Commerce · 5 min read · Savina Bansal
COD to prepaid: let automation ask the awkward question
Asking a cash-on-delivery buyer to pay now feels pushy from a person. From a well-timed WhatsApp message with a payment link, it is just an option. How to set it up.
Building the platform this article is about
Every D2C seller knows the trade-off. Cash on delivery brings in buyers who would not pay upfront, and it also brings parcels that come back unpaid, with shipping paid both ways.
Asking a COD buyer to switch to prepaid is the obvious fix, and an awkward phone call. As a WhatsApp message, right after the order, with a link to pay and no pressure, it is just an option the buyer can take or ignore.
What Ohanvi does
When a store is connected, Ohanvi adds three starter chatbot flows to it, as drafts: a basic bot flow, a COD confirmation flow and a COD to Prepaid flow. The COD to Prepaid flow starts when an order is placed.
Its key step creates a payment link for that order. For a Shopify order, the link is Shopify’s own payment page. Otherwise it goes through your connected payment integration, Razorpay. The next message sends it: tap to pay securely.
When something is missing, nobody is left confused
The step has three outcomes, and the flow handles each. Link ready: send it. No payment set up, or the link could not be made: the flow tells the buyer their COD order stands as it is, so they are not left wondering. Order not found: the flow stops instead of sending a broken message.
For orders on the WhatsApp Store
Orders placed through the WhatsApp Store have the same idea built in: the Store’s settings include Pay now on COD, which offers a COD buyer the chance to pay. An automatic coupon can sweeten it, such as money off when customers pay online.
Where the AI agent fits
The asking is a flow, on purpose: it involves money, and it should say the same thing every time. If the buyer replies with a question (“is UPI safe?”, “will I still get it by Friday?”), the AI agent answers from your knowledge, or hands the chat to your team.
Setting it up
Connect your store, open Chatbot Flows and find COD to Prepaid in your list as a draft. Check its wording, connect Razorpay if you sell outside Shopify, test it on your own number, then activate it.
Keep reading
Questions this answers
- How do I convert COD orders to prepaid on WhatsApp?
- In Ohanvi, the COD to Prepaid starter flow sends a payment link when an order is placed: Shopify’s own payment page for Shopify orders, otherwise Razorpay. If no link can be made, it tells the buyer their COD order stands.
- Does the COD to prepaid message need an AI agent?
- No. It is a chatbot flow, so it says the same thing every time. An AI agent can answer the buyer’s follow-up questions if you use one.
