Build
Preview and test
Chat with your bot before customers do: in the browser as WhatsApp or web chat, on your own phone, or from any step.
Run a test chat#
- 1
Click Preview
Click Preview at the top of the builder, or press ⌘P (Ctrl+P on Windows). The test chat opens in the panel on the right, and the canvas stays visible.
- 2
Chat like a customer
Type a reply, tap buttons, pick a date or send a file, exactly as a customer would.
- 3
Fix and run again
Change something on the canvas, then click Restart conversation (the circular arrows) to run the flow again from the start.
Preview runs what's on your canvas right now, including changes you haven't published. Only you see this chat: messages here never reach your customers.
WhatsApp or Web chat#
Above the chat, Show as switches between WhatsApp and Web chat. The same flow looks different on each:
| Web chat | ||
|---|---|---|
| Formatting | *bold*, _italic_ and ~strike~ show as WhatsApp shows them | Shown as your website visitors see it |
| Look | WhatsApp bubbles | Your colors and logo from Settings > Appearance |
| Limits | WhatsApp's own limits apply, for example the length of list rows | Website rules |
On WhatsApp you can also choose the connection: Cloud API or Green API (QR). A dot marks Your connection. Green API can't send WhatsApp buttons, lists or templates, so customers get them as numbered text and reply with the number.
Officely remembers your choice for the next preview.
Test on your own phone#
In the preview, click Test on your phone (WhatsApp). WhatsApp opens with a short message and code already typed to Officely's number. Send it, and the bot you're building replies on your phone.
This works before you connect your own WhatsApp number, and it's free.
Preview a single step#
Click any step to open Step settings on the right. The Phone preview tab shows exactly how that one message looks.
- How it looks switches between WhatsApp and Website.
- Notes under a message are only for you, for example when WhatsApp shortens a long list row.
- Run the full preview from here starts the test chat at this step, so you don't have to click through the whole flow to test the end of it.
AI steps in the preview#
When the test chat reaches an AI step, the AI flow's name appears above its answers, and a Draft / Live switch appears at the top:
- Draft tests your saved AI flow changes.
- Live is what customers get now.
Switching restarts the conversation.
Shortcuts#
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⌘P / Ctrl+P | Run the preview |
| ⌘J / Ctrl+J | Open the Assistant in the same panel |
| Esc | Collapse the panel |
Drag the panel's edge to make it wider or narrower. Click End preview (the X) to close the test chat.
Common problems#
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| The bot didn't answer. Try again. | Check your connection and send the message again. |
| A WhatsApp-only step looks odd in Web chat | Buttons, List and Templates need the official WhatsApp API. Switch Show as to WhatsApp. |
| The chat stops early | A step's output isn't connected. Connect it to the next step. |