A chatbot trigger is the event that starts an automated flow: a first message, a keyword, an Instagram comment, or a customer who stops replying. Picking the right triggers is what separates a helpful chatbot from one that interrupts or shows up too late. In this tutorial you will see the most common trigger types, which ones Mercately’s automations cover, and how to plan them step by step so every flow starts at the right moment.
What a trigger is and why it matters
Every automated flow answers three questions:
- When it starts (the trigger).
- Who it applies to (the conditions: channel, tag, stage, business hours).
- What it does (the actions: reply, ask, assign, remind, hand off).
If the trigger is too broad, the chatbot jumps into conversations where it adds nothing. If it is too narrow, it leaves customers who needed help unattended. So before you write a single message in the builder, decide which event starts each flow. If you are still working out what your bot should do, start with our guide to the WhatsApp chatbot.
Types of chatbot triggers
These are the triggers most used in chat-based sales and support. The table shows which ones map to automations Mercately publishes and which depend on your setup.
| Trigger | When it fires | Typical use | In Mercately |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incoming or first message | A customer messages you, or does so for the first time | Welcome, main menu, qualification | Welcome messages and automatic replies |
| Keyword | The message contains a defined term (“price”, “shipping”) | Route to a specific flow | Depends on your setup |
| Instagram or Facebook comment | Someone comments on a post | Reply to the comment and continue by DM | Automatic comment replies and DM after an Instagram comment |
| Inactivity | The customer stops replying for a set time | Restart the conversation, remind them of a quote | Inactivity reminders |
| Funnel stage change | A deal moves to another stage | Send information or assign an owner | Funnel automations |
| After hours | A message arrives when the team is offline | Say when you will reply, or resolve with AI | Depends on your setup; MIA works 24/7 |
| Campaign or ad | The customer replies to a campaign or arrives from an ad | Continue the offer | Depends on your setup |
| Assignment | A conversation needs an agent | Spread the load across the team | Automatic assignment (round robin) |
Incoming and first message
This is the most common trigger. A new contact’s first message usually starts a welcome with two or three options; messages from customers you already know can go straight to their agent or to a post-sale flow. The key is that the welcome does not repeat every time someone types “hi”.
Keyword
Great for shortcuts: “catalog”, “invoice”, “agent”. It works best with a few well-chosen words plus their variants (with and without accents, singular and plural, common typos). If your platform uses AI to understand intent, keywords matter less than understanding the whole message.
Instagram or Facebook comment
When someone comments “price” or “info” on a post, the flow replies to the comment publicly and continues the conversation by private message. It is one of the most effective ways to turn organic reach into conversations. Pair this trigger with a WhatsApp link for Instagram for people who prefer to message you directly.
Inactivity
It fires when the customer stops replying for a period you define. Use it to restart an open inquiry, remind someone about a quote, or ask whether they need help paying. Watch WhatsApp’s 24-hour window: if the reminder goes out after that, you need a Meta-approved WhatsApp message template, billed per delivered message.
Funnel stage change
This links automation to your sales process. For example, when a deal moves to “Proposal sent” you can assign an owner or schedule a follow-up. If your stages are not defined yet, read up on how to build a sales funnel before you automate it.
After hours
Decide what happens when someone writes at 11 p.m. or on a weekend: a notice with your response hours, a flow that collects the case details, or an AI agent that resolves what it can.
Campaign or ad
Customers who arrive from an ad that opens WhatsApp, or who reply to a campaign, already have context: they saw a specific offer. The flow should continue that conversation, not restart with a generic menu. If you advertise on Meta, check our guide to WhatsApp ads.
How to plan your chatbot triggers step by step
- List your customer’s key moments. First contact, price inquiry, quote sent, payment, post-sale. Each moment is a trigger candidate.
- Review your inbox. Last month’s 10 most repeated questions tell you which flows to automate first.
- Give each flow one trigger. One flow, one main event. If a flow needs three different triggers, it is probably three flows.
- Set conditions. Channel (WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger), business hours, tags, or stage. Conditions keep the flow from firing where it does not belong.
- Set priorities. Decide what wins when two triggers overlap; for example, a customer with an open deal should not get the new-contact welcome.
- Plan the handoff to a person. Every flow needs a clear point where it transfers to an agent, with automatic assignment to the right team.
- Prepare your templates. Any trigger that may send messages outside the 24-hour window (reminders, follow-ups) needs approved templates before you switch it on.
- Test with real cases. Run the edge cases: the customer who types “hi” twice, the one who comments and messages at the same time, the one who replies at 3 a.m.
- Measure and adjust. Every week, review which flows fire, how many end resolved, and where customers drop off.
Example: trigger map for an online store
| Moment | Trigger | Action |
|---|---|---|
| A new contact arrives | First message | Welcome with options: browse catalog, order status, talk to an advisor |
| Someone comments “price” on a reel | Instagram comment | Short public reply and a DM with the product |
| The customer asked for a price and went quiet | Inactivity | Friendly reminder with the product card |
| The deal moves to “Ready to pay” | Stage change | Assign the salesperson and send the payment link |
| Someone writes at night | After hours | MIA answers FAQs and leaves the case ready for the team |
Common trigger mistakes
- Looping welcomes: the same greeting every time the customer writes.
- Overlapping triggers: two flows answer the same message.
- Reminders without templates: the message never goes out because the 24-hour window closed.
- Too many keywords: the bot fires on phrases that have nothing to do with the flow.
- No way out to a human: the customer gets stuck in the flow.
How Mercately helps with triggers
Mercately chatbots are built in a no-code visual builder and run on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. Mercately’s published automations include:
- Welcome messages and automatic replies for first contact.
- Lead qualification and routing, with automatic assignment (round robin) and handoff to an agent.
- Inactivity reminders to restart conversations.
- Scheduled messages and funnel automations tied to your deals.
- Automatic replies to Facebook and Instagram comments, plus a DM sent after an Instagram comment.
- MIA, Mercately’s AI agent, which works 24/7, uses your catalog and knowledge base, and hands off to a person when needed.
Everything runs on the official WhatsApp API. If your number is not connected yet, follow the tutorial to connect the WhatsApp Business API to Mercately. To see which automations each plan includes, check the pricing page.
