks panel listing Messages, Data Collection, and Interactive components connected to Start Bot Flow
ComponentWhat it does
Text MessagePlain text — welcomes, instructions, FAQs, notifications.
Image MessageJPG/JPEG/PNG, up to 5 MB — product images, banners, promos.
Video MessageMP4/3GP, up to 16 MB — demos, tutorials, marketing.
Audio MessageAAC/MP3/AMR/OGG, up to 16 MB — voice greetings, announcements.
File / Document MessagePDF/DOC/DOCX/XLS/XLSX/PPT/PPTX/TXT, up to 100 MB — brochures, invoices, manuals.
Reply ButtonsUp to 3 tappable buttons for a quick predefined response.
List MessagesUp to 10 options in a structured list.
CTA URL ButtonA button that opens a website — landing, payment, or booking pages.
Location MessageShare a map location — office, store, or event venue.
Random Number GeneratorGenerates a number in a range — token numbers, ticket IDs, lead references.
Label AssignAuto-assigns a label to the contact for segmentation.
WhatsApp FlowLaunches a Meta WhatsApp Flow — lead forms, bookings, surveys, registration.
User Input FlowCaptures free-text input (name, email, phone, address) into custom fields.
AI ReplyAI-generated answers for FAQs, support, product questions, knowledge-base lookups.
ConditionBranches the flow based on a value, e.g. If User Interest = Sales → Sales Flow.
Template MessagesSends an approved WhatsApp template — order updates, reminders, payment notices, campaigns.
Template Messages must be approved by Meta before a flow can send them — see Template structure & sending.
A typical flow chains several of these: 
Start Bot Flow
→ Welcome Text
→ Interactive Buttons
→ User Input Collection
→ Save to Custom Fields
→ AI Reply or Condition Routing
→ Webhook / Google Sheet Sync
→ Template Message Follow-Up

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Personalize messages

Inside a Text Message block, click Name to insert the user’s name, or type # to insert any custom field as a variable — e.g. Hey #LEAD_USER_FIRST_NAME#, welcome back!. You can also add optional Message Footer text, commonly used for branding or disclaimers (e.g. Powered by ChatSyncs).
Message Body with custom-field variables and an optional Message Footer field

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Delivery options

Each message block has Delivery Options for a more natural pacing:
  • Smart Delay in Reply — wait a set number of hours/minutes/seconds before sending.
  • Typing on display — show WhatsApp’s typing indicator before the reply lands.
Configure Text Message panel showing Smart Delay in Reply and Typing on display options
A 1–3 second typing delay before a reply makes the bot feel more human without slowing the conversation down.

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Clone or delete a component

Hover any block on the canvas to reveal two small icons above it: the first clones the block (handy for reusing a configured component without rebuilding it), the second deletes it permanently.
A flow block with clone and delete icons visible on hover
Clone a block before making a major change to it — that keeps a backup copy on the canvas in case you want to revert.

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Save & validation

Before saving, every required field on every connected component must be filled in — a missing button text on an Interactive Message, or empty content on a Text Message, blocks the save and shows a validation warning.
Warning dialog: Some component(s) have no data
Once every component is complete, click Save — a success confirmation appears and the flow is live.
Start Bot Flow connected to a Text reply with a Data has been saved successfully toast

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Frequently asked

Create a Bot Reply, set Trigger Keywords on the Start Bot Flow block (e.g. hi, hello, hey, start), and connect a Text Message or Interactive Message block after it. Save the flow — it fires whenever a customer’s message matches a trigger keyword.
Yes — use User Input Flow blocks to ask for each value, and map each answer to a Custom Field under Data & Integrations. You can then forward the data to a webhook or sync it to Google Sheets automatically.
A connected component is missing required data — e.g. an Interactive Message with no button text, or an empty Text Message. ChatSyncs shows a validation warning naming the incomplete component; fill it in and save again.
Exact keyword match fires only when the customer’s message is exactly one of your trigger keywords. String match also fires if a trigger keyword appears anywhere inside a longer message. If your bot isn’t firing on messages you expected, check which matching type the Start Bot Flow block is set to — Exact match is stricter and will miss typos or extra words.
Sequences (Subscribe/Unsubscribe) are managed from the Sequence module — this page only covers the Unsubscribe action available inside Bot Reply. If a “Sequence” page isn’t published yet on this site, that’s a gap to fill in later, not a dead link to remove.