What a WhatsApp menu bot is

A WhatsApp menu bot sends a short list of options, such as 1 Prices, 2 Opening hours, 3 Talk to a person, and replies with the matching answer when the customer sends a number. It handles the questions that make up most of a small shop's chats.

Most chatbot platforms are built on the WhatsApp Business API, which needs a Meta business setup, approved message templates and usually a monthly fee. A menu bot on WhatsApp Web skips that: it runs in your browser tab and replies from the number you already use.

How the menu is written

In Wassender each menu option is one line: "1=Prices|Our cakes start at $12". That means show Prices as option 1, and reply with the price text when the customer sends 1. Add one line per option.

Keep option labels short and distinct, and use one number per action. Three to five options is enough for most businesses; a menu with twelve items is harder to read than a question.

Always include a human option

Some questions need a person: a custom order, a complaint, a delivery problem. Add an option like "4 Talk to us" that tells the customer a person will reply and when.

A menu option can open a section such as menu:human, but arranging who replies is up to you. Check the Inbox or your chats for customers who chose it, so the promise in the reply is kept.

Connect the menu to your greeting

Customers need to know the menu exists. Mention it in your welcome message ("Reply menu for prices and hours") or in keyword replies, so a first-time customer discovers it naturally.

The menu works alongside keyword rules. A customer who types "price" still gets the keyword answer; one who sends menu gets the list.

A complete menu you can copy

Here is a five-option menu for a small shop. 1=Prices|Small cakes $12, medium $18, large $25. Custom designs from $35. 2=Opening hours|Saturday to Thursday, 9 am to 9 pm. Closed Fridays. 3=Delivery|We deliver within the city for $3, usually the same day for orders before 2 pm. 4=Order|Send the size, flavour, date and your address and we will confirm the total. 5=Talk to us|A person will reply within a few hours during opening times.

Each reply answers the question fully, so the customer does not have to ask again. Where an answer leads to a next step, say what to send: option 4 tells the customer exactly which details to include, which saves a round of back-and-forth.

Adapt the same structure to your business. A clinic might use Book, Prices, Location, Insurance, Talk to reception. A tutor might use Subjects, Fees, Timetable, Trial lesson, Talk to me.

Common mistakes when building a menu bot

Too many options. Beyond five or six, customers stop reading and type a question anyway. If you need more, group them: "1 Prices" can answer with the full price list rather than separate options for each product.

Replies that just repeat the label. If a customer sends 3 for Delivery and the reply is "We offer delivery", the menu has wasted their time. Put the actual areas, fee and timing in the reply.

No way back. Tell customers how to see the menu again: end longer replies with "Reply menu to see all options." And always include a human option, because a bot that cannot hand over to a person frustrates the customers you most want to keep.

Menu bot vs API chatbot: what you give up

A rule-based menu on WhatsApp Web does not use WhatsApp's interactive buttons or list messages, which are features of the Business API. Customers type a number instead. In practice that works on every phone, but it looks plainer than a button.

It also does not understand free text the way an AI chatbot might. It matches numbers and keywords you define. For most small businesses that is an advantage: you know exactly what it will say, and it never invents an answer.

The biggest difference is uptime. An API bot runs on a server; a WhatsApp Web menu runs while your computer and browser are open. If you need answers at 3 am without a computer running, the API is the right tool despite its setup and per-message costs.

Measure whether the menu helps

After the first week, look at what customers actually send. If many people send the same number, that answer is doing real work; make sure it is complete and current. If almost nobody uses an option, remove it or merge it into another one to keep the menu short.

Watch for customers who send the menu, pick an option and then still ask the same question in their own words. That usually means the reply was too vague. Rewrite it with the exact price, time or area they were looking for, and test it again in the simulator.

Finally, count how often people choose the human option. If it is most of them, your menu does not cover the questions customers really have. Add the two most common requests as options with full answers, and you will see the number of chats you answer by hand drop.

Test every number before going live

Use the simulator in the Autopilot panel to send menu and then each number. The simulator runs locally and sends nothing to WhatsApp, so you can fix a wrong answer before a customer sees it.

Like every WhatsApp Web tool, the menu only answers while the computer is on and WhatsApp Web is open. For round-the-clock bots with no computer, the Business API is the route, with its own costs and setup.

Step by step

  1. Install Wassender and open WhatsApp Web in desktop Chrome.
  2. Open Autopilot and turn on Menu bot.
  3. Add one line per option, for example 1=Prices|Our cakes start at $12.
  4. Add a human option that says when a person will reply.
  5. Mention the menu in your welcome message.
  6. Send menu and every number in the simulator, then enable Autopilot.

Plan: The menu bot needs Wassender Unlimited; keyword replies, welcome and away messages are free.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make a WhatsApp chatbot without the API?

Yes, a rule-based one. A WhatsApp Web extension can answer keywords and numbered menus from your own account while WhatsApp Web is open.

Does the menu bot use buttons?

No. Customers reply with a number as normal text, which works on every phone and WhatsApp version.

Can the menu be in Arabic?

Yes. Write option labels and replies in Arabic or any language.

How many options should a menu have?

Three to five is a good range. Keep one number per action and always include a way to reach a person.

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