How to create a block in a chatbot to send interactive messages
How do I create a block in a chatbot to send interactive messages?
This article explains how to set up interactive quick replies and carousels. Follow these steps to build structured button messages. This helps customers navigate the chatbot easily.
In this article, you will learn how to
- Add a Send rich message block to your chatbot.
- Set up quick replies and multi-card carousels.
- Avoid WhatsApp character and button limits.
- Fix potential issues with setting up the Send rich message block.
Before you start
Before creating a block in a chatbot to send interactive messages, make sure you have an existing chatbot to add a Send rich message block.
How to create a block in a chatbot to send interactive messages
- Log in to your Flownally workspace.
- Go to the Chatbots tab.
- Click an existing chatbot to edit it, or create a new one to open the editor automatically.
- Click on Add step after a block, or on the + icon on a connecting line, to add a new block.
- Choose the Send rich message block.
- In Message layout, choose the type of rich message you want to send:
- Single message with quick reply buttons:
- Add the message text.
- Optionally, open Header and footer to add a header and a footer.
- Add at least one button. Type the button label and choose what the button does: Reply, Open link, or Start WhatsApp Flow. Click Add button to add more buttons.
- Check what the rich message looks like in the Message preview.
- Single message with quick reply buttons:
- Multiple options (carousel) with multiple cards to choose from:
- Add the message text for the card.
- Optionally, open Header and footer to add a header and a footer for the card.
- Add at least one button for the card.
- Fill in the next cards. Optionally, click Add card to add another card.
- Check what the rich message looks like in the Message preview.
- Each Reply button starts its own path in the chatbot. Click Add step next to a button on the canvas to choose what happens when the customer selects it.
Important: WhatsApp supports:
- Up to 3 visible buttons.
- Up to 10 buttons hidden in a list form.
- Up to 20 characters for a button.
- Minimum 2 and maximum 10 carousel cards.
What happens after creating a block in a chatbot to send interactive messages?
After creating a block in a chatbot to send interactive messages, your assistant can display buttons and carousel layouts. Customers can click these options to reply instantly without typing text, and the chatbot follows the path of the selected button. In Conversation behavior, you can decide what happens when the customer types a message instead (Message fallback) or doesn't respond (Timeout).
Troubleshooting
Rich message is not sent
This may be due to too many buttons, too many characters in the buttons, or too few or too many cards in the carousel. To fix this, make sure your Send rich message block settings match the limits in the important section above.
Chatbot can't be activated yet when trying to activate the chatbot
This happens when the message or a button label is empty. The block shows Message is required or Button label is required. Fill in the missing fields and activate the chatbot again.