Getting started with ChatFirm
About 15 minutes from installing the app to your first confirmed order. ChatFirm is for Shopify stores that sell on Cash on Delivery in Pakistan.
Before you start
- A Shopify store that takes Cash on Delivery orders and collects the customer's phone number at checkout.
- A phone with the WhatsApp account you use for your store (you will scan a QR code with it).
- For parcel booking (Growth plan and above): your Leopards Courier API key and password.
- A few admin phone numbers (yours and your team's) that should get alerts.
1. Install and choose a plan
Install ChatFirm from the Shopify App Store and approve it. The first time you open it you will be asked to read and accept the Data Processing Addendum. Open Plans and choose one: Starter and Growth begin with a 14-day free trial; Scale has no trial and is charged when you approve it. Everything is billed through Shopify on its approval page, and you can change plan at any time. The pricing page lists what each plan includes and its monthly order limit.
2. Link your WhatsApp
- Open WhatsApp in the ChatFirm menu and press Connect. A QR code appears.
- On your phone open WhatsApp, go to Settings → Linked devices → Link a device and scan the code.
- The page changes to Connected and shows the number. Messages to your customers now go out from that number.
ChatFirm links your number the way WhatsApp Web does; it is not the official WhatsApp Business API (see the FAQ). WhatsApp can restrict accounts that send messages people do not expect, so ChatFirm only messages customers who placed an order with you (and, for abandoned checkouts, customers who ticked Shopify's marketing opt-in).
3. Add your admin numbers
Open Automations → Admin Notification, add the phone numbers that should get alerts and press Send test to check each one. Every admin can choose which alerts they receive. These numbers can also send commands to ChatFirm from WhatsApp (see the table below).
4. Switch on the automations
Open Automations. Each card has an on/off switch and a page where you can read how it works and edit the message the customer receives.
Starter
Order Confirmation: asks the customer to reply YES, NO or ADVANCE. Address Verification: asks them to check their address; a corrected address is checked by AI and, if complete, written back to the Shopify order. Cancellation and Admin Notification.
Growth (adds)
Payment Confirmation (set your bank details first), Courier Booking and Delivery Tracking (connect Leopards first, step 5), reply reminders and order updates by WhatsApp.
Scale (adds)
Review Requests, Stuck-Order Monitor and Abandoned Checkout Recovery (add a discount code first if your reminder message uses one).
Automations that your plan does not include show a lock and a link to Plans.
5. Connect Leopards Courier (Growth and above)
Open Courier, enter your Leopards API key and password, your pickup address and the default parcel weight, and save. The page shows Connected when Leopards accepts the details. Then switch on Courier Booking in Automations. ChatFirm books the parcel once the customer has confirmed the order and the address (and the payment, for bank-transfer orders), and messages the customer the tracking ID. The Courier page also shows a webhook address you can register in your Leopards portal so Leopards sends status updates straight away; ChatFirm checks your parcels every 30 minutes as well.
6. Place a test order
- On your store, order any product with Cash on Delivery and enter your own WhatsApp number as the phone.
- Within about a minute that number receives the order confirmation. Reply
YES. - You are asked to check the delivery address. Reply
YES, or send a corrected address. - Open Orders in ChatFirm: the order shows its current step. With courier booking on, a Leopards parcel is booked and the tracking ID is sent to you.
- Your admin numbers receive the alerts you chose in step 3.
When you are done, cancel the test order in Shopify.
What customers and admins can reply
| Who | Reply | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Customer | YES | Confirms the order (or the address, at the address step). |
| Customer | NO | Cancels the order at the first prompt. After confirming, a cancel request goes to you to approve. |
| Customer | ADVANCE | Switches to bank transfer and sends your bank details (Growth and above). |
| Customer | STOP | Stops ChatFirm messaging that number. |
| Admin | CONFIRM / REJECT | Accepts or rejects a customer's payment screenshot. |
| Admin | CANCEL / KEEP | Approves or declines a customer's request to cancel a confirmed order. |
| Admin | UPDATE #1042 tracking=… | Sets or corrects a tracking number, or saves a note with note=… (Growth and above). |
Order limits
Each plan covers a number of orders per 30-day cycle. You get a warning at 80%, and automation continues for another 10% after the limit. Beyond that, new orders are still saved but not automated until you upgrade or the cycle renews; orders already in progress always finish.
If something does not work
- No message arrives: check that WhatsApp shows Connected, that the automation is switched on and included in your plan, and that the order has a valid Pakistani mobile number.
- WhatsApp shows disconnected: open WhatsApp in ChatFirm and scan a new QR code.
- An order is stuck: open it in Orders to see its step and any error message; with Scale, the Stuck-Order Monitor alerts you after the number of hours you set.
- Courier booking failed: the order shows the reason Leopards gave (for example a city it does not recognise); correct the address and the admin alert tells you what to do.
Still stuck? Email support@chatfirm.tech with your store address and the order number.
Pausing, uninstalling and your data
Settings lets you export your data and pause ChatFirm. If you uninstall the app every automation stops immediately. How long data is kept is set out in the Privacy Policy; customers can also ask you to delete their data and ChatFirm handles Shopify's privacy requests automatically.