How to build a WhatsApp chatbot for your electronics store

Start from what customers actually send. Customers ask whether a model is in stock, the price, EMI options, exchange value for an old device, warranty terms and service status.

Then look at what goes wrong today:

• Warranty expiry not tracked, customers not alerted. Customer bought a TV 11 months ago. Warranty expires next month. Nobody told them. They pay for repairs that would have been free.
• Support call volume is high for common queries. "How do I connect Bluetooth?" "Why is the screen dim?" WhatsApp chatbot answers these without involving your staff.
• New product launches reach existing buyers too late. iPhone 16 launches. Your existing buyers find out from an ad. You should have been first to tell them with a personalised offer.

Each of these is a conversation with a predictable shape — a question, a lookup, a confirmation. That shape is what a chatbot handles well.

The first question is "Buying something or need help with a device?". Buyers go to categories — phones, laptops, TVs, appliances — with stock and price. Service customers go to their job status or a drop-off booking. Mixing them wastes everyone's time.

Notice what the business side does: it answers with the specific detail (time, reference, next step), it asks for one thing at a time, and it gives the customer a one-word way to reply. Those three habits matter more than how clever the bot is.

The bot answers "is the Galaxy S in stock in 256 GB?" from the POS or catalogue, with today's price and current offers. If stock is not connected, it says a salesperson will confirm in minutes and hands over — a wrong "yes" is worse than a short wait.

Reputoo supports both, and most electronics stores end up using both:

• Keyword flows — a fixed menu or trigger word ("MENU", "BOOK", "STATUS") leads down a set path. Predictable, easy to audit, right for anything with a fixed answer.
• AI chatbot — reads the customer's own words and answers from your knowledge base (website, price list, policies). Right for the long tail of questions nobody wrote a menu item for.

A sensible start for an electronics store: keyword flows for the top two or three tasks, AI for everything else, and a person behind both.

The bot lists the EMI options available — card EMI, consumer finance partners, no-cost EMI where offered — with the terms as published, and explains what documents a finance application needs. Eligibility decisions belong to the lender.

"Is my laptop ready?" — the bot asks for the job number or recognises the customer, and reads the stage: awaiting parts, repairing, ready. It sends the estimate for approval when one is pending.

• Complaints, refunds and anything where the customer is upset.
• Anything involving money the bot cannot see — a disputed bill, a custom quote.
• Health, safety or legal questions.
• Any customer who asks for a human. Do not make them ask twice.

For electronics stores specifically: price negotiation, warranty disputes and faulty-product complaints go to the store manager.

Handover on Reputoo moves the chat into the shared inbox with the conversation so far, so staff never ask the customer to repeat themselves.

1. Connect your WhatsApp number to Reputoo (official API; takes minutes).
2. Add your website and documents to the knowledge base so the AI answers in your electronics store's own terms.
3. Build keyword flows for the top tasks above. What to connect: A retail POS and a service job-card system; the job card should drive the repair updates.
4. Choose who gets handed-over chats, and during which hours.
5. Test from a personal phone, then share the number or a QR code with customers.

For common issues — a TV remote not pairing, a phone not charging — the bot can share the steps your technicians wrote. Anything beyond that books a service visit or drop-off; the bot does not attempt repairs by chat.

For appliances, the bot books the installation slot, explains what to prepare, and sends the technician's details on the day. Brand installations it cannot schedule directly are logged with the brand's service process.

The bot asks for the old device's model, age and condition, and photos, and gives the indicative exchange value if you publish one — stating clearly that the final value is set at inspection.

Customers write in their own words and languages: "iPhone 15 ka price kya hai?". The AI chatbot handles it and replies in their language.

• Ask stock and price for a product in and out of stock.
• Ask about EMI.
• Track a service job at each stage.
• Book an installation.
• Ask for troubleshooting beyond the written steps and check the handover.

Watch sales enquiries answered in minutes, service status questions answered without staff, and installation visits that happen as scheduled. Read handovers weekly.

Price negotiations, complex faults, warranty disputes and complaints go to sales or service with the customer's words, device and job number attached.

A day after purchase, the bot checks that setup went well and offers help — installation, data transfer, accessories. Problems go to service; happy customers can opt in to launch news.

When a customer books a repair, the bot reminds them to back up their data and remove screen locks if your technicians need access, and states your data policy. Customers appreciate the care, and fewer repairs stall waiting for passwords.

For repair pickup, the bot takes the address, time window and device details, checks the area, and confirms the executive's slot. Photos at collection are mentioned in the confirmation so customers know their device's condition is recorded.

Customers ask what extended warranty or damage protection covers. The bot explains the plans you sell, what they cover and exclude, and the price, from the plan documents. Claims go to service.

For stores that sell refurbished or open-box devices, the bot explains the grading, what was checked, the warranty and the return policy — clearly different from new — so buyers know exactly what they are getting.

The bot sends payment links for purchases and repairs, confirms payments and sends GST invoices on request. It never asks for card numbers, PINs or OTPs.

For TVs, sound systems and laptops, the bot offers a demo slot, asks what the customer wants to see — a sports channel on the TV, a game on the laptop — and tells the salesperson so the demo is ready when they arrive.

"Will this case fit my phone?" — the bot checks compatibility from the catalogue and suggests only accessories that fit the customer's model.

Festive seasons bring extended hours and holiday closures. The bot answers from one place, and stops offering same-day pickup or installation on days the store or technicians are off.

Customers write model names in every style — "s24", "galaxy s 24", "iphone15" — and mix languages. The bot maps these to your catalogue so the right product comes back.

Read handovers and unanswered questions weekly: missing models, unclear offers, service questions the bot could not answer. Each fix makes next week's answers faster.

Estimate messages carry [Approve] [Call me]; installation reminders carry [Confirm] [Reschedule]. The bot records approvals, moves installation slots, and passes any free-text reply to service with the job attached. Customers never need to call to say yes.

If a model is out of stock at one branch, the bot checks the others and offers the nearest one that has it, or a transfer with a date. A sale saved beats a customer sent to a marketplace.

Dead-on-arrival devices and returns within the store's window follow the brand's and your policy. The bot collects the invoice, the problem and photos, explains the process and books an inspection. Disputes go to the manager.

Customers ask whether a product is still under warranty. With the purchase record, the bot answers with the dates and what is covered, and books service or points to the brand's process for a claim.

"It's cheaper online — can you match it?" is a question for a salesperson, not a bot. The bot collects the link and hands over quickly, because the customer is deciding now.

Office buyers asking for several laptops or monitors get a short form — models, quantity, delivery address, GST details — and a handover to the sales team for a quotation, with the promise of a reply the same day.