WhatsApp-Appointment-Bot

A WhatsApp bot that simplifies appointment booking using templated replies through Twilio API. The bot integrates with a business API to register appointments seamlessly, eliminating the need for website visits or calls to reception. It stores customer information in a database for personalized interactions.

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Key Features

• Appointment Registration:
  Automatically book appointments by sending customer data to the business API.
• Customer Information Management:
  Stores and retrieves user data, including names and phone numbers.
• Dynamic State Handling:
  Manages user states for seamless conversation flow, from greeting to appointment confirmation.
• Templated Replies:
  Utilizes Twilio's templated messages for a smooth user experience.
• Public Exposure Using ngrok:
  Exposes the local Flask app to the internet using ngrok for seamless integration with Twilio Webhooks.

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Installation and Setup

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/WhatsApp-Appointment-Bot.git
cd WhatsApp-Appointment-Bot

2. Install dependencies

pip install Flask twilio

3. Run the Flask app locally

python Appointment_bot.py

4. Install and Start ngrok

Download and install ngrok from https://ngrok.com/download.

Start ngrok with the following command:

ngrok http 5000

Copy the public URL provided by ngrok (e.g., https://your-ngrok-url.ngrok.io).

5. Set Twilio Webhook

Go to your Twilio Console and set the Webhook URL for incoming messages to:

https://your-ngrok-url.ngrok.io/webhook

6. Replace placeholders in the code

• account_sid = 'ENTER YOUR TWILIO ACCOUNT SID HERE'
• auth_token = 'ENTER YOUR TWILIO AUTH TOKEN HERE'
• Replace template IDs in the send_template_message() function with your Twilio template IDs.

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Key Code Snippets

API Integration for Appointment Booking

api_url = f"{branch_apis[str(business_id)]}add_appointment/"
headers = {
    "Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded",
    "SKED-API-KEY": "PUT YOUR API KEY HERE"
}
response = requests.post(api_url, data=form_data, headers=headers)

Exposing Flask App with ngrok

ngrok http 5000

Saving Customer Information

def save_customer(phone, name):
    conn = sqlite3.connect('salon.db')
    cursor = conn.cursor()
    cursor.execute("INSERT OR REPLACE INTO customers (phone, name) VALUES (?, ?)", (phone, name))
    conn.commit()
    conn.close()

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Future Motivation

The goal is to offer a fully automated appointment booking service across multiple messaging platforms (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram). This will provide users with a convenient and flexible system to manage appointments without needing to visit a website or call reception.

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Call for Collaboration

I'm a student working on this project and currently lack the resources to scale it. If you're interested in supporting or collaborating, please reach out to help bring this idea to life!

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