Integrate with WhatsApp
Last Update: Sep 2024 • Est. Read Time: 3 MINBy integrating your WhatsApp phone number with Kustomer, your customers can initiate a support request through WhatsApp, and continue to get agent replies as WhatsApp messages.
Our integration uses the WhatsApp Business API, which is intended for medium to large businesses with large support teams. WhatsApp Business App, the mobile application intended for small businesses, is not compatible with Kustomer.
Who can access this feature? | |
User types | Admins can set up this integration. |
In this article
- Prerequisites
- The WhatsApp integration
- Install WhatsApp
- Connect a WhatsApp Business account
- Understand WhatsApp conversations
- How are WhatsApp conversations billed?
- Conversational assistant features
Prerequisites
Please make sure you do the following before beginning this integration:
- Create a Meta Business Suite account
- Create a business manager account in the Meta Business Suite
- Optionally, verify your business (recommended). If you don't verify your business, the number of messages you can send in a month is limited.
- Claim a WhatsApp phone number that meet the requirements as listed here. Suggested options for obtaining a new number are:
- Purchase a SIM card
- Purchase a virtual phone number
- Use a landline phone number
Notes:
- You must be able to receive SMS or phone calls with this phone number for verification.
- You will add your number to your WhatsApp Business account in the Connect a WhatsApp Business account step below.
The WhatsApp integration
When a WhatsApp conversation is initiated by a user, Kustomer can create new customers and conversations from those messages. If an existing customer with a WhatsApp account on file messages you, Kustomer will create a conversation on that existing customer’s timeline.
With Kustomer's WhatsApp integration, you can:
- Send a business-initiated conversation, or reply to customers who have not sent you a message in over 24-hours, using message templates.
Note: Customers must opt-in to receive business-initiated conversation sent after the 24-hour period is over. Please refer to WhatsApp's documentation for more information.
- View if your customers saw your message with read receipts.
- Integrate chatbots with rich components using our conversational assistant to promote customer self-service, boost agent productivity, and speed up response times.
You can also use the Create draft for customer endpoint to send:
- A WhatsApp message
- An interactive WhatsApp message that can include features such as buttons or lists
- A WhatsApp message template
To do so, expand the desired WhatsApp section and enter the necessary information into the parameter boxes.
Install WhatsApp
Administrators can install the WhatsApp app once they have a WhatsApp Business account.
To integrate WhatsApp with Kustomer, install the WhatsApp app from within the Kustomer App Directory.
- Go to Appsand select Explore Directory.
- Search for WhatsApp in the App Directory, and then select Install.
Connect a WhatsApp Business account
Once you install WhatsApp, you need to add your existing WhatsApp Business account to Kustomer to send and receive messages. You can connect up to 10 accounts.
Note: You must have business admin access in Meta Business Suite to set up your account in Kustomer.
To connect your account:
- Go to Appsand select WhatsApp.
- Select Sign in to Facebook.
- Follow the instructions to create your Meta and WhatsApp Business account.
- Then, create your WhatsApp Business profile and verify your WhatsApp Business number.
Your WhatsApp Business accounts are now shown on this page.
Select an account to see all of the phone numbers and message templates associated with that specific account.
Understand WhatsApp conversations
Once connected, your customers can send you user-initiated messages via WhatsApp. Your agents have 24 hours from when the customer sent the first message to reply to that message. Once the 24-hour period ends, WhatsApp closes the conversation.
Note: The 24-hour period starts when the customer sends the message from WhatsApp.
If this occurs and the 24-hour period is over, you can send a business-initiated message to them using a message template. You can also use these templates to start a new conversation with a customer. For more information, see WhatsApp message templates.
How are WhatsApp conversations billed?
WhatsApp charges per conversation initiated by a user or business in a 24-hour period, starting from when a first message is delivered. Rates for WhatsApp conversations vary by country or region. For more information, see Understand WhatsApp billing.
Conversational assistant features
Conversational assistants help you optimize your organization's support experience and promote customer self-service, boost agent productivity, and speed up response times. When creating a conversational assistant with the WhatsApp integration, you can:
- Leverage WhatsApp's button functionality and use the following interactions to gather information from a customer and direct them to the correct resource:
- Navigation path (buttons)
- List selector
- Request feedback
- Object selector
- Define what the conversational assistant does when a customer replies with text when prompted for a button, ensuring intent detection is always on for WhatsApp conversations and their inquiries aren't missed.
For additional tips on using the conversational assistant, see Best practices for WhatsApp and SMS assistants.