Guide: Greet the first message
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-starts/greet-the-first-message
Topic: Flow starts
Time: about 3 minutes
Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox
Result when done: Everyone who writes for the first time gets your opening.
Context: The conversation start, Someone starts a conversation, runs once per person: the first time they ever write to you, whatever they say. It is the place for a welcome, a menu of buttons, or a question. The same start also carries the ice breakers, the questions people can tap before they type.

Before you start:
1. Instagram and Facebook both.
2. One conversation-start flow per page: it owns the page's ice breakers.
3. A keyword automation that matches the first message answers it instead.

Steps:
Step 1 of 4: Open a flow and pick the start.
Where: Automation, then New automation and Start from a blank canvas; the window Start automation when… lists the Triggers. The conversation start reads Ice breakers and first messages (Someone starts a conversation). To change the start of a flow you already have, click its first card and press Change beside Starts with.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-starts.en.webp (Start automation when…: every start of the page.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-starts-more-phone.en.webp (The end of the list of starts on a phone.)
You should see: The start lands as the first card, and the panel on the right, Trigger, opens its settings.

Step 2 of 4: Switch on First message.
Where: Trigger panel, First message: the switch under that label. It runs once per person, the first time they ever write to you, whatever they say.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-start-welcome.en.webp (The First message switch, on.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-start-welcome-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The start card shows a way out named First message.

Step 3 of 4: Wire the greeting.
Where: From the way First message, drag to a Message (or click Add a step under Next steps in the panel). Buttons and quick replies on it can each lead their own way.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-start-welcome.en.webp (The way First message on the start card, wired to the greeting.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-start-welcome-more-phone.en.webp (Next steps on a phone: each way out of the start and the step it leads to.)
You should see: The greeting card sits after the start.

Step 4 of 4: Save and switch it live.
Where: On the bar at the top right, turn the Live switch on, then press Save.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow.en.webp (The Live switch, on, at the top right of the bar. Shown on another flow, Tasting bookings.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-phone.en.webp (The Live switch on a phone, under the row of tools.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow.en.webp (Save, at the right end of the bar. It is grey here because this flow has nothing new to save.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/dm-flow-phone.en.webp (Save on a phone.)
You should see: Saved. It's live on your page.

If something is off:
Problem: It says another flow already starts conversations on this page
Fix: A page has one set of ice breakers, so one conversation-start flow. Archive the other one first.
Problem: Someone's first message got a keyword answer instead
Fix: One message gets one automatic answer, and a matching keyword automation goes before the greeting.
Problem: A regular customer never got the greeting
Fix: It runs only the first time a person ever writes to your page.

Common questions:
Question: What counts as a first message?
Answer: The first time a person ever writes to your page, whatever they say. It runs once per person.
Question: Can the same flow greet and show ice breakers?
Answer: Yes. The conversation start holds both: the first-message switch and up to four ice breakers, each with its own way.
Question: What if the first message contains one of my keywords?
Answer: The keyword automation answers it. Only one automatic answer goes to one message, and keywords go before the greeting.

Related guides:
- Add ice breakers: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-starts/add-ice-breakers
- Send a message with buttons and quick replies: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-steps/send-a-message-with-buttons-and-quick-replies
- Greet first messages, with questions to tap: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/greet-first-messages-with-questions-to-tap

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/flow-starts/greet-the-first-message.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt