A dealer order status bot for self-service B2B distributors

Updated 2026-09-19 · 4 min read · By the Convo360 team

Why dealer self-service matters at scale

A manufacturer or distributor with hundreds of dealers across states, from Ludhiana to Coimbatore, gets a steady stream of "has my order dispatched?" and "what's my available credit?" calls every day. Each one takes a sales desk person away from actual selling.

These calls also tend to arrive in bursts tied to your own dispatch schedule, right after a batch is expected to ship, or near month-end when dealers are reconciling their own accounts. A self-service option absorbs exactly this kind of predictable spike without needing extra desk staff on those specific days.

Dealers themselves are often juggling their own retail counter or showroom while trying to reach your sales desk, which is why a self-service channel that doesn't require a live phone call, available whenever they get a free minute, tends to get used more than you'd expect from the call volume alone.

Verifying the dealer first

Before showing any order or account data, the flow asks for the dealer's registered code via Ask a Question, and an HTTP/API request block confirms it against your dealer master. This single step keeps sensitive account information restricted to the verified dealer only.

If a dealer messages from a number that doesn't match what's registered against their code, say a staff member's personal phone, the flow should still verify by code alone rather than rejecting the request outright, while logging the mismatch for your team to update the registered contact if it's now a permanent change.

Order status and dispatch updates

Once verified, the dealer can ask for their latest order status, and another HTTP/API request block pulls dispatch stage: processing, dispatched, in transit, delivered, directly from your ERP or order system, replied through a Condition block.

Dealers with multiple open orders at once need a small addition here. Instead of returning just the latest order, let the flow show a short numbered list of open orders and let the dealer pick which one to check, rather than assuming there's only ever one order in flight per dealer.

The reorder shortcut

A List Menu can show the dealer's last order items with quantities, letting them tap to reorder the same list rather than typing it out fresh, genuinely useful for dealers who order the same core products regularly, with adjustments only occasionally.

Include a simple "edit quantity" option alongside the straight reorder. Dealers rarely want the exact same numbers every time, and a shortcut that forces an all-or-nothing repeat order gets used less than one that allows a quick adjustment before confirming.

Confirm the reorder total clearly before finalising: "Reorder confirmed: 200 units at your dealer price, total ₹48,000. Payment terms: 30 days as per your account." Stating the applicable payment terms alongside the total avoids a mismatch between what the dealer expected and what your accounts team later invoices.

Credit limit, kept strictly factual

An HTTP/API request block can also return the dealer's current utilised and available credit limit as plain figures pulled from your account system. The bot should state these numbers only. Never negotiate, extend, or discuss credit terms, which stays a conversation for your accounts team.

A useful safeguard: if a dealer's available credit is close to zero or negative, route this automatically to the accounts manager rather than just displaying the figure. A dealer in this position is often trying to place an order that will be blocked anyway, and a proactive human conversation avoids the frustration of an order rejected later in the process.

Building it on Convo360

1. On Convo360, build a dealer-code verification step using Ask a Question and HTTP/API request against your dealer master.
2. Add a List Menu for Order Status, Reorder, and Credit Limit.
3. Each option calls your ERP/order system via HTTP/API request, with Condition blocks formatting the reply.
4. For reorder, use Set Variable to hold the last order's items, then a Razorpay payment link or a "confirmed, sales will follow up" message depending on your payment terms.
5. Escalate anything outside these three options to live chat with your sales desk.

See integrations docs and webhooks docs for the exact connection steps for your specific ERP or order management system.

What it costs and what to measure

This runs on the Starter plan (₹999/month, ex-GST) since it's API-driven and rule-based rather than needing an AI agent. Business plan (₹7,999/month, ex-GST) is worth considering if you want the full REST API for deeper ERP integration across many dealers.

Track how many self-service sessions end without an escalation to the sales desk, and separately, how many reorders come through the WhatsApp shortcut versus a phone call to a sales rep. A growing share on WhatsApp is a fair proxy for dealers trusting the self-service option enough to use it as their default rather than a fallback.

Also watch which dealers never use the self-service option at all despite regular ordering activity. A short personal call introducing the WhatsApp number to that segment often does more to increase adoption than any change to the flow itself.

Example conversation

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

Available across India — see WhatsApp & AI calling automation by state and city.