Flow trigger: Chat-in

When does a Chat-in flow start?

When a customer sends your business a WhatsApp message that came from your QR code or your link. The code and the link carry a predefined message, so what arrives is structured and unambiguous — Keaz can read it immediately and start the right flow.

From the customer's side it is three taps:

1. They tap the link or scan the QR code.
2. WhatsApp opens with the message already filled in.
3. They send it.
4. Keaz recognises the defined content and starts the flow.

How do I set up the trigger?

1. Create a flow under Flows.
2. Click the Starting point block.
3. On the right, select the trigger event Chat-in.
4. Save.
5. Pick up the QR code and the URL in the flow detail view.

Where do I get the QR code and the link?

In the flow detail view of the Chat-in flow itself. Both are generated for you: the QR code can be downloaded, the URL copied. They are made to go straight into campaign material — a print ad, a package insert, a story, an ad, a link in bio, a sticker on the shop window.

Because each flow has its own code and URL, the entry point tells you which campaign brought the contact in. One flow per campaign keeps that clean.

Why a predefined message instead of free text?

Because free text has to be interpreted, and interpretation can be wrong. A prefilled message removes that step: the intent is decided before the customer sends anything, so the right flow starts the first time. No language model, no keyword guessing, no conversation that begins with a misunderstanding.

It also lowers the effort on the customer's side to almost nothing — they do not have to think of what to write, only to press send.

What do merchants use Chat-in for?

• Collecting an opt-in, including a double opt-in confirmation
• Product advice — the customer asks about one thing, not about everything
• Lead qualification before a human joins the conversation
• A campaign entry point that scales — the same QR code works on a thousand packages

For the opt-in cases, read opt-in levels first — it explains which level a contact needs before a marketing flow may reach them. Our guide to collecting WhatsApp opt-ins the GDPR-compliant way covers what makes the consent itself valid, which is a legal question rather than a setting in Keaz.

How is this different from the Chat-in Shop Widget?

They are two halves of the same idea. The trigger described here is what happens inside the flow. The Chat-in Shop Widget is one place to put the entry point: a button in your Shopify storefront. The QR code and URL from the flow detail view are for everywhere else — print, packaging, social, ads.