Automations: instant replies without AI
Create DM flows, Instagram comment replies and story reply automations that answer instantly and consistently, and understand plan limits.
Automations are deterministic replies that do not need AI: guided DM flows and Instagram comment and story replies, managed in one list. They answer the same way every time, instantly, and they are a good fit for FAQs, campaigns and giveaways.
Types
| Badge | Type | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| DM | DM flow | A customer sends a message that matches a trigger |
| Comment | Comment automation | A customer comments on your post or reel |
| Story | Story reply automation | A customer replies to your story |
When you choose New automation, BaTimo asks What should trigger this automation? The triggers listed as available are Instagram Message, Post or Reel Comment and Story Reply. Other trigger types (Post or Reel Share, Instagram Ads, Live Comments, Instagram Ref URL) are shown as Coming soon.
You can Start blank or Start from a template:
- DM flow templates: FAQ, Welcome greeting, Lead capture.
- Comment templates: Price questions, Giveaway entries, Thank every comment.
- Story reply templates: Thank every story reply, Story link reminder.
Open the list
- Web: sidebar > Automations.
- Mobile: Home > Automations (the same page opens inside the app). The Home tab also shows the active count split into Messages and Comments.
Manage automations
- Search by name with Search automations....
- Filter by Message flows, Comments or Story replies. The status selector offers Enabled, Disabled and With sending issues, as well as All.
- Switch an automation on or off with its toggle (Automation enabled / Automation disabled).
- Open one to edit it, or delete it (Delete this automation? confirms; deletion is permanent).
Statistics and sending issues
Each automation shows a compact summary of non-zero sending statistics for the last 30 UTC calendar days. Automations without sending activity have no statistics row. Refresh the page to reload the counts. The same summary appears in Home > Automations in the mobile app.
- Public replies sent and DMs sent: replies accepted by the channel. These are not read receipts, and do not prove the customer engaged.
- Public replies failed and DMs failed: sending attempts that failed.
- Public replies uncertain and DMs uncertain: the sending outcome could not be confirmed, for example after a connection was lost. BaTimo does not automatically resend an uncertain automation reply.
With sending issues shows automations with a failed or uncertain send in this period. If statistics cannot be loaded, the page shows Statistics unavailable. Refresh the page to try again. instead of presenting zero as a confirmed result.
Statistics start when tracking is enabled; earlier activity is not reconstructed. They may appear shortly after a send. The reports contain aggregate counts, not an archive of comments or a list of individual recipients.
Plan limits
Your plan limits how many automations can be enabled at once, counted together across flows, comment automations and story reply automations:
| Plan | Enabled automations |
|---|---|
| Free | 2 |
| Starter | 5 |
| Pro | 20 |
| Enterprise | Unlimited |
If you reach the limit, enabling another shows "Automation limit reached for your plan. Disable another automation, or upgrade to enable more." See Plans, usage and billing.
How automations and AI work together
On each incoming message BaTimo checks flows and automations first. If one matches, it replies and the AI is not called. If nothing matches, the assistant answers (when the channel's Answer Messages/DMs with AI is on). A flow can also hand off to the AI itself. Fixed replies do not consume conversation quota; if AI takes over later, the conversation uses one unit when it first reaches AI. Exhausting AI conversation quota does not stop enabled fixed automations. A suspended account cannot run them.
Tips
- Use flows for your top five questions and let the AI handle everything else.
- Put the cost-sensitive, high-volume replies (store hours, price list) in flows.
Troubleshooting
- Nothing happens: check the automation is enabled, the channel is connected, and the trigger text matches how customers write.
- Cannot enable: you reached the plan limit.
Limitations
- Automation triggers are currently Instagram-based (message, comment, story reply). Website chat and WhatsApp use DM flows through message triggers.
Learn more
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