WhatsApp Follow-up
Send a series of automatic WhatsApp messages to people who contact you, in the order and with the delays you set.
Follow-up sends a series of automatic WhatsApp messages to the contacts in a list, in the order and with the delays you set. It's great for following up with prospects, teaching about a product step by step, or reminding class participants, without chatting one by one.
This guide is for the new dibales.ai dashboard, with WhatsApp connected by QR code. Still on the old layout? See Set Up WA Follow Up.
Before you start
- Pro plan. On Plus, the Follow-up page shows WhatsApp Follow Up needs the Pro plan.
- A connected WhatsApp number. If it isn't connected, the Follow-up page shows WhatsApp is not connected with a Connect WhatsApp button. See Connect Your Accounts.
- The messages you want to send, for example a greeting, product info, and reminders. Need ideas? See the sample follow-up campaign scripts (Google Docs).
Flow
| Stage | Guide | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Create a List | Create a place for the contacts you'll follow up with |
| 2 | Build the Campaign | Write the series of messages and their delays, then turn it on |
| 3 | Set Up Triggers | Contacts join the list automatically when they send a keyword to your WhatsApp |
| 4 | Test & Track the Queue | Test from another number, then track scheduled and sent messages |
Triggers come after the list and campaign are ready, because a trigger adds contacts to the list, and those contacts start the active campaign right away.
Lead with triggers. Contacts who join through a trigger contacted you first, so follow-up messages to them are relatively safe. Adding contacts manually or by import means messaging people who never chatted with you, which can get your number limited by WhatsApp. If you still need it, read Add Contacts Manually first. For a safer follow-up with official templates, use WhatsApp Official Follow Up in the CRM.
Example
This example is used throughout every stage:
A customer sends "BARISTA CLASS" to Kopi Senja's WhatsApp. 🔁 A trigger adds them to the Barista Class Participants list. 🔁 The campaign runs: a welcome 5 minutes later, the class schedule the next day, then a reminder the day before class. 🔁 Once they've paid, a PAID trigger removes them from the list, and the follow-up stops.
How it differs from Broadcast
| Follow-up | Broadcast Ext | |
|---|---|---|
| How it sends | Automatically, step by step, on each contact's own schedule | One send to many contacts at once |
| Trigger | A contact joins the list, then the campaign runs | You send it yourself, right then |
| Best for | Following up with prospects until they buy | One-off announcements or promos |