Why use WhatsApp#
Small business owners, tradespeople, shopkeepers and freelancers spend much of their day away from a desk: on site, in the shop, in meetings, on the road. WhatsApp is often the app they open most.
So Future Agent also works on WhatsApp, at +33 7 56 81 76 53. It isn't a stripped-down version: you talk to the same architect as on the website, your agents are the same, and everything you do on one side shows up on the other. You can describe a task in writing or by voice message, connect a tool in one tap, receive your agents' reports as attachments and pause them with a word.
This tutorial covers everything: the first message, linking an existing account, creating an agent, useful commands, notifications and best practices.
Step 1: Send the first message#
Save +33 7 56 81 76 53 in your contacts as “Future Agent,” then simply write what you want to automate. For example:
Hi, I'm a plumber in Leicester. I'd like my unanswered quotes to be followed up automatically after a week.
If you don't have an account yet, your first message creates one, tied to your number. There's no password to choose and no form to fill in.
Step 2: Link an existing account (if you have one)#
If you already use Future Agent on the website, link your WhatsApp to that account to find your agents:
- Log in to the website and open the WhatsApp page of your dashboard.
- Click “Link my WhatsApp.” A QR code and an “Open WhatsApp” button appear.
- On a phone, tap “Open WhatsApp”; on a computer, scan the QR code. A message with a six-character code is already typed: just send it.
- The dashboard page updates as soon as the link is made.
The code is only valid for a few minutes. If it has expired, create a new one from the same page. Agents you create from WhatsApp afterwards join your account.
Step 3: Create an agent through conversation#
Creating an agent works just like on the website, in a few messages:
- You describe the task, in writing or by voice message. Voice messages are transcribed; if transcription fails, the architect asks you to summarize in writing.
- The architect asks its questions, often as buttons or lists to choose from to speed things up: the frequency, the tool where your quotes live, the signature to use.
- It asks you to connect your tools (Gmail, Google Sheets, your invoicing software…). You receive a secure, single-use link that opens the connection in one tap.
- It shows you a sample of the result the agent will produce.
- It quotes the agent's monthly price. Payment also goes through a secure link.
- The agent is launched. It runs on the planned schedule, and you receive its results.
You can also start from a template in the library: open it on the website and use it, or describe it to the architect on WhatsApp by its name.
Useful commands#
Outside your conversation with the architect, a few keywords let you manage your agents quickly. Type them as shown:
| You type | What happens |
|---|---|
| help | The list of available commands |
| agents | Your agents, their status, next run and price |
| run Morning monitor | Runs the agent right away and sends you the result |
| pause Quote follow-ups | Pauses the agent |
| documents Monthly report | The PDF and Excel files from the last run, as attachments |
| details Quote follow-ups | The agent's summary: what it does, when, with which tools |
| workflow | The links between your agents |
| dashboard | A link to open your dashboard without a password |
| reset | Start a new request |
Agent names don't need to match character for character: “pause quote” is enough if only one agent matches. To resume a paused agent or check your bill and storage, type “dashboard” and do it in one tap from there.
Receiving your agents' results#
Run notifications#
You can choose to receive the result of each of your agents' runs on WhatsApp. Set the preference on the WhatsApp page of the dashboard, or directly by typing “notifications on” or “notifications off.”
Agents designed to deliver on WhatsApp, such as a morning press review, message you in any case.
The 24-hour window#
WhatsApp imposes a rule on all businesses: a free-form message can only be sent within 24 hours of your last message. Outside that window, Future Agent sends you a short notification; just reply to it to receive the details. If you get a press review every morning, get into the habit of replying now and then, even with a single word.
Files#
The PDF, Excel or Word reports produced by your agents arrive as attachments. They also remain available in your dashboard, under Files.
Three usage scenarios#
A tradesperson on site#
An electrician uses three agents: quote follow-ups, filing supplier invoices received by email, and annual service reminders for his clients. He almost never visits the website. On Monday, he types “agents” to check that everything is running. When he goes on vacation, he types “pause Quote follow-ups” so a chased client doesn't call him while he's away, then resumes it from the dashboard when he's back.
A restaurant owner and her daily specials#
Every morning, a restaurant owner sends her daily specials in one sentence on WhatsApp. An agent formats them and publishes them on Instagram, Facebook and the restaurant's Google listing: that's the Daily specials posted everywhere template. All the management fits into one message a day.
A business owner on the move#
An SMB owner receives his weekly report every Monday at 7 a.m. While traveling, he types “documents Weekly report” to receive the PDF and Excel file, then forwards them to his business partner. In the evening, he describes by voice message a new agent he thought of during a meeting; the architect asks its questions, and the agent is ready the next day.
If the architect doesn't understand your request#
Sometimes a message is ambiguous, especially when spoken. A few reflexes:
- Rephrase in one sentence, with the expected result: “I want to receive the list of overdue invoices every Monday.”
- Give an example of the result you want, even a rough one.
- Type “reset” if the conversation has gone in the wrong direction: you start again from a blank page.
- Switch to the website for very detailed requests with files to attach: type “dashboard” and pick up the conversation on your computer.
Stopping or pausing messages#
Type STOP to stop receiving any messages from Future Agent on WhatsApp. Your agents keep running and delivering through their other channels (email, Slack…). Type START to resume.
To stop an agent itself, use “pause” followed by its name: a paused agent no longer runs, and you can restart it whenever you like.
Security and privacy#
- Connections and payments go through signed, single-use links. You never have to send a password or card number in the conversation, and you shouldn't.
- Your number is tied to your account. Messages from another number have no access to your agents.
- The agent only sees what you give it: the tools you connect and the messages you send.
Best practices#
- Give your agents clear names (“Quote follow-ups,” “Construction press review”): commands are easier to type.
- Use voice messages to describe, text to manage. A spoken description is natural and detailed; a typed command is more reliable.
- Type “reset” before changing the subject, so the architect doesn't mix up two requests.
- Keep the website for fine-tuning: your agents' memory, context files and the workflow map are more comfortable on a big screen. Type “dashboard” to open it in one tap.
What about your own customers?#
This tutorial is about managing your agents. If you want an agent to answer your customers on your own WhatsApp Business number, that's a different use, covered in our article on customer service with an AI agent and in the WhatsApp replies template.
To discover what your agents can do, browse the features or the template library, and check the pricing: the Free plan costs nothing, and you only pay for your active agents.
