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Integrate with WhatsApp by Twilio

Last Update: Sep 2024 • Est. Read Time: 3 MIN
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By using the WhatsApp by Twilio app integration, your customers will be able to initiate a support request through WhatsApp, and continue to get agent replies as WhatsApp messages. When a customer sends a message via WhatsApp, Kustomer can create new customers and conversations from those messages. If an existing customer is contacting you through WhatsApp, Kustomer will create a conversation on the customer’s timeline.

Who can access this feature?
User typesAdmins can set up this integration.


In this article

Prerequisites

Before integrating WhatsApp by Twilio with Kustomer, you must:

  • Be approved by WhatsApp for Business API access. For more information, see their Business API page.
  • Have a Twilio account. For more information, see Twilio API for WhatsApp.
  • If you have multiple Twilio numbers, you should consolidate all of your Twilio phone numbers into a single Twilio account. Only one Twilio account can be added to a Kustomer organization at a time.

Install the WhatsApp by Twilio app

Administrators can install the WhatsApp channel once your organization is approved for Business API access, and WhatsApp is enabled for your Twilio number. 

To integrate WhatsApp with Kustomer, install the Twilio - WhatsApp app from within the Kustomer App Directory.

  1. Go to Appsand select Explore Directory.
  2. Search for Twilio - WhatsApp in the App Directory, and then select Install.

Connect your Twilio account

Once you install WhatsApp by Twilio, you need to add Kustomer API keys to your account to ensure that you can send and receive messages. You must also provide your SID number, authentication token, and phone number.

To connect your account:

  1. Go to Appsand select Twilio - WhatsApp in the sidebar.
  2. Enter your Twilio account SID number and your Authentication token in the appropriate boxes.
  3. Select Connect. You can now enter your Twilio WhatsApp phone number.
  4. Select Add new phone number.
  5. Enter the phone number and select Add. The number will be added to the WhatsApp window. If you previously added a phone number, all connected numbers will show as a list.

    Note: Adding a phone number automatically configures the https://baseURL/v1/twilio/webhooks/messages  webhook necessary to send and receive messages in Kustomer via that WhatsApp number. If the number was previously used with another CRM, this webhook may not get updated correctly. To resolve this, delete the number from Kustomer and add it again. You can verify that the webhook was added correctly by going to the Phone Numbers > Manage > Active numbers page in your Twilio account.

You are now ready to communicate with your customers using WhatsApp by Twilio.

When communicating with customers via WhatsApp, keep in mind the following:

  • You have to respond to a new conversation within 24 hours of receiving it. Additional replies will be rejected.
  • Messages that are sent within a 24 hour period are threaded into the same conversation. Messages sent after 24 hours will result in a new conversation being created.
  • Business-initiated conversations are natively supported using the WhatsApp integration

Note: To delete a WhatsApp by Twilio account that has been connected to Kustomer, please contact Kustomer Support.


Send documents over WhatsApp by Twilio

You can send files as attachments when responding to a message via WhatsApp by Twilio.

Note: If you upload a document file (.PDF, .doc, or .docx) as an attachment, the accompanying message will not be sent along with the file. Please resend the message separately to ensure the customer receives it.


Troubleshoot delays between WhatsApp and Twilio

If you're experiencing an issue where WhatsApp messages are coming into Twilio, yet take about 15 minutes to appear in Kustomer, you may have your endpoint configured incorrectly in Twilio. Messages are still coming in because the Twilio app in Kustomer polls Twilio every 15 minutes for messages that aren't in Kustomer. However, this means that messages are coming in via the webhook at all.

To resolve this, go to the Endpoint Configuration section in your Twilio account. Then, make sure that your webhook is pointing towards the correct endpoint:
  • If you are located in the Americas, use https://api.kustomerapp.com/v1/twilio/webhooks/messages
  • If you are located in Europe, use https://api.prod2.kustomerapp.com/v1/twilio/webhooks/messages