Connect WhatsApp

1. Go to Inboxes in the sidebar and press Add inbox.
2. Pick WhatsApp, then choose how to connect:
   • Quick connect (Recommended): sign in with Facebook and Meta sets everything up. This is the easiest way. If you don't see it, quick connect isn't switched on for Salescom yet, so use WhatsApp Cloud.
   • WhatsApp Cloud: guided manual setup with short videos, using details you copy from Meta. See Manual setup below.
   • Twilio, if your number is on Twilio. You'll need your Twilio account details.
3. Name the inbox and finish the steps.
4. Add the team members who should see these chats.

Before you start

• Have a Facebook account ready. Admin access to your business on Meta makes the setup smoother.
• Phone numbers start with + and the country code, with no spaces.
• A number you use in the WhatsApp Business app on a phone can be connected with Quick connect. A number already connected to another WhatsApp API service needs manual setup (WhatsApp Cloud) instead.

Quick connect

1. Press Connect with WhatsApp Business. A Meta window opens.
2. Sign in with Facebook.
3. Pick your business portfolio, or create one. Meta asks for your business name, website or profile page, and country.
4. Pick your WhatsApp Business account and number, or add a new number and verify it with the code Meta sends.
5. When Meta finishes, Salescom shows WhatsApp Business Account Connected! and creates the inbox.

Meta checks your business against WhatsApp's Commerce Policy and gets in touch within 24 hours if there's a problem.

If you close the Meta window early, you'll see WhatsApp Signup was cancelled. If Meta finishes without a phone number, run the setup again and add a number.

Manual setup

This is the WhatsApp Cloud option. Use it if your number is already on the WhatsApp Business Platform. Salescom walks you through each step on screen:

1. In Meta Developers, create or pick an app with WhatsApp turned on, linked to the business portfolio that owns the number.
2. In the app's WhatsApp API Setup, add or pick your number, then copy the Phone Number ID and WhatsApp Business Account ID.
3. In Meta Business Settings, go to Users > System users, create an admin system user, give it your app and WhatsApp account with full control, and generate a token that never expires with the whatsapp_business_management and whatsapp_business_messaging permissions. Meta shows the token only once, so copy it straight away.
4. Paste the three values into Salescom. Salescom checks them, sets up the connection with Meta and creates the inbox.

Good to know

WhatsApp only lets you reply freely within 24 hours of the customer's last message. After that you need an approved template. See The WhatsApp 24-hour window.

If the inbox later shows Your inbox is disconnected, open it, press Reauthorize and sign in again. See Fix a channel that stopped working.