This page defines the term. For a store, Kanal's WhatsApp chatbot for Shopify answers customers from the store's catalog and order data.
Rule-based bots follow a script of keywords and menus, often built with interactive buttons and lists. AI bots use language models to understand free text, answer from a knowledge base or product data, and hand over to a human when confidence drops.
On the business side, a chatbot receives messages through webhooks and answers inside the 24-hour customer service window. Its replies are service messages, which Meta charges since October 1, 2026 after 1,000 free service messages per business phone number per month. WhatsApp's policy allows automation in the window but requires a prompt, clear and direct path to a human.
