Channels · Instagram · Coming soon
Instagram DM booking with AI: coming soon to NextReply
Followers ask "price?" and "free Saturday?" in your DMs. Our Instagram AI agent is coming soon. Until it launches, NextReply answers and books those customers on WhatsApp, live on every plan.
Why Instagram DMs go unanswered, and what it costs
Instagram is where many clients first meet your business. They see a balayage reel, a before-and-after or a new treatment and tap Message. The question is short: "price?", "how long does it take?", "any slot this weekend?". Then they wait. If the reply comes six hours later, most have moved on, often to the business that answered first.
An Instagram AI agent is built to close that gap: read each DM, answer from your own services and prices, offer open slots and book the appointment in the chat. We are building that agent for NextReply now. It is not live yet. This page explains what it will do, why it matters, how to get your account ready, and how to turn Instagram followers into bookings today through WhatsApp, where NextReply already works on every plan.
If you want to be told the day Instagram launches, email hello@nextreply.io with the subject "Instagram". You can see how the channels fit together on the channels page.
- WhatsAppLive
- InstagramComing soon
- MessengerComing soon
- TelegramComing soon
Setup guide video · 2 min
See the whole setup in 2 minutes
A two-minute walkthrough of the real app: connect WhatsApp, set up your receptionist, start the free trial and go live.
What the video shows
- Connect your WhatsApp number through Meta
- Set up your AI receptionist: name, tone, language, opening hours and handover to a person
- Choose a plan ($29, $59 or $99 a month) and start the 7-day free trial, with checkout by Stripe
- You’re live: the AI replies 24/7 and books appointments into your calendar
What works today and what is coming soon
We would rather be clear than sell you something that is not ready. Here is where NextReply stands:
| Capability | Status |
|---|---|
| AI replies and booking on WhatsApp | Live on all plans |
| Voice notes and photo understanding | Live, on WhatsApp only |
| Google Calendar booking and handoff to your team | Live, on WhatsApp |
| Instagram DMs | Coming soon |
| Facebook Messenger and Telegram | Coming soon |
| Appointment reminders | Coming soon |
So if most of your booking conversations already end up on WhatsApp, NextReply can take them over now. If Instagram is where the conversation starts, the section below on booking Instagram followers through WhatsApp is the practical route until the Instagram agent ships.
How Instagram DM booking will work
The Instagram agent is designed to follow the same booking flow that NextReply runs on WhatsApp today:
- The customer asks. "Hi, how much is a full set of gel extensions? Free Saturday?"
- The AI answers and offers slots. "Hi! A full gel set is $75 and takes about 90 minutes. Saturday we have 11:00am with Maya or 3:30pm with Lina. Which works for you?"
- It books and confirms. "Booked: Saturday, 3:30pm, full gel set with Lina. See you then!"
On WhatsApp this already happens: the booking lands in Google Calendar, your team gets an owner notification and the slot disappears for every other customer. You can read how slots and durations work on the appointment booking page.
- Customer message: “Any slot tomorrow afternoon?”
- AI receptionist: Reads service, date and time
- Checks your calendar: Offers only free slots
- Confirms in the chat: Name, service and time
- Booked: In Google Calendar, owner alerted
Why Instagram DMs matter for different businesses
Salons and nail studios
Price-and-slot questions dominate, and clients often send a screenshot of the look they want. A good DM agent quotes from your service list, asks the one question that changes the price (hair length, removal of old gel) and books the right stylist. Our salon DM playbook has seven replies that move a follower from "how much?" to a booked chair, and you can use them by hand today. The salons page covers what NextReply does for salons on WhatsApp now.
Spas and wellness
Questions are about packages, couples' treatments, gift vouchers and therapist preference. These are the same questions NextReply already answers on WhatsApp for spas and wellness businesses.
Aesthetic and dental clinics
DMs ask about treatment prices and consultations. The agent will book consultations and quote listed prices, but never comment on whether a treatment suits someone. Clinical questions go to staff.
