Talkative’s WhatsApp integration allows you to display interactive suggested replies, such as quick-reply buttons or dropdown lists, directly inside the WhatsApp client. These suggested replies are driven by your Talkative chatbot flow and can significantly improve the customer experience by allowing users to tap responses instead of typing them.
Building a Chatbot? If you’re new to creating chatbot flows, make sure to check out our Chatbot Builder: Complete Guide guide before continuing.
💡 How Suggested Replies Work on WhatsApp
When you configure suggestions inside your chatbot builder, Talkative can transform them into WhatsApp-compatible interactive replies. These can appear as:
- Buttons — when you have three or fewer suggestions.
- A dropdown menu — when you have four or more suggestions.
Example: Three Suggestions & Four Suggestions
Three Suggestions, these display as individual tappable buttons.
Four Suggestions, WhatsApp automatically nests them into a dropdown list labelled Select Option.
💬 Formatting Your Chatbot Flow for WhatsApp
While suggested replies appear automatically, your chatbot must be structured correctly for WhatsApp to recognise and display them. Here’s how to format your flow:
1. Add suggestions using “Message Suggestions” in the chatbot builder
These suggestions must be placed inside the message node that asks the customer a question or offers choices.
WhatsApp reads these suggestions and transforms them into buttons or dropdowns based on quantity.
2. Keep suggestion labels short and clear
WhatsApp displays only the text of each suggestion. Short labels like Sales, Support, or Pricing work best and render cleanly.
3. Ensure each suggestion routes to its correct child node
In your chatbot builder, each suggestion should map to a corresponding child node.
This is how Talkative knows which path to follow after a customer taps a button.
4. Avoid adding more than 8-10 suggestions
WhatsApp supports dropdowns, but too many options will create a poor user experience.
Stick to a manageable number that guides users clearly.
5. Test your flow in WhatsApp before publishing
Because WhatsApp formats UI elements differently from webchat, previewing helps confirm:
- Button order
- Label clarity
- Dropdown behaviour
- Correct routing to the next node