n8n Workflows

Automate Multi-Channel Customer Support with WhatsApp, Email & AI Translation

Introduction

Running support across multiple platforms always seemed manageable-until it wasn’t.

We had emails coming in, WhatsApp messages pinging at random hours, and most frustratingly, half the messages were in different languages. That led to missed follow-ups, clumsy replies, and longer resolution times.

After a few hiccups with delayed responses and missed priorities, I decided to stop patching the problem manually and instead, automate the entire process end-to-end.

The result was this workflow: a structured, responsive support pipeline that now runs entirely on its own.

Core Benefits

Handles WhatsApp and Email together in one flow
Translates messages from any language into English
Sends smart auto-responses to customers instantly
Automatically alerts admins via email or WhatsApp
Keeps a searchable log of every support interaction
Flags urgent messages with priority-based alerts
Reduces manual effort by up to 80%

Nodes Used in the Workflow

Here’s a breakdown of every node used in the setup, and why it’s there:

1. WhatsApp Trigger

Purpose: Listens for new WhatsApp messages.

2. Email Trigger (IMAP)

Purpose: Watches a support inbox for incoming emails.

3. Data Normalizer & Validator

Purpose: Cleans and standardizes incoming messages.

4. Smart Language Translator

Purpose: Detects the message’s original language and translates it into English.

5. Enhanced Summary & Priority Processor

Purpose: Uses AI logic to summarize the message and assign a priority tag.

6. Check Message Source

Purpose: Identifies if the original message came from WhatsApp or Email.

7. Log to Database (Google Sheets)

Purpose: Stores original messages, translated versions, summaries, priorities, and channel info.

8. Admin Email Notification

Purpose: Sends an internal email alert with the message summary and priority.

9. Admin WhatsApp Alert

Purpose: Sends a WhatsApp message to the admin or team lead.

10. Customer WhatsApp Auto-Response

Purpose: Sends a reply to WhatsApp users acknowledging their message.

11. Customer Email Auto-Response

Purpose: Replies to customers who sent an email.

12. Workflow Completion & Metrics

Purpose: Marks the workflow as complete and logs metrics such as timestamps.

Final Notes

This setup didn’t come out of a textbook or a SaaS tutorial. It was built out of necessity-after real delays, some confused customers, and more manual work than I could afford.

What started as a simple "let's make this easier" project turned into a workflow that now handles over 90% of incoming customer queries without human intervention.

If you’re handling multi-language or multi-platform support, setting this up once can save hours every week-and protect your customer experience at scale.