--- title: "WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts, Ice Breakers and Slash Commands" description: "Use WhatsApp Ice Breakers and Slash Commands to start chatbots, Flow Builder, ERP, support, sales, demo, and order tracking automations." url: https://whats91.com/features/chat-shortcuts-conversation-automation lastModified: 2026-05-29T18:10:16.159Z keywords: ["WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts", "WhatsApp Ice Breakers", "WhatsApp Quick Start Prompts", "WhatsApp Conversation Starters", "WhatsApp Slash Commands", "WhatsApp Business Commands", "WhatsApp Automation Commands", "WhatsApp Conversational Automation", "WhatsApp Cloud API automation", "WhatsApp Flow Builder integration"] --- # WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts, Ice Breakers and Slash Commands > Use WhatsApp Ice Breakers and Slash Commands to start chatbots, Flow Builder, ERP, support, sales, demo, and order tracking automations. **Source**: [https://whats91.com/features/chat-shortcuts-conversation-automation](https://whats91.com/features/chat-shortcuts-conversation-automation) --- ## Overview Whats91 Chat Shortcuts helps businesses create a smoother WhatsApp experience by adding quick conversation prompts and slash commands to connected WhatsApp numbers. Customers can tap options like "Track my order" or "Talk to support", or type commands like `/ledger` and `/orders`. Meta displays these shortcuts inside WhatsApp. Whats91 handles the real automation after the customer taps a prompt or sends a slash command, because those interactions arrive as normal incoming webhook text messages. Existing Whats91 Chatbots and Flow Builder can then match the prompt text or command and reply with business logic. This feature is intentionally separate from AI MetaBot. It does not use WABA Bot ID APIs and does not depend on an AI runtime. ## Key Benefits - Reduce customer typing effort with pre-configured ice breakers. - Offer command-style actions for frequent business tasks. - Route prompt taps and slash commands into existing Whats91 Chatbots and Flow Builder. - Configure shortcuts per WhatsApp phone number. - Pull existing Meta configuration and sync it into Whats91. - Push local drafts to Meta when ready. - Clear shortcuts on Meta without deleting local automation logic. ## How It Works 1. Configure prompts and slash commands in Whats91. 2. Push the configuration to Meta for the selected WhatsApp phone number. 3. Meta shows the prompts and commands inside WhatsApp. 4. A customer taps a prompt or sends a slash command. 5. Whats91 receives normal webhook text and routes it into Chatbots, Flow Builder, ERP workflows, custom handlers, or human handoff. ## Business Use Cases ### Support Automation Recommended prompts: - Talk to support - Track my ticket - Check service status - Request callback Recommended commands: - `/support`: Talk to support team - `/ticket`: Check ticket status - `/callback`: Request a callback ### Accounting And ERP Automation Recommended prompts: - View ledger balance - Request invoice - Check pending bills - Share payment reminder Recommended commands: - `/ledger`: View ledger balance - `/invoice`: Request latest invoice - `/pending`: View pending bills ### Order And Delivery Tracking Recommended prompts: - Track my order - View recent orders - Cancel an order - Talk to dispatch Recommended commands: - `/orders`: View order history - `/track`: Track current order - `/delivery`: Check delivery status ### Sales And Lead Capture Recommended prompts: - View latest offers - Talk to sales - Request product catalog - Book a demo Recommended commands: - `/sales`: Connect with sales team - `/catalog`: View product catalog - `/demo`: Book a product demo ## Meta Limits Enforced By Whats91 | Area | Limit | |---|---| | Ice breakers | Maximum 4 prompts | | Prompt length | Maximum 80 characters | | Slash commands | Maximum 30 commands | | Command name | Maximum 32 characters | | Command description | Maximum 256 characters | | Emojis | Rejected | | Duplicate prompts | Rejected | | Duplicate command names | Rejected case-insensitively | Command names are stored without the `/` prefix. ## Webhook Runtime Behavior Meta does not execute the automation logic. It only displays prompts and commands inside WhatsApp. When a customer taps an ice breaker, Whats91 receives a normal text message: ```json { "text": { "body": "Track my order" } } ``` When a customer sends a slash command, Whats91 also receives a normal text message: ```json { "text": { "body": "/ledger customer ABC" } } ``` Whats91 can then route the text through existing Chatbots, Flow Builder trigger matching, custom ERP or business automation handlers, and human handoff logic. ## Dashboard Management The Whats91 dashboard supports selected number context, sync status, ice breaker editing, slash command editing, WhatsApp preview, business presets, usage guidance, and a clear confirmation flow. Teams can pull from Meta, save a local draft, push to Meta, clear the live Meta configuration, and test the shortcuts in WhatsApp. ## What are WhatsApp Ice Breakers? WhatsApp Ice Breakers are quick-start prompts that Meta can display inside a WhatsApp conversation with a business phone number. They are also called WhatsApp Quick Start Prompts or WhatsApp Conversation Starters because they help a customer begin without typing from a blank screen. Examples include Track My Order, Talk to Support, Request Invoice, and Book Demo. Meta displays the prompt options in WhatsApp. Whats91 receives the selected prompt through the incoming message webhook and routes it into WhatsApp Business Automation. This means Track My Order can start an order-status workflow, Talk to Support can start a support chatbot, Request Invoice can route into accounting automation, and Book Demo can create a lead capture or demo scheduling flow. Ice Breakers help businesses because the customer's first intent becomes clear immediately. They reduce vague opening messages, improve routing accuracy, and connect naturally to Flow Builder, chatbot flows, WhatsApp Templates, CRM updates, ERP workflows, and support handoff. They help customers because tapping a prompt is faster than typing and easier on mobile screens. ## What