What does the general support template do on day one?

It answers frequently asked questions from the knowledge base you paste in, captures a lead's name and number when they show buying intent, and hands off to a human when a question is outside what you gave it. It is the starting point for any small business that does not fit a vertical template.

Do I need to be technical to set it up?

About ten minutes. Pair the number by scanning a QR from WhatsApp's Linked devices, paste in your prices, hours and policies as text, a URL or a PDF, set the tone and the hand-off rules, then message the number from another phone to test five real questions. No Meta application and no developer.

Will the bot make things up?

Only from what you give it. It answers from your knowledge base and says it will check with the team when the answer is not there, rather than inventing a price or a slot. Keep the knowledge base current and most answers come straight from it; an empty knowledge base is the one setup to avoid. No AI is right every time, so flagged threads and manual takeover are there for the rest.

On Replai the Starter plan is $19 a month for one WhatsApp number and 120 conversations a cycle, where a conversation is one customer thread of up to five bot replies; Growth is $49 for up to three numbers, 300 conversations and campaigns. The AI is included, there are no per-message fees because it pairs to your existing number, and the 7-day trial needs no card.

A starter WhatsApp assistant for any small business

Quick answer

The starter template answers what you do, where you are, when you open, what you charge and how to pay, all from a document you paste in. It says it will check with the team rather than guessing, logs a name, intent and number to a Google Sheet, and pauses on any thread you take over yourself.

Start here when no vertical template fits, then refine after a week of real messages.
It answers only from your knowledge base and hands off anything it cannot find.
Lead capture writes name, intent and contact to a Google Sheet for follow-up.
Setup takes about ten minutes: pair by QR, paste your notes, test five real questions.

At a glance

It answers

Prices and packages
Opening hours and location
How to order or book
Payment methods

It hands to you

Anything not in your notes
Complaints
Custom requests

10 min

to set up

New chats

only, by default

Any

language

General support

answered by Replai, after hours

Hi, are you still open? How much is the basic package?21:14
Open until 6pm today. The basic package is $150 and includes setup and one revision. Want the full price list?21:14
Yes please. Can I pay by card?21:16
Sent. Card, bank transfer and cash all work. Tell me a time and I'll book you in.21:16

Illustrative exchange. Your bot answers from your own prices, hours and rules.

Replai knowledge base screen with pasted prices, hours and policies — Your prices, hours and rules live here. Paste them once; every answer comes from this.

Replai leads table showing captured customer details — Every enquiry that shows intent lands in a sheet with the name, number and what they asked.

Which businesses should start with this template?

If you don't see a template that exactly matches your business — you're not running contests, you're not a tuition centre, you're not selling products online — start here. The general-support template covers the universal shape of small-business inbound:

Customers asking what you do, where you are, when you're open
People asking about prices or services before deciding
Booking-style enquiries that need a human to confirm
General FAQ that gets asked weekly

It's a clean baseline you can adapt over a couple of days, as you see what your customers actually ask.

What can a WhatsApp bot handle on day one?

Day one is mostly about speed. The MIT lead response study found that calling a web lead within five minutes rather than thirty makes contact 100 times more likely, and qualification 21 times more likely (InsideSales.com/MIT Lead Response Management Study, 2007). An accurate short answer inside a minute is worth more to a small business than a considered reply the next afternoon.

Answers from your business knowledge. Paste your FAQ page, a Google Doc with your services + prices, or your existing website's About text. Replai reads it and answers grounded in your content.
Polite when it doesn't know. "Let me check with the team and get back to you on that" rather than guessing.
Captures leads to Sheets. If you point it at a Google Sheet, qualifying enquiries (name + intent + contact details) get logged so you follow up.
Hands off gracefully. The operator dashboard shows every conversation. Take over manually any time; the bot pauses for that thread until you resume.

What changes as you learn

After a week of inbound, you'll see what your customers actually ask. Common patterns:

A specific product or service that comes up so often it deserves its own KB section
A booking flow that should ask for date + party size + contact upfront
A common complaint pattern that should escalate to you immediately

The system prompt is one settings page away — refine as you learn. Or, if a vertical-specific template emerges as a better fit, switch the bot to that template and your KB carries over.

Set up in 5 minutes

Pair your WhatsApp number via QR, pick the General template, paste in a doc with your business info. Done.

Want this on your number?

7-day free trial — no credit card, no API key.

Start free trial

Frequently asked questions

What does the general support template do on day one?: It answers frequently asked questions from the knowledge base you paste in, captures a lead's name and number when they show buying intent, and hands off to a human when a question is outside what you gave it. It is the starting point for any small business that does not fit a vertical template.
Do I need to be technical to set it up?: About ten minutes. Pair the number by scanning a QR from WhatsApp's Linked devices, paste in your prices, hours and policies as text, a URL or a PDF, set the tone and the hand-off rules, then message the number from another phone to test five real questions. No Meta application and no developer.
Will the bot make things up?: Only from what you give it. It answers from your knowledge base and says it will check with the team when the answer is not there, rather than inventing a price or a slot. Keep the knowledge base current and most answers come straight from it; an empty knowledge base is the one setup to avoid. No AI is right every time, so flagged threads and manual takeover are there for the rest.
What does it cost?: On Replai the Starter plan is $19 a month for one WhatsApp number and 120 conversations a cycle, where a conversation is one customer thread of up to five bot replies; Growth is $49 for up to three numbers, 300 conversations and campaigns. The AI is included, there are no per-message fees because it pairs to your existing number, and the 7-day trial needs no card.

Sources

About WhatsApp, WhatsApp, 2026-09-07
Lead Response Management Study, InsideSales.com and MIT, 2007