WhatsApp for chemists and pharmacies in Kenya

A customer messages while you are serving the counter: "Uko na Panadol extra?", "Price for that cough syrup?", "Can I pick up in 20 minutes?" Those are stock questions. "What should I take for this rash?" is not. WhatsApp helps a chemist move OTC faster — it should never replace the pharmacist.

For the vertical overview see WhatsApp for pharmacies.

What buyers actually message a chemist

The repeats are boring and predictable — that is why automation works here:

• Stock checks — "Uko na Ventolin?", "Panadol extra iko?"
• Price checks — "Cough syrup ni how much?"
• Pickup timing — "Can I pick up in 20 minutes?"
• Delivery — "Unadeliver Westlands?", and if you do, the fee

Once a buyer names the product, pack size, and their estate, the answer is usually on your shelf list. The buyer who asks "what should I take?" needs a person, not a fast reply.

Build the OTC price list first

Paste the fast-moving OTC items into Settings → Shop context with the fields buyers compare:

• Name + pack: "Panadol extra — 24 tabs"
• Price KES: "380"
• Stock: "In stock" / "Out"
• Pickup hours: "Mon–Sat 8am–8pm, Sun 9am–6pm"
• Delivery: "CBD KES 100, Westlands KES 150, Kilimani KES 150, Lavington KES 200 — free over KES 1,500"

Start with the twenty items people ask about every day. Update a line the same hour it runs out — an "available" reply on an empty shelf loses a pickup and your credibility.

What Timi may answer

From that list, Timi can confirm availability, price, pickup hours, and delivery fees for the OTC items you chose to quote. It matches the buyer's language — English, Swahili, or Sheng — so the reply sounds like your counter, not a script.

It does not diagnose, suggest a substitute drug, read a prescription, or answer dose questions. Those are never automated.

What must hand off to you

These chats stop auto-reply the moment they appear:

• Prescription photos — the pharmacist checks the script
• "What should I take?" — needs a person's judgment
• Dose, interactions, pregnancy, children — not stock questions
• Controlled or pharmacist-only items — never quoted without you

When one of these arrives, Timi sends a short handoff reply (see handoff from bot to seller), stops auto-replying on that thread, and notifies you. You take over on the same WhatsApp conversation with the context already in thread.

A typical refill chat arc

A repeat customer messages at 7:15pm: "Uko na brufen 400? Niko Kilimani." Timi replies from your list: "Iko — KES 250, in stock. Pickup tonight or deliver Kilimani KES 150 (total KES 400). Till 123456." The customer replies "Till imetumwa" and sends a screenshot. Timi flags the chat for you to confirm payment and dispatch. You close while the evening queue at the counter keeps moving.

Payment, pickup, and delivery

Add your Till or Paybill in Settings. When the item and price are on your list and the delivery zone is clear, Timi can share the total — item plus fee. It does not collect buyer money and does not hold stock. You confirm the payment, then hand over at the counter or to your rider.

Keep delivery honest: list only the zones you actually cover and the fee you actually charge. A wrong fee quote for a medicine delivery is worse than a missed sale — the buyer may already be feeling unwell and planning around your answer.

After hours and the night queue

Chemists get late messages for real reasons — a fever at 11pm, a lost inhaler. Set your hours in Settings so Timi answers during the counter shift and behaves differently after closing. For an out-of-stock OTC item at night, Timi can capture the request and your opening time, so the morning team knows what to pull and set aside. A buyer asking a medical question after hours should get a short message that a pharmacist will respond at opening — never an automated guess.

Refills and repeat customers

Repeat buyers message the same few items. Keep a short list of their usual purchases in context (with their consent) so Timi answers "the usual?" faster. Never store health details beyond what the buyer volunteered for this purpose, and respect the Data Protection Act — a pharmacy holds sensitive data.

Ads to WhatsApp

If you advertise on Meta, send people to WhatsApp, not a website cart. Connect Meta in Timi so you see which ads brought chats that turned into marked sales. Keep ad creative honest: a paracetamol ad must not promise a diagnosis or a substitute.

Common mistakes

• Letting a bot invent a substitute when an item is out
• Quoting a prescription item without a pharmacist check
• One price list that is weeks out of date
• Ignoring "what should I take?" instead of handing off
• Quoting a delivery fee for a zone you do not cover

FAQ

Does Timi give medical advice? No. Stock and price only, from the OTC list you paste. Prescriptions and advice hand off to you.

Can Timi sell prescription drugs? It should not complete those sales. A pharmacist checks the script first; the chat is handed to you.

Does Timi collect payment? No. It shares your Till or Paybill and a clear total when the item and delivery zone are on your list. You confirm payment and hand over the item.

Can Timi answer in Swahili or Sheng? Yes — the same way your counter does, matching how the buyer writes.

What about controlled items? They stay with you. Timi hands those chats off immediately.

Do I need a website to take WhatsApp orders? No. A price list in Shop context and your WhatsApp link are enough.