Gyms and studios
Followers ask about taster classes, timetables and memberships, usually right after a reel lands. Speed matters most here.
Cafés and restaurants
Guests ask for tables, set menus and events, often in the evening when nobody is watching the inbox.
Book Instagram followers on WhatsApp today
You do not have to wait for the Instagram agent to stop losing DMs. Instagram already gives professional accounts several ways to move a conversation to WhatsApp, where NextReply answers and books around the clock:
- Add a WhatsApp button to your profile. Instagram business profiles can show a WhatsApp contact button. One tap opens a chat with your number, and the AI takes it from there.
- Put a click-to-chat link in your bio. A wa.me link with a short pre-filled message ("Hi, I'd like to book") starts the conversation with intent already clear.
- Run ads that open WhatsApp. Meta lets you point Instagram ads at a WhatsApp chat instead of a DM. Every click becomes a WhatsApp conversation NextReply can book. Our guide to click-to-WhatsApp ads walks through the setup.
- Use a saved reply in DMs. Until the agent launches, a short saved reply such as "Thanks! For instant prices and booking, message us on WhatsApp: [link]" keeps late-night DMs from going cold.
On WhatsApp the customer also gets the parts that only work there today: they can send a voice note or a photo of the look they want, and NextReply understands both.
Replies in your followers' language
Instagram audiences are often multilingual. A salon in Dubai, a clinic in São Paulo and a studio in Kuala Lumpur all get DMs in several languages. NextReply already replies on WhatsApp in the customer's own language and keeps the tone you choose: friendly and emoji-light for a nail studio, calm and precise for a clinic. The Instagram agent is being built on the same language engine, so English, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and Malay speakers will get answers in their own words.
- مرحبا، عندكم موعد؟ / Olá, tem horário? / Hola, ¿hay cita? / Hi, any slots?
- Detects the language: From a WhatsApp text or voice note
- Replies in that language: You set it up once
The 24-hour rule on Instagram, and why WhatsApp handles follow-ups
Instagram lets businesses reply freely to a customer for 24 hours after the customer's last message. After that, a human can still follow up for a limited time under Meta's human-agent rules, but automated or promotional messages are not allowed. In practice:
- An Instagram agent has to answer fast, while the window is open, and reach a booking in one short exchange.
- Anything that happens days later, such as a message before the appointment, cannot rely on Instagram. WhatsApp has approved message templates for that, which is why we plan to keep follow-ups on WhatsApp. Appointment reminders are coming soon to NextReply.
- Follow-up offers to people who DMed weeks ago are off limits on Instagram.
We explain the details, with links to Meta's documentation, in our guide to the Instagram and Messenger 24-hour window.
How to get your Instagram account ready
A few things will make the switch-on quick when Instagram launches. Most of them help your DMs right now as well:
- An Instagram professional account (business or creator). Personal accounts cannot use Meta's messaging API.
- Admin access to that account, held by the owner rather than a former agency or freelancer.
- Your services, prices, hours and FAQs written down. If you start on WhatsApp now, you write these once in NextReply and the plan is for the Instagram agent to use the same knowledge base.
- Google Calendar with real availability, so the AI offers slots your team can actually honour.
- A list of DM types you never want automated, such as collaborations, complaints and clinical questions.
Your team will still read and answer DMs in the Instagram app. That does not change.
How handoff to your team will work
You will choose which DMs need a person. Common rules: complaints, refund requests, influencer and collaboration requests, wholesale enquiries, clinical questions and anyone asking for a human. The AI tells the customer someone will reply, notifies your team and stops answering in that thread until your staff take over. This is exactly how handoff already works on WhatsApp.
It also hands over when it does not know. If a follower asks for a service you have not listed, the AI says the team will confirm rather than guessing a price.
