Reply as a person
Take a WhatsApp conversation over from the assistant and write to the patient yourself.
Purpose
The assistant answers patients on WhatsApp first. When a patient needs a person, take the conversation over and reply yourself. While you hold it, the assistant is paused for that patient.
Before you start
the Owner, Doctor and Front Desk roles can take over and reply.
your centre needs its WhatsApp number set up (Prepare WhatsApp setup).
one person handles a conversation at a time. Assigning it to you doesn't let you reply; taking
it over does.
Steps
Step 1: Open the conversation
Doin Inbox, select the conversation.
You'll seeThe assistant is handling this thread. and Take over.
Step 2: Take over
Doselect Take over.
You'll seeYou're handling this — the assistant is paused, it resumes when you hand back, and You
next to the patient in the list.
Sothe assistant doesn't answer this patient's new messages until you hand back or close. Their messages
still arrive in Inbox.
if a teammate got there first, you'll see [name] is handling this.
Step 3: Write your reply
Doin Reply to patient, type in Reply as the clinic… and press Enter, or select the send button.
You'll seeyour message under YOU, marked sending…, then ✓ sent and ✓ delivered.
Sothe patient gets it on WhatsApp from the clinic's number.
Step 4: Finish the conversation
Dowhen you're done, select Hand back or Close in the banner (Return a conversation to the agent).
Sountil you do, the assistant stays paused for this patient.
Result
You'll seeyour messages under YOU with ✓ delivered, and You're handling this until you hand back.
Soa message is not a booking. If you tell a patient a time, book it in Keel too (Book an appointment).
If it doesn't work
- If you see: [name] is handling this. or [name] has controlA teammate is replying. Leave them an internal note, or ask them to hand back.
- If you see: Take over to reply in the reply boxYou haven't taken it over yet (step 2)
- If you see: The assistant took this back while you were typing — take over again to reply.Take over again. Your text is put back in the box.
- If you see: [name] took this over while you were typing — they're handling it.Your text is put back. Leave it as an internal note instead.
- If you see: This centre has no WhatsApp number — set one in Settings.Your WhatsApp number isn't set up (Prepare WhatsApp setup)
- If you see: Couldn't send — check your connection and retry.Check your connection and send again. WhatsApp can also refuse a reply when the patient hasn't written for a while. If so, use Call patient.
- If you see: not delivered under your messageWhatsApp didn't deliver it. Use Call patient at the top of the conversation.
- Working: ✓ delivered under your messageDone
Limits
replies from Inbox are text only. WhatsApp templates and messages outside WhatsApp's reply
window are not available from Inbox.
Hand to doctor is shown but is not available yet.
only the person handling a conversation can reply in it.
Checked against the Keel product source and in the live product on 2026-10-10. No step on this page was observed. Taking over a conversation, sending a reply, the delivery labels and the refusal messages were not exercised.