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Ask for a location, a file or a reply in a chatbot

Collect more than text answers in a chatbot. At the end, your bot can ask a typed question, request a shared location, request a photo or file, or wait for a tap and send each choice down its own path.

Before you start

  • You have a chatbot flow open in the builder. See Create a WhatsApp chatbot flow.
  • You know which answers you want to keep. Each answer is saved under a name you choose.

How ask blocks work

Every ask block sends a message, waits for the customer, and saves the answer under a name. You use that name later as {{name}} in a message.

Block What the customer does
Ask Question Types an answer.
Ask Location Shares a location from WhatsApp.
Ask Media Sends a photo, video, document or audio file.
Wait & Branch Taps one choice. Each choice leads to its own path.

Find all four under All steps → Ask the customer.

Steps

Add an ask block

  1. Open your flow in the builder.
  2. Click + next to a step, or click + Add Content at the bottom of a card.
  3. Choose All steps.

  4. Under Ask the customer, choose Ask Question, Ask Location, Ask Media or Wait & Branch.

    The Step panel with Ask Media, Wait and Branch, Delay and the Actions group

  5. Click the block to open its fields in the right panel.

Ask a question and choose the answer type

The first steps are in Create a WhatsApp chatbot flow. This task adds the answer type.

  1. Open an Ask Question block.
  2. Type the Question.
  3. Under Save the answer as, pick a name. See Choose where the answer is saved.
  4. Under The answer should be, pick a type.

The types are Short text, Long text, Number, Email, Phone number, Date, Time, One choice, Several choices, Yes or no, A file, A location, A rating and An NPS score.

Ask for a location

  1. Add an Ask Location block.
  2. Under Ask for a location, type the message, for example Please share your location….
  3. Under Save the answer as, pick a name. See Choose where the answer is saved.
  4. Optional: switch on Set Timeout and type Timeout after (minutes).

Ask for a photo or file

  1. Add an Ask Media block.
  2. Under Ask for a file, type the message, for example Please send a photo or document….
  3. Under Accepts, click the row to switch between IMAGE, VIDEO, DOCUMENT and AUDIO.
  4. Under Save the answer as, pick a name. See Choose where the answer is saved.
  5. Optional: switch on Set Timeout and type Timeout after (minutes).

Choose where the answer is saved

  1. Click the row under Save the answer as. The Save the answer as list opens.
  2. Pick a ready-made name, or a name this flow already saves.
  3. To use your own name, pick Custom…. The detail reads Your own name, e.g. company_name.
  4. Type the name and click Use. Ohanvi turns it into lowercase letters and underscores.
  5. Use the answer later as {{company_name}}.

Use double curly braces in small letters

{{company_name}} works. {{Company_Name}} is sent to the customer as plain text.

Wait for a tap and branch

Wait & Branch sends a message with choices and waits. Each choice has its own exit on the card.

  1. Add a Wait & Branch block.
  2. Optional: type a Header. It can hold up to 20 characters.
  3. Type a Body. It can hold up to 4,096 characters.
  4. Optional: type a Footer, up to 60 characters.
  5. Click + Add Section to add a choice. The button reads + Add Section, but it adds a list row.
  6. In Item, type the choice name, up to 24 characters.
  7. In Describe it, type a short line under the name, up to 72 characters.
  8. Repeat steps 5 to 7 for each choice. You can add up to 10.
  9. In Button label, type the words on the button that opens the choices, up to 20 characters.
  10. Click the + at the right end of a choice and pick the step that runs for it.

Choices you leave unwired continue to the next block of the card.

Handle a customer who does not reply

  1. Open a block that waits for a reply: Ask Question, Ask Location, Ask Media or Wait & Branch.
  2. Switch on Set Timeout.
  3. Type Timeout after (minutes).
  4. Wire the new Timed out exit to a follow-up step, for example a reminder message.

Troubleshooting

Issue Cause Fix
The answer shows as {{Name}} in the message. The variable has a capital letter. Write it in small letters: {{name}}.
The bot does not use a custom answer name. The name has spaces or symbols. Use letters, numbers and underscores only, then click Use again.
The customer sends the wrong kind of file. Accepts is set to another type. Change Accepts to the type you expect.
+ Add Section is missing. The block already holds 10 choices. Remove a choice, or split the choices over 2 blocks.
The conversation stops at a question. The customer never answered and there is no Timeout. Switch on Set Timeout and wire Timed out to a next step.
A choice does nothing. Its exit has no wire. Wire the choice to a step, or leave it to continue to the next block.