# Set up a message step and its buttons

> In the SkedX Flow builder, click a message step to open it in the panel. Channel shows the channel the message goes on (WhatsApp, Instagram or Messenger, as the chat the automation started in). Header is optional: None, Picture, Video or File. Message body holds the words; the + in its corner adds a field — their name, an earlier answer — which the customer sees filled in. Under the body, each quick reply is a row; + Add a quick reply adds one. On WhatsApp up to 3 quick replies show as buttons and a 4th turns them into a list of up to 10; one link button, one form, one location request or one catalog can go instead. On Instagram, up to 13 quick replies sit under the message (phone app only) or up to 3 buttons on it; on Messenger, up to 3 buttons on the message and up to 13 quick replies under it. Call and Copy code buttons are on approved templates only — Use a template. Where next says which step each reply goes to; Run up to here tests the step with a real chat and sends nothing.

Product: SkedX Flow · Topic: Automation · Verified in the live product on 2026-10-24

So that every message your automation sends reads right on the customer’s phone, and every answer they tap leads somewhere.

## Step 1: Open the message

Click the message card. The panel shows its **Channel**, the optional **Header** — None, Picture, Video or File — and the **Message body**; the **+** in its corner adds a field such as their name. Each quick reply is a row; **+ Add a quick reply** adds one.

## Step 2: Say where each reply goes

Under **Where next**, pick the step each reply leads to — and where it goes when they type instead. **Run up to here** tests the message with a real chat, sending nothing; **Remove step** takes it out.

## Step 3: Buttons on each channel

WhatsApp: up to 3 quick replies show as buttons; a 4th makes them a list (up to 10). One link button, one form, one location request or one catalog can go instead. Instagram: up to 13 quick replies under the message (the phone app shows them) or up to 3 buttons on it. Messenger: up to 3 buttons on the message and up to 13 quick replies under it.

## Step 4: Call and copy-code buttons

On WhatsApp, a call button and a copy-a-code button can only be on an approved template. Click **Use a template** and pick one; a template also goes out after 24 hours of silence, when only a template may.

## Common questions

### What happens when they type instead of tapping?

The step’s safety net decides: it asks again (twice by default), then hands the chat to your team. The default is in **Settings -> Replies**; AI fallback can answer from your knowledge base instead.

### Can a message wait for their reply?

Yes — a message with quick replies waits; the card shows a reminder and what happens if nobody replies.

### How do I ask for a typed answer — a name, a date, a number?

Open the message and use **Change ▾ -> Ask for a typed answer**. It has no buttons: it waits for what they write, and under **Where next** you choose where **Their answer** goes. If they write something that does not fit, the automation’s rule in **Settings** decides.

### Why can’t I add a Call button?

WhatsApp allows Call and Copy code only on an approved template. Use a template.

Videos and screenshots © 2026 SkedX, with sample data only. Share and link to them freely; copying the SkedX product or its design is not allowed. Terms: https://skode.ai/terms/

## Related guides
- Build an automation step by step in SkedX Flow: https://skode.ai/help/flow/automation/build-an-automation-step-by-step-in-skode-flow/
- Save what a customer says to their contact: https://skode.ai/help/flow/automation/save-what-a-customer-says-to-their-contact/
- Set the rules for a whole automation: https://skode.ai/help/flow/automation/set-the-rules-for-a-whole-automation/
- Find a step in a long automation: the steps list and its search: https://skode.ai/help/flow/automation/find-a-step-in-a-long-automation/

Source: https://skode.ai/help/flow/automation/set-up-a-message-step-and-its-buttons/