How to Deploy a Chat Assistant on SMS, Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp

This is the same active-tag mechanism as live chat, applied across SMS, Instagram DM, Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp — with one workflow per channel, filtered by which channel the reply came in on.

Before you start

Each channel needs its own connection already in place in GoHighLevel: a phone number for SMS (see how to buy or import a phone number for AI SMS), and a connected Facebook Business Page, professional Instagram account and WhatsApp account (see how to connect your Facebook business page and Instagram).

Steps

1. Confirm your channels are connected — phone number, Facebook/Instagram, WhatsApp.
2. Create an active tag, for example test_sms, using lowercase letters and underscores.
3. Set up the automation workflow with the trigger Customer Replied, then add a filter for the reply channel: SMS, Instagram DM, Facebook Messenger, or WhatsApp.
4. Check for existing AI tags. If the contact is already tagged, stop the automation to avoid duplicate tagging.
5. Connect the AI to the contact. If not already tagged, add the active tag — this is what connects the AI to the contact based on their reply. An initial welcome message can trigger the first AI response.
6. Finalize and test. Disallow re-entry, save, then send a real test message on the channel and check the conversation and server logs to confirm the automation triggered.

Common questions

Do I need a separate workflow per channel? Yes — each channel needs its own filter on the “Customer Replied” trigger, even though the active tag mechanism and general structure are identical.

What if the AI doesn’t respond after tagging? Check the workflow logs first for whether the tag was actually applied, then see fix: chat AI not responding.

Next step

If you also want the assistant taking calls, continue to how to purchase and assign a phone number to your AI caller.