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Customer service

WhatsApp AI answers with human handover

A WhatsApp assistant with human handover answers routine customer questions using only information your team has approved. When a question falls outside that information, or the customer asks for a person, the conversation passes to your team in Slack with everything said so far.

An example of how the studio would build it. No live services are connected.

From a late-night question to the right answer.

  1. Step 01

    Question received

    A customer sends a message to your WhatsApp Business number, at any time of day.

  2. Step 02

    Question matched

    Claude checks whether the question is covered by your approved answers, such as opening hours, prices or parking.

  3. Step 03

    Approved reply

    If it is, reply using that pre-approved wording, and only for questions your team has signed off for automatic answers.

  4. Step 04

    Person takes over

    Anything uncertain, sensitive or outside the approved list is posted to Slack, and a team member replies from there.

  5. Step 05

    Conversation kept

    Store the whole conversation, including who answered each message, so the next person has the full context.

The result

Customers get answers at 11pm, and people handle the tricky ones.

The assistant only uses information your team has approved, and hands over whenever it is unsure. Customers are told they are messaging an assistant and can ask for a person at any time.

Before we connect it.

Where this is useful

Useful for businesses that get the same questions on WhatsApp outside opening hours, such as prices, availability or directions. A sensible first version suggests each reply to a person in Slack for approval, and only answers on its own for a short list of approved questions once you are confident in it.

What we need to connect

  1. 01A WhatsApp Business Platform number, with access through Meta or an approved provider.
  2. 02A library of approved answers: hours, prices, policies, directions and anything else you are happy to share.
  3. 03A Slack channel for handovers, the people who cover it and your expected response times.

What needs careful handling

If the approved information doesn’t clearly answer a question, the assistant says a person will reply rather than guessing. Messages can contain personal or health details, so storage, access and retention need agreeing. WhatsApp’s own business policies on automated messaging also shape what the assistant may do, so they are checked before launch.

Questions people ask.

Will customers know they are talking to an assistant?

Yes. The first reply says so and explains how to reach a person. Being clear about that sets fair expectations and makes the handover feel natural.

What happens if nobody is available to take over?

The customer is told when to expect a reply, based on your opening hours. The conversation waits in Slack with its full history, so whoever picks it up next can answer without asking the customer to repeat themselves.

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