For many businesses Instagram is where customers find them, and WhatsApp is where they book. An assistant that covers both means the person who comments "price?" on a reel at midnight gets an answer at midnight, and a way to book without you waking up. Here is what is possible on Instagram through Meta's official messaging API, and what is not.
What it can do
Reply to DMs with the same greeting, menus and booking questions as on WhatsApp, using Instagram's quick-reply buttons. Reply privately to comments on your own posts and reels, for example anything asking for the price, availability or details, so the answer goes to that person and not to the whole comment section. Answer story replies and mentions. Hand the person to WhatsApp with a one-tap link when a booking or payment is needed.
What it cannot do
Instagram has no paid message templates. That means no reminders, no offers and no campaigns started by the business. The assistant can reply only within 24 hours of the customer's last message, and a person can reply for up to seven days after that. It also cannot see comments on other people's posts, only on yours.
Why bookings move to WhatsApp
A booking needs a reminder the day before, and a payment needs a receipt. Both are WhatsApp templates. So the moment an Instagram conversation turns into a booking, the assistant sends a WhatsApp link, the customer taps it, and the rest happens there. The conversation shows up in one inbox either way.
What Meta needs from you
An Instagram professional account linked to a Facebook Page, Dunnflow added as your partner in Meta business settings, and a one-time review by Meta of the connection. You stay the owner. We walk through it with you on the setup call.
The comment rule that matters
Reply privately, not publicly, and only to comments that ask something. A public "DM for price" under every comment looks like spam and trains people not to bother. A private reply with the actual price and a link to book is what gets the booking.