Guide: Answer messages that contain a keyword
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/answer-messages-that-contain-a-keyword
Topic: Automation
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: Pricing, hours, the catalogue: the answer goes out the moment someone asks in a DM, with chips they can tap next, only outside your hours if you like, and a hand-over to a person when they say so.
Context: For messages, not comments. When a DM contains one of your words, the reply goes out at once, with link buttons and up to thirteen chips they can tap; each chip is a keyword too, so tapping Pricing runs the automation that answers pricing. The very first message a person sends is greeted by the Welcome recipe instead.

Before you start:
1. Starter and above.
2. Business hours are yours: inside them the automation stays quiet and a person answers.
3. A hand-over word pauses every automation on that thread and tells the team.

Steps:
Step 1 of 4: Say which messages.
Where: Step 1, Which messages: Contains a keyword with the chips, or Any message (every message no keyword answered, before your AI agent sees it; best with Only outside business hours).
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-answer.en.webp (Which messages: the keywords.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-answer-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The chips.

Step 2 of 4: Write the reply, its links and the chips they can tap.
Where: Step 2, The reply: variations, link buttons, and Chips they can tap, up to what the platform shows. Add another message adds up to five more after it: a text, an image or video, a PDF, or a card with buttons, each sent as its own message right after the reply.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-answer-message.en.webp (The reply with its chips.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-answer-phone-message.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The phone shows the reply with the chips under it.

Step 3 of 4: Open Advanced settings.
Where: Only outside business hours, with your hours and days. Hand to a person when they say… with the words, what they hear, who is told and when automations resume. Ask for their email or phone after. Once per person per day.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-answer-options.en.webp (Hours and hand-over.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-answer-phone-options.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Each block adds its scene.

Step 4 of 4: Save.
Where: Save at the top right, or ⌘S.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-answer.en.webp (Save.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/automation-editor-answer-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Live from the next message.

If something is off:
Problem: It answered my own teammate's message
Fix: A message from the page itself is never a trigger. If a person on your team wrote in the thread, that is what Messages shows; the automation answered the customer.
Problem: It answered while we were online
Fix: Switch on Only outside business hours and set them.
Problem: Someone asked for a person and still got the automatic answer
Fix: Add the words they use to the hand-over list. "Human", "a person" and their translations are already there for the AI agent recipe; this recipe uses the words you list.

Common questions:
Question: How many chips can a message carry?
Answer: Thirteen on Messenger and on Instagram. The editor stops at the platform's number.
Question: What happens after a hand-over?
Answer: Every automation on that thread pauses, the team gets a push, and the thread header shows Automation paused with Resume. They resume after 24 hours, 3 days, or only when a person closes the thread, as you set.

Related guides:
- Greet first messages, with questions to tap: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/greet-first-messages-with-questions-to-tap
- Let your AI agent answer messages: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/let-your-ai-agent-answer-messages
- What Meta allows: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/what-meta-allows

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/keyword-automations/answer-messages-that-contain-a-keyword.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt