Sequences: WhatsApp Automation Flows That Run the Whole Conversation
Updated June 17, 2026 · 4 min read
Someone DMs you "price." Your autoresponder fires back your price list. Then what?
They ask "do you deliver to Abuja?" — silence. They say "okay I want two" — silence, and they buy from the vendor who kept the conversation going. One reply was never the whole job: a sale is a back-and-forth — answer, follow up, nudge the ones who go cold. Until now you ran every one of those by hand, or lost the lead while you slept.
Sequences is your autoresponder grown up. Instead of one keyword, one reply, you build a flow: greet the lead, wait for what they say next, send them down a different path based on their answer, wait an hour and follow up, drop your catalog as a PDF — all on a visual canvas, all running on its own.
Already using the autoresponder? You're already using Sequences.
Every autoresponder rule you had is now a Sequence — same keywords, same reply, same targeting, switched on exactly as you left it. Nothing to rebuild, nothing to redo. Open Sequences and they're right there, ready to grow from a one-line reply into a full flow whenever you want.
So if all you need is "someone says price, send them the price list," that still works exactly like before. Sequences just means you're no longer stuck at one step.
How it works
Open Sequences, set a trigger (a keyword, plus who's allowed in), then drag steps onto the canvas and connect them — message, wait, branch, delay. Test the whole thing as a mock chat before a single real contact sees it, then publish. Every matching DM enrols automatically.
On a laptop it's a full drag-and-drop canvas; on your phone, the same flow is a clean step-by-step list. Same sequence, built either way.
The building blocks
A sequence is made of steps you snap together:
- Message — what WASBOT sends. Text, or an image, video, audio note, or document. Drop in
{first_name}and it's personalised; the first message replies as a quote to what they sent, so they know what they triggered. - Wait for reply — pause the flow until they answer, then keep going. This is the one the autoresponder never had — it's what turns a reply into a conversation.
- Branch — send them down different paths based on what they say. "Yes" goes one way, "how much" goes another, anything else gets a catch-all reply.
- Delay — wait a few minutes, a few hours, or a few days before the next message. Perfect for follow-ups: "Still thinking it over? Here's 10% off if you order today."
- Exit — end the flow cleanly when they've reached the finish.
A flow that closes while you sleep
Here's a lead-qualifier you could build in five minutes:
- Trigger: keyword
price, new/unsaved contacts only - Message: "Thanks for reaching out! 🙌 Our prices start from ₦5,000. What are you shopping for — clothes or accessories?"
- Wait for reply
- Branch:
- says clothes → send the clothing catalog (PDF) + "Reply with a number and I'll reserve it."
- says accessories → send the accessories catalog
- anything else → "Tell me a bit more about what you're after and I'll point you to the right list."
- Delay 6 hours
- Message: "Still deciding? Anything in the catalog you'd like me to hold for you?"
A lead lands at 2 AM, gets greeted, gets the right catalog, and gets a nudge six hours later — and you wake up to a warm conversation instead of a cold "price" you never answered.
Triggers: who starts the flow
Same front door the autoresponder used, so it'll feel familiar:
- Keywords — one or many.
price,how much,costcan all start the same flow. Match on contains, exact, or starts with. - Any message — enrol anyone who DMs you, no keyword needed. Great for a welcome flow.
- Who can enter — everyone, new/unsaved only (the money setting for ad leads), or saved only (VIP paths for existing customers).
- Cooldown — how soon the same person can re-enter, so nobody gets spammed.
See what's actually happening
Every sequence has its own analytics: how many contacts are in the flow, how many finished, and — for each person — exactly which steps they reached, with delivered and read marks on every message. No guessing whether your follow-up landed. You can see it.
Available on every plan
Sequences is live for everyone — trial through enterprise — the same way Broadcasts is. Trial accounts get the full builder to try the whole thing end to end; paid plans lift the caps. Build it once, let it run.
What's coming next
Right now a sequence talks. Soon it'll do the admin too. On the roadmap:
- Action steps — your flow handles the busywork. Not just messages: a step that auto-saves the contact, adds them to a list, or drops them into the right group the moment they qualify. A lead who says "I'm in" gets saved, listed, and added to your buyers group — without you lifting a finger. The whole ad → DM → save → group loop, end to end, on its own.
- Send-as-document / voice note — choose how media lands (a price list as a PDF, a welcome as a voice note).
- Inline video preview — see an uploaded video right on the canvas before you send it.
- More entry points — start a flow from a broadcast, a tag, or a group message, not just a DM keyword.
We'll post each one here and in the changelog as it ships.
Questions about Sequences? Check our Help Center or email support@wasbot.app.