Automatic WhatsApp messages — what Pathshala sends and when
Every WhatsApp message Pathshala sends for you — enquiry replies, follow-ups, receipts, reminders, absence alerts, demos — and what stops a send.
Pathshala sends WhatsApp messages for many modules through one engine. Some go out automatically when something happens; most messages to families are review-then-send — a person sees exactly who will be messaged and presses once. This page lists both.
#Messages that go out automatically
| When this happens | What is sent | To whom | Turn it on or off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Someone messages your number | An AI reply from your knowledge base, or the matching PDF from your Documents Library | The sender | Sidebar › Settings › Organisation › Organisation details › ⚙️ Setup › WhatsApp Settings › AI Auto-Reply |
| A new enquiry reaches you (form, WhatsApp, website, CRM) | Enquiry received / Enquiry acknowledgement with a reference number | The parent or customer | Part of Admissions / CRM |
| A new enquiry arrives | New inquiry alert with the lead score | Your own phone | Sidebar › Settings › Organisation › Organisation details › 🔔 Notifications › WhatsApp Notifications and Only Notify on Hot Leads |
| An enquiry has had no reply | Up to three follow-ups: next day, third day, last message (seventh day) by default | The parent or customer | Your CRM follow-up plan — see Follow-ups and sequences |
| A payment is completed | The fee receipt PDF | The parent | Included on plans with WhatsApp receipts (Fees Management Basic and up) |
| A paid course is unlocked | Course access granted with a button to open it (or Webinar booked for a live class) | The learner or parent | MJX Learn |
| A live class is about to start | Webinar reminder | Everyone booked | MJX Learn |
| Someone replies STOP or START | A short confirmation | The sender | Always on — see Opt-outs |
| Someone signs in to an app or portal | A login code | That person | Always on — never stopped |
#Messages you send with one press (review-then-send)
| Where | What is sent | Template |
|---|---|---|
Apps › Fees › Fee Reminders (/fees/reminders) — see Fee reminders | A reminder to the families you pick. Pathshala refuses a second reminder to the same family within about 20 hours unless you choose to send again. | Fee reminder / Fee overdue |
| An invoice | The fee invoice PDF | Fee invoice (PDF) |
| A payment — see Receipts | Send (or resend) the receipt PDF on WhatsApp | (PDF file, no template) |
Attendance alerts (/attendance/alerts) — see Student attendance | Absent or late today, to the families you tick | Absent today / Late today |
| Attendance shortage | Students below your required attendance | Attendance shortage |
| A notice — see Communication | Also send this notice on WhatsApp | Notice / circular |
| Exams | A date sheet or a released result (no marks in the message) | Exam schedule / Result published |
| Certificates | Send or withdraw a certificate PDF | Certificate (PDF) / Certificate withdrawn |
| Payroll | Each person's payslip PDF | Payslip (PDF) |
| WhatsApp › Broadcasts | One template to many people | Any approved template — see Broadcasts |
| WhatsApp Inbox | A reply, file, location or template to one person | — see Inbox and chats |
Whether the office (staff) or only the owner can send depends on each module's own permissions. Switching a whole module's parent messages on or off is owner-only.
#Demo booking, admission and courses in the chat
On your own number only, the AI's reply can carry buttons so a family can act at once.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Save enquiries automatically | Someone who asks about fees or classes is added to your Enquiries list, with the class they asked about. Nothing extra is sent to them. |
| Let families book a demo class | They pick a day and time from your free slots. It goes into Visits and your desk is alerted. Choose At the centre, Online, or both. |
| Meeting link (for online demos) | One link for every online demo. Required if Online is ticked; must start with https://. |
| Take admission enquiries in the chat | Asks for the student's name and class, opens a hot enquiry and alerts your desk. It does not admit anybody — you complete the admission on the enquiry. |
| Registration fee (₹) and Call it | Optional. Sent as a payment link on your gateway, or as a UPI link to your UPI ID. Leave blank to ask for nothing. |
| Sell courses on WhatsApp | Shown when you have MJX Learn. Somebody who asks for your courses gets the list with prices, opens one, taps Buy and gets a payment link in the chat; their course link follows once they have paid. On by default. See Sell courses on WhatsApp. |
| When you are free to meet | Opens, Closes, Each slot (15, 30, 45 or 60 min), Families per slot, and Open on (days). Demo slots are offered inside these hours only. |
Press Save. The card header shows On when demo, admission or selling courses is on, or Answers only. Demo and admission are off for every new account; selling courses is on. Only an owner or admin can change them.
When it is on, an AI reply to an enquiry can show buttons such as 📚 Courses, 📅 Demo class and 📝 Admission, plus a button to talk to a person. Bookings appear on Visits & callbacks (/visits).
#What stops a WhatsApp message?
Pathshala checks these before every send and records the reason.
| Reason | What you see | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The person replied STOP | "This number has opted out of WhatsApp messages." — counted as skipped, not failed | Phone them. Only they can restart by sending START. |
| KYC not done | "WhatsApp turns on after KYC. Complete your KYC — PAN and bank verification — on 'Getting paid & KYC'; WhatsApp switches on by itself once your account is verified. Login codes are still sent." | Complete Getting paid & KYC |
| WhatsApp bill unpaid for over 15 days | "WhatsApp messages from this account are stopped: the WhatsApp bill of ₹… has been unpaid for more than 15 days. Pay it from Billing → WhatsApp and they start again at once." | Pay the bill |
| Plan does not include it | e.g. receipts on WhatsApp are not on Forever Free; Forever Free MJX Learn sends only login codes | Upgrade |
| Template not approved on your number | The module's screen warns you, and Ready to send shows it | Press Get my number ready |
| More than 24 hours since the person wrote | Free text, files and locations are refused | Send a template |
Related: Templates · AI replies · Troubleshooting
#Questions people ask
Are fee reminders sent automatically?
No. Fee reminders are review-then-send — you choose who gets one on the Fee Reminders screen and press send. Nothing goes out by itself, so a wrong fee structure can never message every parent.
Are absence alerts sent automatically?
No. A person reviews the list of absent or late students and sends once. A register is often corrected later in the day, and there is no undo on WhatsApp.
What is sent without anyone pressing a button?
AI replies and documents, the enquiry acknowledgement, the new-enquiry alert to you, up to three follow-ups to enquiries with no reply, receipts after a completed payment, course access and live-class reminders, STOP and START confirmations, and login codes.
Why did a message not go out?
Common reasons are that the person replied STOP, your KYC is not done, your WhatsApp bill is more than 15 days unpaid, your plan does not include it, or the template is not approved on your number.