Keyword Replies

Open the builder

ChatSyncs left navigation with Chatbot Manager selected, the Automation tab highlighted, and the Keyword Replies sub-tab highlighted, showing a list of existing flows — Chatbot Manager → Automation → Keyword Replies, showing the list of existing flows and the Create button.

Chatbot Manager → Automation → Keyword Replies opens the list of existing flows. Click Create on the Keyword Replies list to open a blank canvas.

Keyword Replies canvas showing the Start Bot Flow block and the flow blocks sidebar — The Keyword Replies canvas with the Start Bot Flow block and the Flow blocks panel.

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.

Configure the trigger

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

Configure Reference panel with Trigger Keywords, Keyword matching type, and Title fields — The Configure Reference panel — set Trigger Keywords, choose a keyword matching type, and give the flow a Title.

Set Trigger Keywords

Enter the words or phrases that should start this flow, e.g. hi, hello, hey, start, help. To pause the flow later without deleting it, just remove its trigger keywords here and save — with nothing to match, it stops firing but stays in your Keyword Replies list.

Choose a keyword matching type

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

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 Keyword Replies list.

Save

Click Save Changes to apply the configuration.

Pick keywords your customers actually type. A flow titled welcome_bot triggered on hi, hello, hey, start, help will catch most incoming first messages.

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. Labels themselves are created in Subscriber Manager — this just applies an existing one automatically when the flow runs.
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.

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.

Example — a lead-capture flow:

User sends 'Hi'

The trigger keyword starts the flow.

Bot asks for Name, Email, and Phone

Each answer is captured as it arrives.

Responses save to custom fields

e.g. user_name, user_email, user_phone.

Data forwards to a webhook

For CRM processing.

Data syncs to Google Sheets

For reporting and tracking — no manual entry.

Add flow components

Flow blocks panel listing Messages, Data Collection, and Interactive components connected to Start Bot Flow — Flow blocks available to drag onto the canvas, connected to the Start Bot Flow block.

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.

Component	What it does
Text Message	Plain text — welcomes, instructions, FAQs, notifications.
Image Message	JPG/JPEG/PNG, up to 5 MB — product images, banners, promos.
Video Message	MP4/3GP, up to 16 MB — demos, tutorials, marketing.
Audio Message	AAC/MP3/AMR/OGG, up to 16 MB — voice greetings, announcements.
File / Document Message	PDF/DOC/DOCX/XLS/XLSX/PPT/PPTX/TXT, up to 100 MB — brochures, invoices, manuals.
Reply Buttons	Up to 3 tappable buttons for a quick predefined response.
List Messages	Up to 10 options in a structured list.
CTA URL Button	A button that opens a website — landing, payment, or booking pages.
Location Message	Share a map location — office, store, or event venue.
Random Number Generator	Generates a number in a range — token numbers, ticket IDs, lead references.
Label Assign	Auto-assigns a label to the contact for segmentation.
WhatsApp Flow	Launches a Meta WhatsApp Flow — lead forms, bookings, surveys, registration.
User Input Flow	Captures free-text input (name, email, phone, address) into custom fields.
AI Reply	AI-generated answers for FAQs, support, product questions, knowledge-base lookups.
Condition	Branches the flow based on a value, e.g. `If User Interest = Sales → Sales Flow`.
Template Messages	Sends 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

Personalize messages

Message Body with custom-field variables and an optional Message Footer field — Personalizing a message body with custom-field variables and adding optional footer text.

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).

Delivery options

Each message block has Delivery Options for a more natural pacing:

Configure Text Message panel showing Smart Delay in Reply and Typing on display options — Delivery Options — a Smart Delay and a typing indicator toggle before the reply is sent.

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.

A 1–3 second typing delay before a reply makes the bot feel more human without slowing the conversation down.

Clone or delete a component

A flow block with clone and delete icons visible on hover — Hovering a flow block reveals the clone (duplicate) and delete icons used to copy or remove it.

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.

Clone a block before making a major change to it — that keeps a backup copy on the canvas in case you want to revert.

Save & validation

Warning dialog: Some component(s) have no data — The validation warning shown when a connected component is missing required data.

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.

Start Bot Flow connected to a Text reply with a Data has been saved successfully toast — A saved flow, with the success confirmation after clicking Save.

Once every component is complete, click Save — a success confirmation appears and the flow is live.

Manage your flows

Back on the Keyword Replies list, each flow has its own row of action icons:

Keyword Replies list row with six action icons highlighted: duplicate, copy to other bot, export flow data, edit, delete, and move to folder — The action icons on a Keyword Replies list row — duplicate, copy to another bot, export, edit, delete, and move to folder.

Action	What it does
Duplicate	Creates a copy of the flow — useful for reusing it with minor modifications.
Copy to Other Bot	Copies the flow to another bot in your account, instead of rebuilding it manually.
Export Flow Data	Exports the complete flow configuration for backup, migration, or sharing.
Edit	Opens the flow editor to modify the existing flow and its components.
Delete	Permanently removes the flow.
Move to Folder	Moves the flow into a folder to help organize multiple flows.

Frequently asked

How do I make my bot reply to a customer's first message automatically?

Create a Keyword 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.

Can I collect a customer's name, email, and phone number through the bot?

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.

Why won't my flow save?

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.

What's the difference between Exact keyword match and String match?

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.

What if I want to pause a Keyword Replies flow but not delete it?

Open Start Bot Flow → Configure Reference, remove its Trigger Keywords, and save. With no keywords left to match, the flow stops firing for any customer message, but it stays in your Keyword Replies list — add the keywords back any time to turn it on again.

Learn From a Use Case

Gym Membership Plan Selector Automation — runs the whole plan-selection conversation.
Travel Assistant — runs the structured Human Support handoff flow.
Clinic Appointment Booking Automation — runs the welcome menu and the whole booking flow.
Availability-Based Conversation Assignment — hands the conversation to a team at the right point in the flow.

Start Here

Meta Essentials

Setup and Configuration

Shared Inbox

Chatbot Manager

Subscriber Manager

Broadcasting

Control Panel

Open the builder

Configure the trigger

Automation Actions

Data & Integrations

Add flow components

Personalize messages

Delivery options

Clone or delete a component

Save & validation

Manage your flows

Frequently asked

Learn From a Use Case

​Open the builder

​Configure the trigger

​Automation Actions

​Data & Integrations

​Add flow components

​Personalize messages

​Delivery options

​Clone or delete a component

​Save & validation

​Manage your flows

​Frequently asked

​Learn From a Use Case

Open the builder

Configure the trigger

Automation Actions

Data & Integrations

Add flow components

Personalize messages

Delivery options

Clone or delete a component

Save & validation

Manage your flows

Frequently asked

Learn From a Use Case