The Cash on Delivery (COD) Confirmation automation helps reduce shipping risks and order loss by sending a message to customers who select COD as their payment method, requesting they confirm the order before it is shipped.
Very Important: Please note that the Cash on Delivery (COD) Confirmation automation is the only automation that has the ability to modify customer order information on your e-commerce store. It will automatically confirm or cancel the order based on your automation settings.
Requirements to Activate COD Confirmation Automation
Before starting the automation, you must:
Install the e-commerce application. If the e-commerce application is not connected, the automation will not work.
Set up a WhatsApp Template: Create a custom message template specifically for "Cash on Delivery."
How to Create a Cash on Delivery Confirmation Automation
To activate the COD confirmation automation, follow these steps:
Click on the Automated Campaigns icon and select COD Confirmation Campaign.
Set Message Template: The campaign consists of a single step (one message). Click Setup, choose the template you previously created, and click Save.
Manage Customer Responses: Define how to handle customer interactions:
Confirmation Message: This message is sent when the customer clicks the Confirm Order button. Choose the order status (e.g., "Confirmed") to automatically update it in your store.
Cancellation Message: This message is sent when the customer clicks the Cancel Order button. The order status will automatically change to Canceled in your store.
Handling Open Text Replies: If the customer replies with text instead of clicking a button, you can choose to assign the conversation to a specific team.
If Customer Does Not Reply: You can define an action if the customer does not reply within a specific timeframe (from 1 hour up to 48 hours). You can choose to assign the conversation to a team or automatically update the order status to "Canceled" in your store.
Click Turn On Automation.
Note: The confirmation message will be sent only when the order status is "New" at the time of order creation.
💡 Tip
Automation with pending templates will be set to pending status. Once all templates are approved, we will set the automation to live, and you will receive an email.
How to Edit Cash on Delivery (COD) Confirmation Automation
You can edit the Cash on Delivery Confirmation automation after activating it to change the message template or the automation settings. To edit the automation, follow these steps:
Click on the Automations icon from the homepage of your BusinessChat account.
Click on the Cash on Delivery Confirmation Automation.
From the page that opens, click "Edit".
Click "Edit" within the "Send Template Message" section to change the template. Select the new template you wish to use, then click "Save".
Click "Edit" within the "Manage Customer Responses" section to modify the automation settings.
You can change the messages customers receive when they confirm or cancel the COD order.
You can change the Order Status that the order will update to on your e-commerce platform if the customer confirms the request.
You can also modify the settings for when a customer replies with open text or does not reply to the message.
Click "Save" after finishing the edits.
Click "Publish Change
Statistics for COD Confirmation Automation
The COD Confirmation automation tracks data based on the following conditions:
Started: The customer created a new order using the COD payment method.
Completion Conditions: The automation message successfully reached the customer.
Confirmed Order: Customers who clicked the confirmation button.
Canceled Order: Customers who clicked the cancellation button.
How to Export the Cash on Delivery (COD) Confirmation Report
To view the details of the Cash on Delivery Confirmation automation, you can export the report by following these steps:
Click on the Cash on Delivery Confirmation Automation.
Click on Export Report, select the desired time period, then click Export Report again.
You will receive an email with a link to download the report.
Data Contained in the COD Confirmation Automation Report
The Cash on Delivery Confirmation automation report will contain the following data:
Customer phone number
Automation entry date
Automation completion date
COD request confirmation date (if confirmed)
COD request cancellation date (if canceled)
Troubleshooting COD Confirmation Automation
If you suspect the COD Confirmation automation is failing, follow this diagnostic guide based on the automation's current status.
Scenario 1: The Automation is Paused
If you navigate to the campaign and see that it is currently Stopped or Paused, the issue is usually system-wide:
Ecommerce Connection: Check if your store integration has been disconnected or if the token has expired. If the e-commerce application is not connected, the automation will not work. This means that customers who selected Cash on Delivery will not receive order confirmation messages, and order statuses on your website will not be updated.
Payment Issues: Look for a red banner at the top of your dashboard indicating a "Payment problem" with Meta. If your payment method fails or you have outstanding Meta invoices, Meta immediately pauses all automations.
Scenario 2: The Automation is Active (Messages Not Sending)
If the COD Confirmation automation status is Active but customers are not receiving messages, follow these steps to diagnose the specific cause:
1. Check the Template Status:
Inspect the specific WhatsApp template used in this automation. Even if the campaign is active, the template itself might have been “Paused” or “Disabled” by Meta due to quality issues. If there is an alert on the template, you must replace it.
2. Investigate Specific Examples:
If the template is healthy, gather 3 examples of customers who did not receive the message and perform the following checks:
Search the Conversation: Locate the customer's chat in your inbox.
If the COD automation message exists and has a Red Exclamation Mark (!), the system attempted to send it, but Meta rejected it. Hover over the red icon to see the specific error code (e.g., invalid number, spam limit).
If the COD message is missing entirely, proceed to the next step.
Search Automation Logs: If there is no trace of the message in the conversation, verify if the customer entered the automation flow at all:
Go to the Automations page.
Click the More button.
Select Search for a customer.
Paste the customer's phone number, then press Enter. You will see all the automation that the customer was part of.
Locate the COD Confirmation automation in the list.
Check the status: You will likely see an Exit Reason in the details explaining why the flow stopped for this customer (e.g., they didn't meet a specific condition).
3. Contact Support:
If you cannot find any record of the customer in the automation logs (no entry and no exit reason), please contact the BusinessChat Technical Support team for advanced investigation.
FAQs about COD Confirmation Automation
What happens if the customer confirms the order and then changes their mind later?
Once the customer selects an option (Confirm or Cancel), they cannot change it. If they try to choose another option, the chatbot will reply accordingly.
Can I customize the template buttons for confirmation and cancellation?
You can change the text labels of the buttons, but the actions associated with each button (Confirm action or Cancel action) cannot be modified.
Can I set a different time frame for customer responses instead of 48 hours?
Yes, you can specify a time period ranging from 1 hour up to 48 hours.
What happens if the system cancels the order after 48 hours, and then the customer replies with a confirmation?
The system will attempt to update the order based on the customer's response.
If the update succeeds: The order will be updated, and the customer will receive a message confirming their choice.
If the update fails: The customer will receive an apology message stating that the update could not be processed.
Is it possible to leave the order update field empty so the customer receives a confirmation message if they click "Confirm Order" but without the system automatically updating the order on the e-commerce platform?
No, it is not possible to activate the COD Confirmation automation without selecting the specific status to which the order will be changed based on the customer's confirmation.