Answering incoming messages
Turn on Answer incoming messages for a connected channel and an Appricity agent replies to the people who message you, from your own knowledge, around the clock.
Which channels does it work on?
- WhatsApp, two ways:
- the official WhatsApp Business Platform, for a business number. It's the right choice for a company line.
- a linked device: scan a QR code with a phone, as with WhatsApp Web. It's quick to try, but unofficial: it's against WhatsApp's terms of service, and WhatsApp can permanently ban the number. You have to accept that risk explicitly before you can use it.
- Email: connect a Google Workspace (Gmail), Microsoft 365 or other (IMAP/SMTP) mailbox.
What does a conversation look like?
The agent answers the contact's question first, then asks one discovery question at a time, without interrogating. By default it learns, in order of importance, what the contact needs, how they handle it today, when it matters, and who is involved. It reflects back what it has heard.
It suggests a meeting only when it has earned one, or straight away if the contact asks for one. With built-in scheduling switched on, it offers real times and books them; otherwise it can share a booking link you give it.
Who does it answer?
You choose, per connection:
- Smart triage: answers known contacts and genuine enquiries about what you sell, and flags anything it isn't sure about for your review;
- Everyone: every new message gets an answer;
- Known contacts only: everyone else is flagged for review.
The recommended choice is Everyone for a WhatsApp Business number and Smart triage for a mailbox or linked phone.
When does it hand over to a person?
Out of the box, the agent hands over when a contact:
- asks about pricing,
- raises a legal or contract question,
- is annoyed or upset,
- seems to want to stop but isn't clear about it,
- asks to speak to a person,
- still needs help after a few tries.
You can add a rule of your own in plain words, choose who is notified, and set what the agent tells the contact. Opt-outs always win: a contact who asks to stop is not messaged again.
Can I limit when and how much it answers?
Yes. Set hours (always, or business hours in your time zone) and what happens outside them: don't answer, send a holding message, or answer anyway. You can also cap replies per conversation and new conversations per day, and set how fast the first reply goes out. For a mailbox you can answer only certain domains or messages that mention certain words.
Can my team step in?
Yes. Any conversation can be taken over: the agent stops replying, a person writes from the workspace, and can hand it back later. Start fresh makes the agent forget a conversation and begin again, keeping the messages for the record.
Can I test it first?
Yes. Try it opens a test conversation where you play the customer against the saved settings. Nothing is sent to anyone, and nothing is recorded as a real conversation.
Do I need to configure anything?
No. The recommended settings are filled in from what Appricity knows about your company. Each setting shows whether it's Recommended or Overridden, with why, and Reset to recommended puts it back.