Automation
KiliChat can answer customers and follow up for you, day and night. There are three kinds of automation:
| Tool | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Flows | Chatbots that reply when a customer sends a keyword like "menu", with buttons, questions, bookings and more | Automation → Flows |
| Sequences | A series of template messages sent over hours or days, like a welcome offer, a reminder and a last nudge | Automation → Sequences |
| Automatic replies | A welcome message, an off-hours reply, and opt-out keywords like STOP | Settings → Automation |
Only admins can create and change flows and sequences. Everyone on the team can see the automatic reply settings, but only admins can change them.
What happens when a customer sends a message?
KiliChat checks these in order and stops at the first one that applies:
- Blocked contact? The message is ignored.
- Opt-out keyword (like STOP)? The customer is unsubscribed and told so. Any running flow stops.
- Opt-in keyword (START) from someone who opted out? They're subscribed again.
- Round-robin is on? The chat is given to the next team member. (This doesn't stop the steps below.)
- Opted-out contact? Bots stay quiet. Your team can still reply in the inbox.
- A flow is waiting for this customer's answer? The answer goes to that flow.
- A flow is paused on a Wait step for this customer? Nothing else happens until it continues.
- The message matches an active flow's trigger? That flow starts.
- No flow took it? The welcome message (for a brand-new contact, during working hours) or the off-hours reply (outside working hours) is sent, if turned on.
Separately, any sequence set to "Stop when the contact replies" stops for this customer as soon as they write.
How do bots and my team work together?
- A person replying always stops the bot. When anyone on your team sends a reply in the inbox, any flow running for that customer stops. The inbox shows a purple banner while a bot is handling a chat: "The bot is handling this chat with "…". Sending a reply takes over and stops it."
- Internal notes don't stop the bot. Only real replies do.
- Flows can hand over on purpose with the Hand to a person step. See Flow steps.
Does automation work outside the 24-hour window?
Flows start when a customer messages you, so the 24-hour window is open and they can send anything. If a flow waits a long time (more than 24 hours) before its next message, only a Template step can reach the customer.
Sequences always send templates, so they work whatever the gap.
Automatic replies answer a message the customer just sent, so the window is always open.