Summary
Keyword Actions let you automatically respond to or route customer conversations based on specific keywords or phrases in their messages.
You can choose how Wati matches a keyword and then attach one or more reply materials or actions, such as messages, chatbots, notifications, or chat routing.
This guide explains how to:
Access Keyword Actions
Create a keyword action
Choose a message-matching method
Understand how keyword matching works
Add reply materials
Route conversations to operators or teams
Manage existing keyword actions
You can create up to 300 keyword actions under the Business Plan.
Note: Keyword Actions is a legacy feature. We recommend using Rules for new automation workflows.
Instructions
Access Keyword Actions
In Wati, go to Automation.
In the left panel, select Keyword Action.
Click Add keyword action.
Creating a keyword action has 2 steps:
Trigger Keyword
Set Reply Material
Step 1: Add a trigger keyword
Click Add Keyword +.
Enter the keyword you want Wati to look for in customer messages.
Select a Message matching method.
Click Save.
Wati supports 3 message-matching methods:
Fuzzy matching
Fuzzy matching responds when the customer's message is similar to the keyword based on a similarity percentage. The default matching threshold is 80%.
For example, if you define Tell me about your company information? as a keyword, a customer can send:
your company information?
The Keyword Action can still trigger if the similarity score meets the configured threshold.
Exact matching
Exact matching responds only when the customer's message matches the keyword exactly.
For example, if the keyword is:
Tell me about your company information?
the Keyword Action triggers only when the customer sends the same message.
If the customer sends:
your company information?
the Keyword Action does not trigger.
Contains
Contains matching responds when the customer's message contains the configured keyword. No matching percentage is required.
For example, if the keyword is your company, Wati responds when a customer sends:
Can you tell me more about your company details?
Keywords used in Keyword Actions are not case-sensitive. For example, Support, support, and SUPPORT are treated as the same keyword.
Contains matching priority
Contains matching has the following priority rules:
Contains has higher priority than Fuzzy matching.
Exact matching has higher priority than Contains.
If multiple Contains keywords match the same message, Wati uses the reply for the keyword that was created first.
For example, suppose you have these keywords:
today — Contains — created last month
weather — Contains — created today
rainy — Contains — created last week
If a customer sends:
How is the weather today? Is it rainy?
Wati uses the reply for today because it is the oldest matching Contains keyword.
Click Next Step.
Step 2: Set reply material
In the Set Reply Material step, you can select existing reply materials or create a new one.
Wati supports these 14 types of reply materials:
Text
Document
Image
Video
Sticker
Chatbot
Sequence
Contact Attribute
Template
Send Notification
Assign to Operator
Assign to Team
Catalog
AI Support Agent
You can select multiple reply materials for the same keyword. If you select 2 reply materials, Wati sends or runs both.
Order in which reply materials run
When a single Keyword Action has multiple reply materials attached, Wati runs them in this order:
Messages and media
Chatbot
Assign to Operator
If you attach more than 1 chatbot to the same Keyword Action, only the first chatbot starts.
To add reply materials:
Select the checkbox next to an existing reply material, or click Add to create a new one.
Review the selected reply materials.
Click Save.
Use Keyword Actions for chat routing
Keyword Actions can automatically route conversations when a customer's message matches a configured keyword.
You can use reply materials to:
Assign to Operator: Assign the conversation to a specific operator.
Assign to Team: Route the conversation to a predefined team.
Manage reply materials
The Set Reply Material screen also includes these options:
Back: Return to Step 1 to update the trigger keyword or matching method.
Cancel: Return to the Keyword Action List without saving the changes.
Search: Find an existing reply material by name or content.
Edit: Update an existing reply material.
Delete: Delete an existing reply material.
Once you save the Keyword Action, it becomes active and triggers when a customer's message matches the configured keyword and matching conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
1. What are Keyword Actions in Wati?
Keyword Actions let you automatically respond to or route customer conversations based on specific keywords or phrases in customer messages.
2. Is Keyword Actions a legacy feature?
Yes. Keyword Actions is a legacy feature, and Wati recommends using Rules for new automation workflows.
3. How many Keyword Actions can I create under the Business Plan?
You can create up to 300 Keyword Actions under the Business Plan.
Keyword Matching
4. What keyword matching methods are available in Keyword Actions?
Wati supports 3 keyword matching methods: Fuzzy matching, Exact matching, and Contains.
Fuzzy matching checks whether a customer's message is similar to the configured keyword. The default matching threshold is 80%.
Exact matching requires the customer's message to match the configured keyword exactly.
Contains checks whether the configured keyword appears in the customer's message. No matching percentage is required.
5. Are Keyword Action keywords case-sensitive?
No. Keywords used in Keyword Actions are not case-sensitive. For example, Support, support, and SUPPORT are treated as the same keyword.
6. Which keyword matching method takes priority when multiple methods match?
Exact matching has higher priority than Contains, and Contains has higher priority than Fuzzy matching. If multiple Contains keywords match the same message, Wati uses the reply for the keyword that was created first.
Reply Materials and Routing
7. What types of reply materials can I use with a Keyword Action?
Wati supports 14 types of reply materials: Text, Document, Image, Video, Sticker, Chatbot, Sequence, Contact Attribute, Template, Send Notification, Assign to Operator, Assign to Team, Catalog, and AI Support Agent.