Software that replies to messages on WhatsApp automatically, usually by following scripted paths — buttons, keywords and pre-written answers.
A chatbot is the older, simpler layer of WhatsApp automation. It's excellent for predictable enquiries (hours, location, catalogue) and weak at anything it wasn't scripted for.
The boundary matters because vendors blur it: an “AI chatbot” that just wraps a script is still a chatbot. A real agent reads messages and answers from business knowledge.
Many businesses should start with a chatbot (or the free app's away message) and upgrade when real questions leak through the script.
In South Africa, scripted chatbots still handle plenty of tidy enquiries — hours, location, prices. They struggle with the mixed-language, price-shopping messages real SA customers send, which is when the upgrade to a grounded agent starts paying.