are WhatsApp Slash Commands? WhatsApp Slash Commands are typed command shortcuts such as `/support`, `/orders`, `/ledger`, and `/demo`. They are useful for repeat users who know the action they want. A command is configured in Whats91, published to Meta for the selected WhatsApp business phone number, and delivered back to Whats91 as normal incoming text when the customer sends it. The command starts a workflow but does not execute the business logic by itself. Whats91 matches the command and routes it to a chatbot, Flow Builder journey, ERP workflow, CRM update, Google Sheets integration, custom webhook, or human handoff. For example, `/ledger customer ABC` can be parsed as the ledger command plus an account reference. Slash commands create stable automation triggers. Natural language varies, but a command such as `/orders` or `/ledger` gives the system a predictable starting point for WhatsApp Conversational Automation. ## WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts vs WhatsApp Chatbots | Feature | WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts | WhatsApp Chatbots | |---|---|---| | Visible in WhatsApp | Yes. Prompts and commands appear inside WhatsApp. | No. Bot logic runs after a message is received. | | Starts Workflow | Yes. A tap or command can start a route. | Yes. A bot can reply after matching a trigger. | | Requires AI | No. Shortcuts are deterministic conversation starters. | Optional. Bots can be rule-based or AI-assisted. | | Works with Flow Builder | Yes. Shortcut text can become a trigger. | Yes. Bot steps can hand off to flows. | | Works with ERP | Yes. Commands can route to ERP workflows. | Yes. Bots can query ERP data after trigger matching. | | Customer Friendly | High. Customers tap instead of typing. | High when menus and replies are clear. | | Support Friendly | High. Common intents are visible before the first message. | High. Support logic can answer and escalate. | Chat Shortcuts are the first-click or first-command layer. Chatbots handle the next step: asking questions, sending replies, calling APIs, escalating to humans, or continuing a workflow. A shortcut can start a chatbot, but it is not the chatbot itself. ## Business Use Cases for WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts ### Customer Support Automation Customer support teams can use prompts like Talk to Support and commands like `/support` to reduce vague opening messages. Whats91 can route the incoming text into support chatbots, callback flows, ticket-status flows, or human handoff. ### Order Tracking Automation Track My Order or `/orders` can start an order tracking workflow. Whats91 can collect an order ID, query a connected system, send a status update, or route the case to support for exceptions. ### ERP Automation Commands such as `/ledger`, `/invoice`, and `/pending` can route to ERP workflows. This supports Busy ERP WhatsApp automation, Miracle WhatsApp API workflows, custom APIs, and account-document delivery. ### Accounting Automation Request Invoice, View Ledger Balance, and `/ledger` help customers request accounting information without typing long messages. Whats91 can route the request to templates, account workflows, ERP lookups, or accounts-team handoff. ### Lead Generation Prompts like View Latest Offers, Talk to Sales, Request Product Catalog, and Book Demo guide prospects into lead capture flows. Whats91 can collect details, qualify the lead, update a CRM, or notify sales. ### Sales Automation Sales teams can use `/sales`, catalog prompts, offer prompts, and callback prompts to prioritize high-intent buyers. The trigger can start product selection, qualification, WhatsApp Business Calling follow-up, or human handoff. ### Demo Booking Book Demo or `/demo` can start a focused demo booking workflow. Whats91 can collect company, interest, preferred time, and contact details, then notify the sales team or create a CRM record. ## FAQ ### What are WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts? Chat Shortcuts are quick conversation options shown in WhatsApp. They include ice breakers customers can tap and slash commands customers can type. ### Does Meta run the chatbot? No. Meta only displays the prompts and commands. Whats91 receives the selected text through webhooks and runs the automation through Chatbots, Flow Builder, custom business workflows, or human handoff. ### Can each WhatsApp number have different shortcuts? Yes. Chat Shortcuts are configured per selected WhatsApp phone number setup. ### Can I sync existing shortcuts from Meta? Yes. Whats91 can fetch existing prompts and commands from Meta and manage them inside Whats91. ### Do Chat Shortcuts work with Whats91 Flow Builder? Yes. Tapped prompts and slash commands arrive as normal incoming text messages, so Flow Builder can use them as triggers. ### Can WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts start a chatbot? Yes. WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts can start a chatbot when the prompt text or slash command is matched as an incoming message trigger. ### Can WhatsApp Slash Commands trigger ERP workflows? Yes. Commands such as `/ledger`, `/invoice`, and `/orders` can trigger ERP workflows through Whats91 routing. ### Can WhatsApp Ice Breakers be configured per phone number? Yes. Ice Breakers can be configured for the selected WhatsApp business phone number. ### Are WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts available in WhatsApp Cloud API? Yes. Chat Shortcuts use Meta WhatsApp conversational automation components for business phone numbers. ### Do WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts require AI? No. Chat Shortcuts are deterministic conversation starters and do not require AI. ### How many Ice Breakers does WhatsApp allow? WhatsApp allows up to 4 ice breaker prompts. ### How many Slash Commands can WhatsApp support? WhatsApp supports up to 30 slash commands. ### Can WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts work with CRM systems? Yes. Whats91 can route shortcut text into CRM updates through Flow Builder, webhooks, or custom APIs. ### Can WhatsApp Chat Shortcuts automate order tracking? Yes. Track My Order or `/orders` can start an order tracking workflow.