Reply to customers yourself, and hand chats back to Ah Va

Open Conversations, under Inbox. Every WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger chat is here, newest first.

Open Conversations→

Take over a chat

1. 1Open the chat and click Ah Va: ON at the top to switch her off for this chat.
2. 2Type in the reply box and press send (Ctrl or Cmd + Enter works too). Use the paperclip for photos and files, or the microphone for a voice note.
3. 3When you are done, click Ah Va: OFF to hand the chat back.

When Ah Va comes back on her own

• When the customer writes after your team has been quiet in the chat for the Resume Ah Va after a take-over time (24 hours unless you change it), whether you used the button or a reply paused her.
• Sooner after a reply paused her, if the customer writes twice with no answer while your team has been quiet for 30 minutes.
• On your WhatsApp Business number, Instagram and Messenger, with Never leave a customer waiting set: once a customer's message has had no reply for that many minutes, Ah Va answers it if a reply had paused her. If someone took the chat over with the button, your team is paged instead.

Outside WhatsApp's 24-hour window

WhatsApp only allows free-typed replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message. After that, click Send an approved template and pick one of your approved templates. You can also schedule a message with Send later, from 2 minutes to 30 days ahead.

Ah Va settings for your team

The Ah Va settings button on Conversations lets owners, managers and sales reps change spam screening, how long Ah Va stays quiet after a take-over, how long she waits before replying, Never leave a customer waiting and Page the team when Ah Va promises a follow-up. Viewers can see them but not change them.

Pause Ah Va everywhere

The Ah Va: ON switch at the top of Conversations (owners and managers) turns her replies off on every channel, while messages still arrive. It is meant for short pauses: on a live WhatsApp line it switches back on by the next morning. To stop replies on a WhatsApp number for longer, choose who Ah Va answers instead, which stays as you set it.