How to build a WhatsApp chatbot for your insurance agency

Start from what customers actually send. Customers ask about premiums, what a policy covers, renewal dates, how to file a claim and the status of a claim.

Then look at what goes wrong today:

• Policy renewals lapse when nobody reminds clients. Client's health insurance expires on March 15th. Nobody sent a reminder. Policy lapses. Medical expense during gap = catastrophe.
• Claim process is confusing and stressful for clients. Client in an accident at 11 PM. Can't reach you. Doesn't know which documents to collect. WhatsApp claim guide helps immediately.
• Cross-sell opportunities missed at renewal time. Client renews car insurance. Perfect moment to offer health insurance top-up. Nobody asks because there's no system.

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

From their registered number, customers can ask "send my health e-card", "when does my car insurance expire?", "what premium is due?" and get answers from the agency's records, with documents and payment links.

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.

1. Which policy? From the customer's list.
2. What happened? Accident, hospitalisation, theft, damage.
3. Is anyone hurt or in hospital now? If yes, a person takes over immediately.
4. Document list for this claim type, and how to send them.
5. Claim registered with the reference and next step.

Reputoo supports both, and most insurance agents 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 insurance agency: keyword flows for the top two or three tasks, AI for everything else, and a person behind both.

The bot collects what the enquirer wants to insure, family members and ages for health, vehicle details for motor, and books a call with a licensed advisor for recommendations and quotes.

"Is this covered?" and "which plan is best for my parents?" depend on policy wording and personal circumstances. The bot passes them to a licensed advisor rather than guessing — a wrong answer about coverage can cost a customer dearly.

• 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 — for insurance agents this is most of the clinical or advisory detail.
• Any customer who asks for a human. Do not make them ask twice.

For insurance agents specifically: claim disputes, coverage advice and anything to do with a bereavement or hospitalisation need an agent.

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 insurance agency's own terms.
3. Build keyword flows for the top tasks above. What to connect: A policy CRM or the insurer's portal, with policy numbers and renewal dates.
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 renewals, the bot sends the renewal premium, any changes, and a payment link, and books an advisor call for customers who want to change cover or compare options.

Messages about an accident or hospital admission skip the menu: the bot gives the insurer's claim helpline and cashless process steps, and alerts the agent immediately.

Customers write in many languages; the AI chatbot replies in theirs, which matters when explaining claim steps to a worried family.

• Request an e-card and a motor certificate.
• Start a motor claim and a health claim.
• Report a hospitalisation and check the agent is alerted.
• Ask a coverage question and check it goes to an advisor.

When a family says a member is admitted, the bot immediately sends the cashless steps for their insurer — e-card, insurance desk, pre-authorisation — and the insurer's helpline, and alerts the agent. It does not predict approval.

Customers ask whether they keep their no-claim bonus when switching insurers, or whether they can port a health policy. The bot explains the general process as your team has written it and books an advisor, because the details depend on the policies involved.

For motor accidents, the bot sends the claim steps: intimate the insurer, photos of damage, the FIR where required, the surveyor visit and network garages. It collects photos and registers the claim with the agency.

Customers can ask to update a nominee or KYC; the bot sends the insurer's form and process and passes the request to the agency to complete.

Coverage questions, product comparisons, claim disputes and complaints go to a licensed advisor with the policy and question attached. The bot tells the customer when to expect contact.

Watch renewals paid before expiry, documents sent without calls, claims registered in chat and emergencies escalated within minutes. Read handovers weekly.

Customers ask whether they can pay monthly instead of yearly, or change the payment date. The bot explains what the policy allows and passes change requests to the agency, which processes them with the insurer.

Before a trip, customers can request travel insurance: destination, dates and travellers. The bot collects these, and an advisor sends the quote and policy — with the emergency helpline to save before departure.

The bot sends renewal and premium links, confirms payments and sends receipts useful for tax deductions. It never asks for card numbers, PINs or OTPs.

The bot tells customers office hours for routine requests and, at any hour, gives insurer helplines for claims — the one piece of information that cannot wait.

Shop and office owners ask about fire, burglary and liability cover. The bot collects the business type, location and what they want to protect, and books a licensed advisor to discuss options.

Renewal reminders carry [Renew now] [Change my cover] [Talk to advisor]; premium reminders carry [Pay] [Need more time]. "Need more time" gets the grace-period date; "change my cover" goes to an advisor with the policy attached.

Advisors review handovers weekly: coverage questions, claims needing help and customers with gaps, and follow up personally.

Customers ask to add a spouse to health cover, change an address or update a vehicle. The bot collects the details and documents, explains that the insurer issues an endorsement, and sends the updated schedule when the agency receives it.

Claims need many documents over days — bills, discharge summary, reports, FIR, photos. The bot keeps a checklist for the claim, ticks off each document as it arrives, and tells the customer what is still missing, so the claim is not delayed by a forgotten paper.

Older customers may prefer short messages and a call. The bot keeps replies brief, offers "call me" at every step, and — with consent — can include a family member in claim and renewal messages.

When a motor policy has lapsed, insurers may require a vehicle inspection before renewal. The bot explains that, collects the vehicle details and photos the insurer asks for, and books the inspection through the agency.

Customers ask for premium receipts for tax deductions. The bot sends the receipts for the financial year from the records to the policyholder's registered number.

At policy issue, the bot asks whether the customer wants renewal and premium reminders on WhatsApp and records the answer. Almost everyone says yes, and the record protects the agency's number when reminders go out.