The drop-off after the first enquiry
Coaching institutes lose students between the Instagram DM and the demo class. The parent asks about fees, batch timing, and whether the course covers the board exam. The counsellor replies at night if they are still at the centre. By then the parent has messaged two other institutes. The first clear answer usually gets the demo.
A WhatsApp chatbot can give that answer from your fee sheet and batch calendar. It can book the demo class onto the CRM and send a reminder the morning of the class. The counsellor joins the chat when the parent asks for a discount or a refund rule that should not be automated.
What the bot should know
Give it the course list, the batch days, the fee, and the demo-class process. Do not give it a script that promises a rank. Parents can tell when the reply is a brochure. A short answer plus a slot is enough.
Click-to-WhatsApp ads can land on this bot. The first message can name the course from the ad so the parent does not repeat themselves. Instagram comments can move to the same WhatsApp thread if you already run that flow. The CRM stage then shows enquiry, demo booked, demo attended, and enrolled.
Fee reminders are a utility conversation, not a marketing blast. Send them to people who already joined. Keep the promotional batch announcement on a separate opted-in list.
Go live without a new website
A one-page site with the course name, the city, and a WhatsApp button is enough to start. The bot can also be trained from a PDF of the brochure. Template approval still depends on Meta. A number that is on the WhatsApp Business app has to leave the app before it can move to the API.
Plans start at ₹1,000 a month for Lite. Starter, Growth, and Professional are ₹2,500, ₹4,400, and ₹8,800. No setup fee. The counsellor still owns the conversation after the bot has done the first reply.