WhatsApp channel
WhatsApp is another way customers reach you. Messages from a connected number appear in the same Conversations queue as website chat, so your team works one inbox.
Only owners and admins can connect or manage WhatsApp. Agents still see and reply to WhatsApp conversations in the queue like any other chat.
Before you connect
To link an existing WhatsApp Business Account, sign in during the connect flow with a Meta account that administers the Meta Business portfolio (Business Manager) that owns it. That portfolio also needs a WhatsApp Business Account set up for business messaging through a provider, not only the free WhatsApp Business app on a phone.
If you do not have one yet, that is fine: the connect flow can create a new WhatsApp Business Account for you. A number can be linked to one workspace at a time, and a number already in use with another provider has to be moved over before it will show up.
Connect your number
Open Settings → Integrations and choose Connect WhatsApp. Follow the prompts to link the WhatsApp Business number you want to use.
Only see the option to create a new WhatsApp Business account, and not one you already have? That usually means you are signed in with an account that does not administer the Business portfolio that owns it, or your WhatsApp runs only on the WhatsApp Business app on a phone. Sign in with an admin of that portfolio, or create a new account to continue.
After it connects, the number shows in your connections list. From there you can:
- See whether the connection is healthy.
- Rename the connection so your team recognizes it (for example, "Sales" or "Support").
- Turn AI answers on or off for that number only.
- Disconnect the number when you no longer want it linked.
You can connect more than one number. Each connection is managed on its own, including its AI on/off setting.
How conversations appear
When a customer messages your WhatsApp number:
- The conversation lands in your shared Conversations queue.
- A WhatsApp channel badge marks it so you can tell it apart from website chat.
- You can filter the queue by channel or by a specific connected number.
The AI answers according to your workspace settings (knowledge base, instructions, and escalation rules), the same way it does on the website widget. If you turn AI off for that connection, new messages wait for a person instead.
When the AI escalates, or when AI is off, an agent claims the conversation and replies from the same composer used for website chat.
Media customers send
Customers can send images, audio, and documents on WhatsApp. In the transcript you can open and view that media when it is ready.
If a file is still loading, you will see a pending state. If it cannot be loaded, a failed state is shown so you know to ask the customer to resend.
Agents can also attach images, videos, audio, and documents from the composer when replying. WhatsApp delivers each file according to what the channel supports for that media type.
Delivery status
For messages your team (or the AI) sends on WhatsApp, delivery status appears next to the message. Status advances as the message is accepted, delivered, and read, so you can tell whether it reached the customer.
If delivery fails, the failed state is shown on that message.
The 24-hour reply window
WhatsApp only allows free-form replies for a limited time after the customer's last message. While that window is open, you can reply from the composer as usual.
When the window has closed:
- The composer explains that you cannot send a free-form reply right now.
- The customer must message you again to reopen the window.
If a customer goes quiet and the window closes, wait for their next message, then continue the conversation from the same thread.
Returning customers
When someone messages again from a number you have already talked to, the conversation header can show that they are a returning customer, along with their WhatsApp contact details. That helps you pick up context without searching past chats first.
Related
- Handling conversations: claiming, replying, and resolving in the shared queue.
- AI configuration: tone, knowledge, and when the AI hands off to a person.
- Messenger channel: connect a Facebook Page alongside WhatsApp.
- Instagram channel: connect a linked Instagram professional account through your Facebook Page.
- Quickstart: get the website widget live alongside WhatsApp.