WhatsApp Flow Forms — End-to-End Guide

WhatsApp Flows let your contacts fill out a form inside WhatsApp — no link, no browser. This guide walks you through every step from creating the form to sending it and reading the responses.

Before You Start

• A WhatsApp Business account connected in Settings → Platforms.
• A form in Socialone (or create one now — see Step 1).

Step 1: Create (or open) a Form

Where: sidebar → Forms

1. Click Forms in the sidebar, then Create Form.
2. Pick a template or start with a Custom Form.
3. Add your questions (Rating, Text, Single/Multiple Choice, etc.).
4. Arrange questions into screens — each screen is one page the contact sees inside WhatsApp. Keep it to one or two questions per screen. Set a screen title and optionally add a content block (supporting text) for each screen.
5. Set action rules if needed — for example, create a ticket on a low rating.
   Note: redirect actions (e.g., Google Review redirect) do not work inside WhatsApp Flows. Use ticket creation or contact enrichment instead.
6. Save the form.

Already have a form? Skip to Step 2. For a full walkthrough of form options, see Creating Forms.

Media Upload Questions in WhatsApp Flows

• Use Photo Upload or Document Upload to collect files inside WhatsApp.
• Only one media picker is allowed per screen (Photo or Document).
• Photo Upload lets you choose Camera, Gallery, or Both as the source.
• Set min/max uploads and max file size. Max allowed is 25 MB per file.
• WhatsApp limits response attachments to 10 files and 100 MiB total in a single response message.
• Files are retrieved from WhatsApp and stored as attachments alongside the response.

Step 2: Publish the Form to WhatsApp

Where: Forms → open the form → WhatsApp tab

This step converts your form into a WhatsApp Flow — a native in-app experience that Meta hosts on its servers. You only need to do this once per form (or republish if questions change).

1. Open the form and click the WhatsApp tab.
2. Select the WhatsApp platform account to publish to.
3. Review the screen layout:
   • Your questions are grouped into WhatsApp screens. One or two questions per screen works best.
   • Set a screen title for each screen directly in the builder — this is the heading users see inside WhatsApp.
   • Add a content block (supporting text) above or below questions on any screen.
4. Click Publish to WhatsApp, then Save & Publish to confirm.

Step 3: Create a Flow Template

Where: sidebar → Templates → Create Template

A Flow Template is the WhatsApp message that contains a button. When a contact taps that button, the WhatsApp Flow (your form) opens. The template is what you send to people; the flow is what they see after tapping.

1. Go to Templates and click Create Template.
2. Set Template Type to Interactive and Interactive Type to Flow.
3. Select your WhatsApp platform account.
4. Write the template body — this is the message text contacts see before tapping the button.
5. Under Flow, choose the Form from the dropdown.
   If the dropdown is empty, go back and complete Step 2 for that form.
6. Set the Flow Button Text (e.g., "Start Survey", "Give Feedback").
7. Save and submit for approval if required by Meta.

Step 4: Send It to Contacts

Once the Flow Template is approved, you have three ways to send it:

Option A — Broadcast (one-time send to many contacts)

Where: Campaigns → New Broadcast, or Contacts → select contacts → Send Broadcast

Note: Campaigns here refers to WhatsApp Broadcasts, which are separate from Forms.

1. Open Campaigns and click New Broadcast.
2. Select the WhatsApp account and pick your Flow Template.
3. Choose recipients — by filter (lifecycle stage, tags) or by selecting contacts directly.
4. Map any template variables to contact fields, then send.

Option B — Workflow or Agent Driven

Where: Workflows → open or create a workflow → add WhatsApp Template action

1. Open or create a workflow with either a Schedule trigger (send to matching contacts at a set time) or a Keyword trigger (send when a contact messages a specific keyword).
2. Add a WhatsApp Template step and select your Flow Template.
3. Save and activate the workflow.

Option C — Inbox (manual, one contact)

Where: Messages → open a conversation → template send

Open a conversation and use the template picker to select and send the Flow Template directly to that contact.

Step 5: View Responses

Where: Forms → open the form → Responses tab

• All submitted answers appear here, regardless of whether the form was sent via broadcast, workflow, or inbox.
• Any action rules you set (ticket creation, contact enrichment, etc.) run automatically on submission.
• Broadcast delivery stats (sent / delivered / read / failed) are on the broadcast record in Campaigns.

Common Issues

• Form not in the Flow Template dropdown: the form has not been published to WhatsApp yet. Open the form → WhatsApp tab → Publish to WhatsApp.
• Flow Template not selectable in a broadcast: the template is still Pending or was Rejected by Meta. Check template status in Templates and resubmit if rejected.
• Flow button doesn't appear in the message: the template type must be Interactive → Flow. Regular or button templates do not support flows.
• Responses not appearing: confirm the form is the same one linked to the Flow Template. Open the template and check the Form dropdown value.
• Published flow looks different from the web form: complex question types (e.g., date range) may render differently inside WhatsApp. Preview the flow in the builder before publishing.

Quick Glossary

• Form: your question set and rules inside Socialone.
• WhatsApp Flow: the in-app WhatsApp version of the form (created by Publish to WhatsApp).
• Flow Template: a WhatsApp message template with a button that opens the flow.
• Screen: one page inside the WhatsApp Flow; each screen contains one or two questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps

• Creating Forms — full guide to questions, branding, and action rules
• Template Flow Builder — advanced template chaining and multi-step flows
• Broadcasts Overview — sending to large contact lists
• Delivery Issues — troubleshoot undelivered messages