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Local guide · Tenkasi

WhatsApp chatbot and automation for Tenkasi businesses

Mathankumar K, Playbot Pro, Salem 3 min read

Tenkasi has a season: when the falls run at Courtallam, every room, taxi and restaurant is booked by WhatsApp from Madurai, Tirunelveli and Kerala. The rest of the year the district trades across the Shencottai border, grows paddy and runs the towns. Playbot handles the season's bookings automatically and the year's trade quietly.

Where
All 8 taluks of Tenkasi district, including Kadayanallur, Shencottai, Alangulam, V.K.Pudur
Best fit
Lodges, homestays and resorts in Courtallam; taxi and travel operators; restaurants and caterers; traders in Kadayanallur, Sankarankovil and Shencottai; agri-input dealers; hospitals and schools in Tenkasi
Setup
Same day on your own WhatsApp Business number
Trial
14 days free, no credit card
Languages
Tamil, Malayalam and English; the bot replies in the language the guest writes in
Local support
Tamil-speaking team on WhatsApp; Salem is about six hours by road; Tirunelveli onboarding visits cover Tenkasi

Courtallam in season

From June to September the enquiries come all day: is the falls running, is a room free, how far from the main falls. The AI agent answers from the property's own notes in Tamil or Malayalam, a flow takes the dates and the headcount, a UPI link takes the advance, and the directions go out with the map pin. Past guests who opted in get the season-opening broadcast. Taxi operators sell the day trip as a booking on the driver's calendar.

Trade across the border

Traders in Shencottai and Tenkasi sell to Kerala buyers who write in Malayalam. A catalog with the day's rate, an order with the destination, a dispatch template and a payment-due reminder are the trade; the inbox keeps each buyer's thread.

Sankarankovil and the temple calendar

Lodges near the Sankaranarayanaswamy temple take Aadi Thabasu bookings weeks ahead with a capacity per room type and an advance; the reminder goes out the day before.

Service areas in Tenkasi district

Every taluk is served the same way, on the same plans. Businesses in Kadayanallur, Shencottai, Alangulam, V.K.Pudur and the rest of the district are onboarded over WhatsApp and video like everyone else. The full list is below.

Getting started from Tenkasi

  1. Create the account and connect the number you already print on the board. Verification is the only step that can take days.
  2. Load services with durations for booking, or a product list from a sheet for orders.
  3. Switch the Tamil templates on for confirmations and reminders.
  4. Point any Instagram or Facebook ad at WhatsApp, so a Tenkasi enquiry arrives with the campaign attached.

Service areas: Tenkasi district

Headquarters Tenkasi. 8 taluks, all on the same plans and support:

  • Tenkasi
  • Kadayanallur
  • Shencottai
  • Alangulam
  • V.K.Pudur
  • Sankarankovil
  • Thiruvengadam
  • Sivagiri

Questions we get asked

Can a Courtallam lodge turn the bot off after the season?

Yes. Availability can be fixed dates; outside them the bot takes enquiries for next season and hands over to a person.

Does it reply to Kerala guests in Malayalam?

Yes. The AI agent replies in the language the message came in, and confirmations can be approved in Malayalam.

Can the bot answer in Tamil?

Yes. Flows and templates can be written in Tamil, and the AI agent replies in the language the customer writes in.

Do you have an office here?

Our office is in Salem. Onboarding happens over WhatsApp and video; for larger teams we come on site.

Can I keep my existing number?

Yes, if it is not already on the WhatsApp Business API with another provider. Chat history from the phone app does not carry over.