WhatsApp Flow Forms in ChatSyncs

On top of Meta's WhatsApp Flows feature, ChatSyncs lets you build and publish these in-chat forms yourself.

Create a WhatsApp Flow#

1. 1

   Open Chatbot Manager

   Go to Chatbot Manager.

2. 2

   Open the Data Collection tab

   Select Data Collection.

3. 3

   Click WhatsApp Flows

   Select WhatsApp Flows from the sub-tabs.

4. 4

   Click Create

   Click Create to start a new flow.

5. 5

   Add form components

   Build the form by adding fields from the component palette.

6. 6

   Configure each field

   Set each component's options to match what you need to collect.

7. 7

   Save and publish

   Save the flow, then publish it once you're ready to use it live.

Once published, a flow can be attached to WhatsApp templates, buttons, and chatbot automations.

Flow configuration#

Before designing screens and fields, configure the flow's settings:

Form components#

Each flow is built by dragging components from the palette onto the form. Available components: Header, Text Field, Text Area, Checkbox Group, Radio Group, Select, Date Field, Submit Button.

Header#

Displayed at the top of the flow — use a clear title so subscribers understand the form's purpose, e.g. Customer Registration Form.

Text Field#

A single line of text — common for name, company name, city, or job title. Clicking a Text Field opens the settings panel shown above:

• Required — the subscriber can't submit the form without filling this field in.
• Label — the text shown to the subscriber as the field's title, e.g. Full Name.
• Name — the internal identifier used when the form data is submitted (not shown to the subscriber). ChatSyncs fills in a default like text-1782067965307-0, but renaming it to something readable like full_name makes the submitted data far easier to work with — see Naming fields well below.
• Value — a default value prefilled when the form opens. For example, if the field's Label is City and Value is set to Bangalore, the subscriber sees Bangalore already typed in — they can keep it as-is or edit it to something else before submitting.
• Custom Field — connects the field to a custom variable or subscriber field, so a previously saved value (e.g. a name already on file) can prefill automatically.

This is what a configured Text Field looks like to the subscriber filling out the form.

Text Area#

Allows longer free-text responses — common for feedback, comments, or project requirements.

Checkbox Group#

Lets the subscriber select multiple options, e.g. Services Interested In with options like WhatsApp AI Chatbot, Lead Generation, Appointment Booking. Add options with Add Option.

Radio Group#

Lets the subscriber select only one option, e.g. Business Size with options Startup, Small Business, Medium Business.

Select#

Displays options in a dropdown — useful when there are many choices, e.g. Industry Type with Real Estate, Hospital, Education, E-commerce.

Date Field#

Lets the subscriber pick a date — common for appointment booking, event registration, delivery scheduling, or follow-up meetings. Subscribers get their device's native date picker, so the format is always valid without you having to validate it yourself.

Submit Button#

Completes the form and sends all collected data once clicked.

Example — an appointment booking flow:

Header:
Book a Free Consultation
        ↓
Full Name
        ↓
Email Address
        ↓
Phone Number
        ↓
Service Interested In
        ↓
Preferred Appointment Date
        ↓
Additional Notes
        ↓
Submit

Naming fields well#

Every field has a Label (what the subscriber sees) and a Name (the internal key used when the data is submitted) — and fields with options (Checkbox Group, Radio Group, Select) also give each option its own Label and Value. Getting these right makes the data you collect much easier to work with later.

Name#

ChatSyncs assigns a default Name like text-1782067965307-0 or checkbox-group-1782068854255-0 — technically valid, but unreadable in your submitted data. Rename it to something meaningful instead:

Best practices: lowercase letters, underscores between words, no spaces or special characters, and a name descriptive enough that you'd understand it without seeing the label.

Options (Checkbox Group, Radio Group, Select)#

Each option has its own Label (shown to the subscriber) and Value (stored when selected) — give the Value a descriptive snake_case name too, not a number:

Numbers work, but a descriptive value reads correctly even without the label next to it — e.g. a submission showing "services_interested": ["whatsapp_ai_chatbot", "lead_generation"] is immediately understandable; "services_interested": [1, 2] is not.

Field label length limit#

Each field's Label has a character limit of 20 characters. Going over it blocks saving the flow with a warning like the one above — but the warning itself doesn't say which label is too long or by how much, so you have to check each one yourself.

For example, in the registration form below, two labels were over the 20-character limit and had to be shortened before the flow would save:

Example: a complete registration form#

Header:
Customer Registration Form
        ↓
Text Field — Full Name
        ↓
Text Area — Project Requirements
        ↓
Checkbox Group — Services Interested In
        ↓
Radio Group — Business Size
        ↓
Select — Industry Type
        ↓
Date Field — Preferred Demo Date
        ↓
Submit Button

Manage WhatsApp Flows#

Saved flows appear under Chatbot Manager → Data Collection → WhatsApp Flows, with these actions:

• Add Webhook — connect a webhook to send submitted data to a CRM, lead management tool, Google Sheets automation, or other third-party app.
• Report Data — view submitted responses: user submissions, form completion data, lead information, customer details.
• Preview Flow — test the form layout, field validations, and user experience before publishing.
• Open in Studio — open the flow builder to modify fields, labels, validation rules, buttons, or settings.
• Publish — push the flow to Meta so it can be used in WhatsApp templates and automations. Once approved, it's available for production use.
• Edit — modify form content, questions, options, labels, or integrations.
• Delete — permanently remove the flow. Deleted flows cannot be recovered.

Publishing and Meta approval#

A WhatsApp Flow must be published and approved by Meta before it can be used in production. Clicking Publish can fail if your Meta Business Account hasn't met Meta's requirements, as shown above.

Common reasons publishing fails:

• Business Verification not completed — your Meta Business Portfolio must be verified before Meta will approve a flow.
• Messaging quality requirements not met — some accounts need to establish messaging quality and compliance first.

Solution: complete Meta Business Verification, keep your WhatsApp Business Account active and compliant, maintain good messaging quality, then retry publishing.

Frequently asked#

Learn From a Use Case#

• Clinic Appointment Booking Automation — the structured, multi-field appointment form patients fill out.