Customers message businesses on WhatsApp the way they message friends: they expect a reply in minutes, not the next business day. This template gives a small business an always-on front desk on its WhatsApp Business number. Every incoming message fires the trigger through the WhatsApp Business Cloud API webhook. An AI Agent drafts a reply with gpt-4o-mini. Window Buffer Memory, keyed by the sender's phone number, keeps each customer's thread continuous. The clever part is the handoff. When a human is needed, the agent appends a HANDOFF flag to its reply. On the handoff path, Format Handoff Summary packages the phone number, last message, and summary; WhatsApp Agent Alert pings the agent's number and Slack Team Notify posts to the team channel. It is built for shops, agencies, and services that get real questions on WhatsApp and cannot afford to miss the ones that need a human.
The boutique clothing store answering size and return questions
A boutique owner gets the same WhatsApp questions all day: do you have this in medium, what is your exchange policy, is the blue kurta back in stock. The AI handles these from the product knowledge in its system prompt. The moment someone writes I want a refund for my order, the agent raises the HANDOFF flag instead of improvising policy, and the owner gets the WhatsApp alert with the phone number, the last message, and the summary, and takes over the chat personally.
- Variation: edit the system message so the HANDOFF flag also triggers on complaints containing words like damaged or wrong item, keeping every sensitive case human.
The real-estate brokerage qualifying buyers before site visits
A three-agent brokerage gets dozens of WhatsApp enquiries per listing, and agents waste weekends on viewings with unqualified buyers. The agent bot does the first pass: it asks about budget, preferred location, and timeline. When the buyer is qualified and asks to see the property, the HANDOFF flag fires, and the agent's phone gets the alert with the full qualification summary, budget stated, timeline, last message, so the callback starts warm instead of cold.
- Variation: extend the system prompt with the brokerage's pricing and the exact qualifying questions every buyer must answer, so the handoff summary is consistent enough to sort leads by.
The D2C supplement brand handling repeat-order questions
A supplement brand's WhatsApp is full of repeat customers asking when their subscription renews, how to pause it, or whether the new flavor is in stock. The AI answers these from the FAQ knowledge in its prompt. Anything that smells like a complaint, a side effect, a damaged parcel, triggers the handoff: the alert goes to the founder's number and the summary posts to the team Slack, because those conversations need a human within the hour, not a bot's best guess.
- Variation: tune the Context Window Length in the memory node up if customers tend to have long multi-day threads, so the bot does not forget last week's context mid-conversation.
The two-person travel agency fielding itinerary questions
A husband-and-wife travel agency gets WhatsApp enquiries with real complexity: 5 days in Kerala, two kids, vegetarian food, under 60k. The AI handles the back-and-forth beautifully, asking the clarifying questions and sketching options from the agency's knowledge. When the conversation turns to a custom quote, the HANDOFF flag fires and both partners get the picture: the WhatsApp alert on the phone and the summary in the team Slack.
- Variation: set the handoff rule in the system message to trigger on trip value above a threshold, so small standard packages stay automated and only high-value custom trips pull in a partner.
The restaurant taking bulk and catering enquiries
A popular restaurant gets WhatsApp messages ranging from table for four tonight to catering for a 200-person wedding. The AI handles the routine end: timings, location, menu questions, and small-table interest, all answered instantly at any hour. The moment the enquiry mentions an event, a bulk order, or a custom menu, the HANDOFF flag fires, Format Handoff Summary packages the details, and the manager gets the WhatsApp alert to take over. The restaurant never loses a wedding booking to a seen-but-unanswered message again.
- Variation: insert a Wait node on the handoff path before the alert goes out, so a supervisor can review flagged chats first during busy service hours.