Instagram is growing as a sales channel, but many businesses still answer DMs entirely by hand — resulting in missed messages and slow response times. Automation solves this without it needing to feel impersonal. This guide shows which steps you can automate and how.
What can you automate on Instagram?
- First response: an automatic message as soon as a conversation starts
- Routing: automatically assign messages to the right team member or department
- FAQs: let the AI chatbot answer standard questions directly
- Opening questions: use a short menu to gather what the customer needs before a team member takes over
- Follow-up: automatic reminders if a conversation stays unanswered too long
Step 1: Connect Instagram to your inbox
Connect your Instagram account to Bugalou so DMs land in the same shared inbox as your other channels — no more separate Instagram account to keep track of.
Step 2: Set up an automatic first reply
Start with a simple automatic confirmation, as described in our guide on setting up Instagram auto-reply. This ensures no one is met with silence, even outside office hours.
Step 3: Turn on the AI chatbot for FAQs
Bugalou's AI chatbot answers standard questions — opening hours, product info, shipping costs — automatically and 24/7, on Instagram too. If a question is more specific, the AI hands the conversation to a team member, including full conversation history.
Step 4: Automate routing and assignment
Set up rules so a message automatically goes to the right team member or department — for example, sales questions to the sales team and complaints to customer service. Nothing gets left sitting unnecessarily.
Step 5: Measure and improve
Use a CSAT survey after every contact moment to see whether automation is actually contributing to satisfaction, and adjust where needed.
Frequently asked questions
Doesn't automation feel impersonal? Not if you use it well: automate the confirmation and standard questions, and leave personal attention to your team for the conversations that need it.
Can I use the same automations as for WhatsApp? Yes, Bugalou uses the same automation environment for all your channels, so WhatsApp automations are easy to reuse for Instagram.
How much does this cost? Instagram is included by default from €49/month, along with the AI chatbot and automations. 14-day free trial.
Also read our WhatsApp automation guide for more inspiration that works just as well on Instagram.
This article was last updated in September 2026.
Founder of Bugalou and e-commerce entrepreneur. As a business owner, I noticed that customer service tools were either unaffordable or so complex you needed an IT department. That frustration led to Bugalou.