WhatsApp chatbot for schools: fee reminders, circulars, PTM booking and absence alerts for parents

Updated 2026-10-23 · 5 min read · By the Convo360 team

Why the class WhatsApp group stops working

Most schools start with one WhatsApp group per class. It works for a term, then the problems show. Every parent's number is visible to every other parent. One circular gets forty 'Noted, thank you' replies and the next notice is buried under them. A fee reminder cannot go there at all, because it is personal.

A chatbot on the WhatsApp Business API changes the model. The school sends each parent a private message from its official number, replies come back only to the school, and routine questions are answered by a menu. Teachers stop acting as a helpdesk at 10 PM.

What to send: message type, template category and timing

Messages the school starts need a Meta-approved template. Keep them factual, with no promotional lines. Meta makes the final call on category. If a template is rejected, the template approval guide shows the usual fixes.

Import parents with class, section and route tags

Everything depends on clean contacts. Export the parent list from your school ERP or admission register as a CSV with columns for parent name, mobile number, student first name, class, section and bus route. Import it under Contacts, mapping class and section to groups such as 'Class 6-B' or 'Route 4', and the rest to custom fields.

• Add both parents as separate contacts if both want updates.
• A parent with two children simply sits in two class groups.
• Re-import at the start of each academic year so promoted classes stay correct.

The detailed column format is covered in importing contacts and groups from CSV.

Fee reminders that parents can act on

A fee reminder works when the parent can finish the job in the same chat. The template carries the student's name, term and amount as variables, with Pay now and Already paid buttons.

1. 'Pay now' runs a flow with the Razorpay payment link block, using the school's own Razorpay account.
2. The payment event trigger starts a short flow that thanks the parent and confirms the amount received.
3. 'Already paid' asks for the receipt number with Ask a Question and passes the chat to the accounts office.
4. No action? A Wait / Delay step sends the next reminder template on the due date, and one more three days later.

Keep the wording neutral. The message is private, so there is no embarrassment of a public list, and parents with a genuine difficulty can reply and reach a person.

A guided menu bot for FAQs, with handoff to the office

School questions are repetitive and the answers are fixed, so you do not need AI for them. A guided (no-AI) bot on Convo360 is a rule-based flow that needs no AI key. It opens with a List Menu:

• Fee structure and due dates
• School timings and academic calendar
• Transport routes and contacts
• Uniform and book list, sent as a PDF through Send Media
• Admissions
• Talk to the office

'Admissions' collects the child's name, class sought and preferred callback time with Ask a Question, then stores it with Save CRM lead for the admission counsellor. The admission season playbook covers that funnel in depth.

'Talk to the office' moves the chat to the live-chat team inbox. The bot pauses as soon as a staff member replies. A Condition block can show office hours after 4 PM and promise a reply the next working day.

Broadcast pacing: circulars without getting the number flagged

A circular to 2,000 parents is a broadcast, and Meta watches how people react to it. On Convo360, open WhatsApp Studio, pick the template, choose the class groups and start the campaign. Each broadcast has a sending speed and an optional send window, failed messages are retried, and the campaign pauses by itself if too many messages fail.

• On a new number, start with one or two classes and the Gentle speed. Meta raises your daily limit as quality stays good.
• Use a send window so nothing reaches parents late at night.
• Send to the relevant group only. A Class 10 exam notice should not go to Nursery parents.

More detail is in running a WhatsApp broadcast campaign without getting blocked.

Parent consent, children's data and what it costs

Add a WhatsApp consent line to the admission and re-registration forms, naming the school's official number. Parents who reply STOP are opted out automatically, so keep a fallback such as the school diary or email for them.

• Message parents or guardians only, never the students.
• Use the child's first name and class in templates. Leave out marks, health notes and photographs.
• Give staff role-based access so only the office and accounts teams see chats.

India's DPDP Act expects extra care with children's data and verifiable parental consent. Our plain-language note on chatbots and the DPDP Act is a starting point, not legal advice.

On cost, the Starter plan is ₹999/month plus GST with WhatsApp, web chat, the flow builder, CRM and forms. The Pro plan at ₹2,999/month includes all integrations and connectors. Convo360 is BYOK with zero markup, so template charges are paid to Meta directly. You can try everything free for 14 days.

Step by step

1. Collect parent opt-inAdd a WhatsApp consent line to admission and re-registration forms, mentioning the school's official number and the kinds of updates parents will receive.
2. Import contacts with class and section groupsUpload a CSV of parents with student first name, class, section and bus route, mapping class and route to groups and the rest to custom fields.
3. Create and submit utility templatesIn WhatsApp Studio, create templates for fee reminders, circulars, PTM invites, absence alerts and transport updates, and submit them to Meta for approval.
4. Build the guided menu botIn the Flow Builder, create a guided flow on the 'new conversation' trigger with a List Menu for fees, timings, transport, admissions and 'Talk to the office'.
5. Add the fee payment flowConnect the Pay now button to a Razorpay payment link block, and use the payment event trigger to send a thank-you confirmation.
6. Set up office handoffRoute 'Talk to the office' and 'Already paid' replies to the live-chat team inbox, where the bot pauses once a staff member responds.
7. Broadcast class by classSend the first circular to one or two class groups on a gentle speed within a daytime send window, then widen to the whole school.

Example conversation

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

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