Handling Errors And Edge Cases Inside WhatsApp Automation Flows

In a perfect world, every user selects the correct option and answers every question exactly as expected. In reality, people type random text, change their mind halfway, or disappear for hours. Good automation does not break when something unexpected happens.

Warning sign on a road — Designing for edge cases protects the user experience even when things go wrong.

1. Plan For Invalid Inputs

At each step where you expect a number or specific keyword, be ready for a different response. A good error handling message is:

I did not understand that. Please choose one of the options above by typing the number.

2. Limit The Number Of Retries

After one or two invalid attempts, offer an option to connect with a human agent. Some people will always prefer to explain in their own words instead of using menus.

3. Handle Timeouts And Inactivity

If a user stops responding in the middle of a flow, you can:

Send a gentle reminder after some time
Close the session after a longer pause
Offer a way to resume later from where they left

Clock on a desk — Timeout rules keep your sessions clean and your automation logic predictable.

4. Provide A Safe Way To Go Back

Some users will want to change an answer or pick a different option. Decide where it makes sense to allow a back action and design clear text for it, such as Reply with 0 to go back to the previous question.

5. Log And Review Edge Cases

Use your platform logs to see how often error messages are triggered. If a specific step produces many errors, the instructions may not be clear or the options may not fit real user behavior.

6. Fail Softly

When something truly unexpected happens, end with a graceful message and send the conversation to a human. For example, say that something did not work as expected and that a team member will follow up manually.