Add an AI to a WhatsApp group that the group pays for itself

What you get

SampleA made-up example. The names, items and times are not from a real customer.

Weekend football

Sample group chat

Priya

@Cole what time did we book the pitch for Saturday?

7:02 PM

Cole

Jordan said on Tuesday the pitch is booked for 10 AM on Saturday.

7:02 PM

Jordan

@Cole remind everyone on Friday at 6 PM to bring the bibs

7:05 PM

Cole

Got it: I'll remind the group on Friday at 6 PM to bring the bibs.

7:05 PM

Cole

Sample private chat with the person who pays

who used Cole in my groups this week?

8:30 PM

This week Weekend football used 31 credits: Priya 14, Jordan 10, you 7.

8:30 PM

turn off Cole in Weekend football

8:31 PM

Done. I'm off in Weekend football until you turn me back on.

8:31 PM

How to add Cole to a group your account pays for, step by step

1. 1

   Start a chat with Cole on WhatsApp

   Tap Chat with Cole on WhatsApp on this page and send the first message below. If your number has no Pocodot account yet, Cole replies with a link to sign up: sign up, reply YES when Cole asks in the chat, and Cole answers your message.

   Do I need a paid plan?

   No. Your account starts with 150 free credits, no card needed, and the group uses them. A busy group uses credits faster. When you need more, credit packs start at US$3, and the monthly plans are on the pricing page. On paid plans, Cole's replies in your groups carry no "Sent via Cole" line.

   See pricing

2. 2

   Add Cole to the group

   Save Cole's number as a contact, then add Cole to the group through Group info and Add members, the way you add anyone. Cole cannot join through an invite link, and if only admins may add members, ask a group admin to do it.

3. 3

   Say hello and agree to pay for the group

   From the WhatsApp number connected to your account, send this in the group. Cole answers, then asks you once, in your private chat, whether your account will pay for this group. Say yes, and everyone in the group can ask Cole. Nobody becomes the payer without saying yes, and the group is not told who pays.

   @Cole hello

   Does everyone in the group need a Pocodot account?

   No. Once your account pays for the group, the other members can ask Cole without an account and do not pay. Cole will not use your email, calendar, connected apps, payments or calls for them until you say yes, once per group.

   How Cole works in group chats

4. 4

   Members tag Cole when they want it

   Anyone in the group tags @Cole, calls it by name or replies to one of its messages, and Cole answers in the group. A question right after Cole's answer does not need a new tag. To keep things calm, you can set a rule such as "Cole, from now on only answer when someone asks you a question".

   @Cole what time did we book the pitch for Saturday?

   Who can see the messages, and does Cole read the whole group?

   Everyone in the group sees what Cole posts there, like any member's messages. Cole replies only when someone tags it, calls it by name or replies to one of its messages. In WhatsApp groups, what members write still reaches Cole as background, including messages that do not mention it, so tell the group before you add Cole. Cole's notes from the group never show up in another group, though members who have written there can ask Cole about it in their own private chat, and nothing from your private chats comes into the group. No human at Pocodot reads your messages as part of normal work.

   How Cole works in group chatsSecurity and privacyPrivacy Policy

   What about people who join the group later?

   When someone joins, Cole answers them using only what is said after they joined. If an answer needs something from before, Cole first asks the account that pays, in its private chat with Cole.

   How Cole works in group chats

5. 5

   See who used what

   In your private chat with Cole, ask who used Cole in your groups this week or this month. Cole gives names and credit counts only, never what anyone wrote. From there you can also set a monthly credit limit per person.

   who used Cole in my groups this week?

   What happens when the credits run out?

   Cole pauses and says the credits are used up, with where to add more: pocodot.ai/billing. Before that, the account that pays gets a heads-up in its private chat as the credits run low, offering to add credits, turn Cole off in a group or set limits. A member who has their own Pocodot account with credits can still be answered on their own credits until the payer tops up.

   See pricing

6. 6

   Turn Cole off in a group, or back on

   In your private chat with Cole, write "turn off Cole in" and the group's name. Cole stays in the group but stops answering there until you turn it back on; at most once a week it may post a one-line note there saying it is off, and you can turn that note off too. To take Cole out for good, remove it through Group info like any member; Cole never leaves a group on its own.

   turn off Cole in Weekend football

   What if Cole gets something wrong?

   Reply to Cole's message with the correction, or ask again with the detail it missed. If an action fails or doesn't complete, no credits are deducted. You can also ask Cole to forget something, and it will.

When you don't need Cole

If the group only needs a vote or a pinned note, WhatsApp's own polls and pinned messages are enough, and you don't need Cole.

What Cole adds:

• Anyone in the group can ask Cole without signing up; one account pays.
• The person who pays sees who used how much and can set a limit per person.
• One message in the private chat turns Cole off in a group, and another turns it back on.