- Unusual request: Complaint, refund or special case
- AI receptionist: Knows when to step back
- Answers from your FAQs: Services, hours and prices / Hands the chat over: Your team is notified
- Your team replies: Same chat, full history
Getting more DMs that turn into bookings
An AI agent can only book the conversations that start. These changes increase booking DMs and WhatsApp chats alike, so they are worth making before launch:
- Say "DM or WhatsApp to book" in your bio, with your main services and area. People need permission to message a business.
- End captions with a question the AI can answer: "Message us 'Saturday' for this weekend's free slots."
- Pin a story highlight with prices and the fastest way to book.
- Use ads that open a chat when you promote a new service, so every click starts a conversation.
- Answer price questions with prices. "DM for price" followed by "PM sent" frustrates people. An AI that quotes your real list keeps them talking.
The questions followers ask most
These are the DMs the Instagram agent is being built to handle. NextReply answers the same questions on WhatsApp today:
- "Price?" It quotes from your list and asks the one detail that changes the price.
- "Free Saturday?" It checks the calendar and offers two or three real times.
- "How long does it take?" It gives the duration you set for that service.
- "Where are you?" It shares your address, landmark and parking notes.
- "Can I bring a friend?" It books a second slot in parallel if one is free.
- "Can you do this look?" with a photo. On WhatsApp the AI understands the photo today; on Instagram the first version may pass photos to staff to confirm.
- "Do you have offers?" It shares current offers you have listed, and never invents one.
AI agent or keyword auto-replies?
Many accounts use simple auto-replies triggered by a keyword such as "PRICE". They send the same message to everyone and often push the customer to another link. An AI agent for Instagram DMs reads the whole question, answers the specific thing asked ("price for short hair?"), handles follow-ups ("and on Sunday?") and completes the booking in the conversation. Keyword flows still have uses for giveaways and lead magnets; for booking, a real conversation converts better. That is the gap we are building the Instagram agent to fill.
Pricing, free trial and launch updates
NextReply plans are priced in US dollars: Starter $29, Pro $59 and Business $99 a month, for up to 500, 1,500 or unlimited bookings. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial and includes WhatsApp. Prices are in US dollars. At checkout, your card or bank may show an estimate in your local currency. Local taxes may apply. Full details are on the pricing page.
Start your trial on WhatsApp today, and email hello@nextreply.io to hear when Instagram goes live. The Messenger chatbot and Telegram bot are coming soon too. For the WhatsApp product overview, visit the home page.
Questions people ask
Is the Instagram AI agent available now?
Not yet. Instagram DMs are coming soon. NextReply is live on WhatsApp today on every plan, including AI replies, booking into Google Calendar, voice notes and photos. Email hello@nextreply.io and we will tell you when Instagram launches.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Every plan comes with a 7-day free trial. You can connect your WhatsApp number, add your services and watch the AI answer and book real customers before you pay anything.
Can I book Instagram followers with NextReply today?
Yes, through WhatsApp. Add a WhatsApp button or a click-to-chat link to your Instagram profile, or run ads that open WhatsApp. NextReply then answers and books those customers in the WhatsApp chat.
Do I need an Instagram business account?
You will need an Instagram professional account, either business or creator. Personal accounts cannot connect to Meta's messaging API, so switching now saves time at launch.
Will the AI send reminders on Instagram?
No. Instagram only allows business replies within 24 hours of the customer's last message. Appointment reminders are coming soon to NextReply and are planned for WhatsApp, which supports approved message templates.
Will my team still see the DMs?
Yes. Your team will keep reading and replying in the Instagram app as usual. When the AI hands over a chat, they will get a notification, the same way handoff works on WhatsApp now.
Will the Instagram agent understand photos and voice notes?
Today, voice notes and photo understanding work on WhatsApp only. We will confirm what the first Instagram version supports when it launches, rather than promise it now.
Every WhatsApp message answered, every free slot offered
Start your 7-day free trial, connect your WhatsApp number and add your services and hours. NextReply answers and books around the clock.