# Avox AI: Automated WhatsApp Replies > Avox AI is the automation layer of your dashboard - rule-based WhatsApp replies, tags, Flows, and templates that run on their own. Source: https://docs.theavoxai.com/avox-ai **Avox AI** is the name for the always-on part of your Avox dashboard: the automations that watch every incoming WhatsApp message and react the moment one matches a rule you've set. It replies, sends a file or a link, files the contact under the right tags and categories, opens a Flow, sends a template, alerts your team or hands the lead to your CRM - so routine questions get an instant answer and your team's time goes to the conversations that need a person. Avox AI sends exactly what you set up: your own replies, your own approved templates, and your own Flows, started by the triggers you choose. You stay in control of every word. ## What it's built from ### Automation - the engine The visual builder where you pick a trigger (a keyword, any message, outside business hours, no reply after a set number of minutes, a new contact, or a tag being added), add actions, and branch with conditions. The actions come in six groups: - **Messages** - text replies, approved templates, marking read. - **Interactive** - quick reply buttons, lists, link buttons, Flows, questions that wait for the answer, and call permission requests. - **Media** - images, videos, documents, audio, locations and contact cards. - **Contact** - adding or removing tags and categories, setting contact fields, private notes. - **Flow control** - conditions, waiting for a reply, delays and stop. - **Team & integrations** - bell notifications (and email) for your team, and webhooks to your own tools. Open **Automation** in the dashboard sidebar to start; the page carries a **Beta** badge. See [Automation](https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation), [Triggers](https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation/triggers), and [Actions](https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation/actions). ### Templates - what it can send any time WhatsApp needs an approved template to start a conversation or to message someone outside the [24-hour messaging window](https://docs.theavoxai.com/whatsapp/messaging-window). The **Send a template** action uses the same approved templates you manage on [Templates](https://docs.theavoxai.com/templates). ### Flows - when a reply needs a form Some questions need more than a text answer - booking a slot, collecting details. The **Use Flows** action opens one of your published [Flows](https://docs.theavoxai.com/flows) right inside the chat. ## What a reply looks like This is the reply from the **Store hours auto-reply** premade automation, shown in the same preview component the dashboard uses. The message goes out from your own WhatsApp number, under your business name. ## How it behaves - **One automation per message.** For each new incoming message, the oldest switched-on automation whose trigger matches is the one that runs. - **No spam loops.** The same automation runs at most once an hour for the same contact. - **Credits.** Each message it sends spends Avox AI credits ([automation credits](https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation/credits)) from your plan's grant: 1 for most messages (text, template, media, location, contact card, link button, call request), 2 for buttons or a list, and 3 for a Flow. Everything that doesn't send a message - tags and categories, contact fields, notes, conditions, waits and delays, team notifications, webhooks - is free, and a send Meta refuses costs nothing. - **Hard stop at zero.** When the period's credits run out, automated sends pause until the next period. Admins on the One-time billing option can also set a lower [monthly credit limit](https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation#monthly-credit-limit). - **Your team keeps replying.** Automated replies and your team's own replies sit in the same conversation in the [Inbox](https://docs.theavoxai.com/inbox). The full rules are on [Triggers](https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation/triggers). ## Real use cases All of these are one-click [premade automations](https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation#premade-automations): - **Welcome + tag new customers** - the very first message from a number gets a real welcome, and the contact is tagged and filed under "New customer". - **Lead qualifier** - a new lead is asked for their budget and moves from "Lead" to "Qualified" once they answer. - **VIP routing** - a customer asking about priority or bulk orders is filed under "VIP" and your team is alerted straight away. - **Store hours auto-reply** and **Out of hours away message** - a customer who messages at 2am gets an honest "we're closed" reply, and a follow-up once you're open. - **Order status link** - order questions get a **Track order** button, and the team hears about cancellations and refunds. - **Send your price list** and **Share your store location** - a PDF or a map pin, sent the moment someone asks. - **Callback request** - "call me" sends WhatsApp's call permission request and tells the team. - **Re-engagement with a template** - a lapsed customer gets your approved template, and quiet ones are filed as "Dormant". - **Lead to CRM via webhook** - a new lead's email and details go straight to your CRM. - **Appointment confirm or reschedule**, **Feedback with follow-up**, **Complaint escalation**, **FAQ: pricing questions**, **Booking & appointment inquiry**, **Catch-all with urgent flagging**, **VIP tag follow-up** and **No-reply follow-up** cover the rest of the everyday questions. Each premade opens the wizard with everything filled in, so you can change the wording and replace placeholders (such as `https://example.com/...` links) before switching it on. ## Plans and status How many automations you can run and how many Avox AI credits you get each period depend on your plan and billing option - see [Plans](https://docs.theavoxai.com/plans) and [Credits](https://docs.theavoxai.com/automation/credits). Avox AI has its own line on the [Status page](https://docs.theavoxai.com/status-page), **Avox AI (Beta)**, covering automations and auto-replies. ## Meet the face of Avox AI The [Avox Avatar](https://docs.theavoxai.com/avox-avatar) is the character that reacts throughout your dashboard, including on every Automation page.