Keyword triggers: starting the right flow when someone types 'price'
A keyword trigger starts a specific flow the moment a customer's message contains a matched word, like 'price' or 'menu', instead of the general default flow. You can set several keywords per trigger, mark some as 'restart' words that reset an ongoing conversation, and keyword triggers take precedence over the default new-conversation flow whenever a match is found.
- A keyword trigger fires a specific flow the moment a message contains any of its matched keywords.
- You can attach multiple keywords to one trigger — for example 'price', 'cost' and 'rates' all leading to the same pricing flow.
- Restart keywords let a customer type something like 'menu' or 'start over' to reset an in-progress conversation.
- Keyword triggers take precedence over the default new-conversation flow whenever there's a match, anywhere in the message.
- Keep keyword lists short and specific to avoid accidental matches inside unrelated sentences.
Prerequisites: what you need before setting one up
You need at least one existing or planned flow to attach the trigger to, and a clear idea of what customers actually type when they want that flow. The best source for this is your existing WhatsApp chat history, not a guess. If you don't have chat history yet, start with obvious variants (price, cost, rate) and refine the list after a few weeks of real usage.
What a keyword trigger actually does, and how matching works
Most flows start on 'new conversation', the very first message a customer sends. A keyword trigger is different: it watches every incoming message and, whenever the text contains one of your chosen keywords, jumps straight into a specific flow regardless of where the customer is in the conversation.
This is how a customer typing 'price' mid-conversation can immediately see your pricing, even if they were originally asking about something else. It's a small feature with an outsized effect on customer experience, since it stops a rigid, linear flow from trapping a customer who has a specific, urgent question that doesn't match wherever they currently are in your script.
Matching looks for the keyword anywhere inside the customer's message, not just as the whole message. So a keyword trigger set to 'price' will fire on 'what's the price', 'price list please' and just 'price'. Matching is generally case-insensitive, so 'PRICE' and 'Price' both match. Be specific with short keywords. A trigger on the word 'call' could accidentally fire on 'I'll call you tomorrow', which may not be the intent you meant. Favour slightly longer, more distinctive phrases where possible.
Building it on Convo360: multiple keywords for one trigger
On Convo360, a keyword trigger is configured directly on the flow it should start, with no separate automation tool involved:
- Open the flow you want to trigger and go to its trigger settings (step 3 of Create flow, 'When should it start?').
- Choose keyword as the trigger type.
- Add each keyword variant customers might actually type: for a pricing flow, that could be 'price', 'cost', 'rate', 'fees', 'kitna' (Hindi for 'how much').
- Save and test with Preview / Try-it by typing each variant.
Grouping synonyms this way means you don't need a separate flow for every possible phrasing a customer might use.
Restart keywords, for resetting a stuck conversation
Sometimes a customer gets stuck mid-flow, or wants to start over entirely. Mark a keyword, commonly 'menu', 'start' or 'restart', as a restart trigger so it interrupts whatever flow the customer is in and takes them back to your main menu or default flow. This is a small addition that meaningfully reduces support escalations from confused customers.
Precedence and a worked multi-trigger example
Keyword triggers take precedence over the default new-conversation flow whenever a match is found in an incoming message. If a message could match more than one keyword trigger, the platform generally applies the more specific or first-configured match, so when you have overlapping keywords across flows, test them explicitly in Preview rather than assuming which one wins.
Consider a restaurant with three keyword triggers set up: 'menu' → menu flow, 'book table' → booking flow, and 'menu' also included as a restart word on the booking flow itself. A customer mid-way through booking who suddenly types 'menu' gets pulled out of the booking flow and shown the menu, exactly the escape hatch a confused or distracted customer needs, without support staff having to step in.
| Scenario | What fires |
|---|---|
| First message ever, no keyword | Default 'new conversation' flow |
| Any message containing a set keyword | That keyword's flow, even mid-conversation |
| Message containing a restart keyword | Resets to the main/default flow |
Troubleshooting common issues
| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| Keyword doesn't fire at all | Check spelling and that the flow is Published, not saved as a draft only. |
| Keyword fires unexpectedly on unrelated messages | The keyword is too short or common (like 'call' or 'help'). Use a more specific phrase. |
| Two flows both seem to respond to the same keyword | Check for the same or overlapping keyword configured on more than one flow, and remove the duplicate. |
| Restart keyword doesn't reset mid-flow | Confirm the keyword is explicitly marked as a restart trigger, not just added as a regular keyword on another flow. |
Real examples worth setting up, and what to test
- A restaurant: 'menu', 'timing', 'book table' each leading to their own quick-answer flow.
- A clinic: 'appointment', 'doctor', 'reschedule' routing straight to booking or rescheduling flows.
- A jewellery store: 'price', 'gold rate', 'catalogue' jumping to a pricing or catalogue flow.
Before relying on any keyword trigger, test it from a fresh conversation, from mid-way through an unrelated flow, and with a message containing the keyword as part of a longer sentence, to confirm it behaves the same way in each case. Combine keyword triggers with an AI Reply block as a fallback for everything that doesn't match a keyword, so nothing goes unanswered.
Review your keyword list every few weeks against real conversation logs. Customers phrase things in ways you won't predict in advance, and adding a missed variant like 'kitne ka hai' to your existing pricing trigger is a five-minute fix that quietly improves how often customers reach the right flow on their first try.
Step by step
- Review real customer messagesCheck your WhatsApp chat history for the actual words customers use before choosing keywords.
- Open the flow's trigger settingsGo to the flow you want to trigger and select its trigger configuration.
- Choose keyword as the trigger typeSwitch the trigger type from 'new conversation' to 'keyword'.
- Add keyword variantsList every likely phrasing, including common misspellings and Hindi/English mixes.
- Mark restart keywords if neededAdd 'menu' or 'restart' as a restart trigger on your main flow.
- Test each keyword in PreviewType every variant into Preview / Try-it to confirm it triggers the right flow.
- Check for overlaps across flowsConfirm no two flows share the same keyword unintentionally before publishing.
Example conversation
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Frequently asked questions
Can one flow have more than one keyword trigger?
Yes. You can attach several keyword variants — synonyms, misspellings, Hindi/English mixes — to the same flow so different phrasings all lead to the same response.
Do keyword triggers work in the middle of a conversation?
Yes, that's their main advantage over a default new-conversation flow — a keyword match interrupts wherever the customer currently is and jumps to the matched flow.
How do I let customers start over if they get stuck?
Set up a restart keyword, commonly 'menu' or 'restart', on your main flow's trigger. Typing it interrupts whatever flow the customer is currently in and resets the conversation to your default flow, which meaningfully reduces support escalations from confused or stuck customers.
Will a keyword trigger fire on a partial word match?
It matches the keyword text appearing anywhere in the message, so short or common keywords can trigger unintentionally. Use distinctive, specific keywords to avoid false matches.
What happens if a message doesn't match any keyword?
It falls through to the default new-conversation flow, or continues the customer's current flow if they're already mid-conversation and no keyword or restart word matched.
How do I know if two keyword triggers are conflicting?
Test the exact overlapping phrase in Preview / Try-it from a fresh conversation — whichever flow actually fires tells you which trigger currently wins, and you can then adjust the keyword list to remove the ambiguity.
Related reading
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