How Indian online stores can auto-reply on WhatsApp and Instagram in English and Indian languages

What the setup involves

1. Create an account. Indian signups ask for a valid GSTIN, because Kylix is sold to GST-registered businesses.
2. Connect your Shopify or WooCommerce store, so the agent can see products, orders and tracking.
3. Connect WhatsApp with Meta Embedded Signup. Kylix adds a new business number and runs on the Meta Cloud API directly, with no BSP in between.
4. Connect Instagram with one login. The account must be a professional account linked to a Facebook Page.
5. Let the agent learn your site and documents, then answer the core questions: shipping, returns, support hours and when to hand off.
6. Send yourself a test message on each channel and switch the agent on.

Every plan has a 14-day free trial with no card needed, so you can run this on live chats before paying.

The Meta rules behind automatic replies

On WhatsApp, a customer service window opens for 24 hours whenever a customer messages you, and free-form replies belong inside it. Meta states that template messages are the only type of message that can be sent outside a customer service window, and that template review can take up to 24 hours. On Instagram, your app has 24 hours to respond to any message a user sends, and conversations start only when the user messages first.

Meta's policy for Messenger and the Instagram Messaging API also says that where legally required, automated chats must disclose that the customer is talking to an automated service. Disclosing at the start of a thread is good practice everywhere. Kylix replies on Instagram only inside the 24-hour window.

Which languages are covered

Kylix replies in the language the customer writes in. You can also pin one language for all replies in Settings. Hinglish means Hindi written in Roman script, mixed with English.

Test your languages before you launch

1. Write five real customer questions in each language you serve, copied from your own chats.
2. Send them to your own number and read the replies as a customer would.
3. Include one message that mixes two languages in the same sentence.
4. Pin a language in Settings only if you want every reply in it, whatever the customer writes.
5. Add any term the agent gets wrong, such as a product name, to your Brand knowledge.

When a person takes over

Anything sensitive or complex moves to your team in the shared inbox with the full history attached. Your team replies from the dashboard in the same WhatsApp or Instagram thread. While you reply, Kylix pauses on that thread for 12 hours, and you can hand the conversation back. You choose the response time the customer is told, from 1 to 72 hours.

A note on Instagram

Instagram works differently from WhatsApp in one way that matters for planning. You cannot send a first message to a follower through the messaging API, so the job is to give people a reason to message you: a link in your bio, an ad that opens a DM or a story. Once they write, the agent answers inside the 24-hour window. Replies to Instagram comments with a DM offer are coming soon and are not live today.

What the agent can do in the chat

• Answer questions about products, shipping and policies from your own store data.
• Share order and tracking details when a customer asks.
• Show your catalogue in WhatsApp, take a cart to checkout, check the pincode and take COD, UPI or card payment through Razorpay.
• On Growth and Pro, send reorder reminders on WhatsApp to one-time buyers who agreed to hear from you.

WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, website chat and selling in the chat are on every plan: Starter at ₹1,999 for 500 conversations a month, Growth at ₹4,999 for 1,500 conversations a month, Pro at ₹9,999 for 3,000 conversations a month, all + 18% GST. Email is on Pro only. WhatsApp's own message fees are separate, and our WhatsApp pricing guide explains them.