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Connecting to WhatsApp

Let customers chat with your agent through WhatsApp. Great for businesses where customers prefer messaging.

TAB connects through Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform. The whole connection happens in a Meta popup inside TAB — there is no developer setup.

What you need​

  • A Facebook account that manages your Meta Business (or can create one). You log in with this account in the popup.
  • A phone number for the agent. One of:
    • A number that is not registered on WhatsApp and can receive an SMS or voice call for a verification code.
    • The number you already use in the WhatsApp Business app on your phone. You keep using the app; the agent shares the number. See Coexistence below.
  • A number can be connected to one WhatsApp API provider at a time. If it is registered elsewhere, remove it there first.
  • Your agent trained and tested in the Playground.
  • A desktop browser with popups allowed. Channels cannot be connected from a phone.

How it works​

  1. You connect your WhatsApp number to TAB
  2. Customers message your WhatsApp number
  3. Your agent automatically responds
  4. Conversations are saved in your Customers section

Setting up WhatsApp​

Step 1: Go to Channels​

  1. Go to Agents and select your agent
  2. Click Channels
  3. On the WhatsApp card, click Setup

Connecting WhatsApp Click Setup on the WhatsApp card and follow the Meta popup to link your number.

Step 2: Complete the Meta popup​

  1. Log in with the Facebook account that manages your business
  2. Choose your Meta Business, or create one
  3. Choose or create the WhatsApp Business account
  4. Add the phone number:
    • New number: enter it and confirm the verification code sent by SMS or call
    • Existing WhatsApp Business app number: choose the option to connect your WhatsApp Business app and scan the QR code with the app
  5. Set the display name customers will see
  6. Click Finish

If you close the popup before finishing, nothing is saved. Click Setup again to restart.

Step 3: Verify connection​

TAB shows "Channel has been connected successfully!" and opens the WhatsApp channel page a few seconds later. On the Channels page you should see:

  • Status showing "Connected" with the toggle on
  • Your WhatsApp number displayed

Step 4: Test it​

  1. From a different phone (not the business number), send a message to your WhatsApp number
  2. Your agent should respond within seconds
  3. Check the Customers section to see the conversation

Coexistence: keep using the WhatsApp Business app​

If you connected the number from your WhatsApp Business app, the app and the agent share it:

  • The agent replies to customers. You can still read and reply in the app.
  • When you reply to a customer from the app, the agent pauses for that conversation and your reply is saved in TAB. Hand the conversation back to the agent from the Customers page when you are done — see Taking over a conversation.
  • The Account tab of the channel page shows a Coexistence enabled badge and the sync status of your contacts and chat history. Sync can be requested once, within 24 hours of connecting.
  • Removing the channel in TAB does not unlink the number from Meta. To fully disconnect, also open the WhatsApp Business app > Settings > Account > Business Platform.

The WhatsApp channel page​

Open it from Agents > your agent > Channels > Manage on the WhatsApp card.

  • Messaging — Send a one-off text to a phone number from your connected number, for a quick test. WhatsApp only allows free-form messages to customers who wrote to you in the last 24 hours; otherwise use a template.
  • Templates — Manage message templates (below).
  • Account — Display name, phone number, phone number ID, and coexistence status.
  • Remove Channel — Delete the connection (see Disconnecting).

Connection status​

On the Channels page, the WhatsApp card shows one of:

  • Setup — Not connected yet
  • Connected (toggle on) — Working; a Manage button opens the channel page
  • Disconnected (toggle off) — The connection is saved but turned off. Switch the toggle on to resume; no new Meta setup is needed

WhatsApp message templates​

WhatsApp requires pre-approved message templates for starting conversations with customers. TAB lets you create and manage these templates directly from the platform.

What are templates?​

Message templates are pre-formatted messages that WhatsApp must approve before you can use them. They're required when you want to start a conversation with a customer (not when replying to an incoming message), for example in a broadcast.

Managing templates​

Managing WhatsApp templates Create, search, and track the approval status of your WhatsApp message templates.

  1. Go to Agents > select your agent > Channels > Manage on the WhatsApp card
  2. Open the Templates tab
  3. Here you can:
    • Create new templates — Write your message, choose a category and language, then Submit for Review
    • Delete templates — Remove templates you no longer need
    • View approval status — See which templates are approved by WhatsApp
    • Search your templates — Find one quickly once you have several
    • View in Meta — Open the template in WhatsApp Manager

Templates cannot be edited in TAB. To change an approved template, edit it in WhatsApp Manager (the View in Meta link) or create a new one. A template cannot be changed while it is waiting for Meta's review.

What you can put in a template​

Templates are more than plain text. Each one can include:

  • Header — text, or an image, video, or document you upload (up to 16 MB)
  • Body — your main message
  • Footer — a short line of small print
  • Buttons — up to 10: quick reply, visit website, call phone number, and copy offer code, which you can drag to reorder

Template names use lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores. Ten languages are available, including English, Arabic, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Hindi, and Turkish.

Media is for templates, not replies

The media you attach here applies to templates you send to start a conversation. Your agent's ordinary replies are text, plus product photos when it recommends products from a connected store.

Template categories​

When creating a template, choose the right category:

  • Marketing - Promotional messages, offers, updates
  • Utility - Order updates, account notifications, alerts
  • Authentication - One-time passwords, verification codes

Tips for template approval​

  • Keep messages clear and professional
  • Don't include misleading content
  • Follow WhatsApp's message template guidelines
  • Templates typically get reviewed within 24 hours

Managing WhatsApp conversations​

Where to find them​

All WhatsApp conversations appear in your Customers section, just like website chats.

Identifying WhatsApp customers​

Customers from WhatsApp will show:

  • The channel as "WhatsApp"
  • The customer's phone number
  • The full conversation history

Response timing​

Your agent responds automatically - usually within seconds. Customers get the same fast response day or night.

Taking over yourself​

You can step into any WhatsApp conversation, reply to the customer as yourself, and hand it back to the agent afterwards. See Taking over a conversation.

Tips for WhatsApp​

Set expectations​

Let customers know they're chatting with an AI. Your agent's introduction should be clear about what it can help with.

Quick responses matter​

WhatsApp users expect fast replies. Fortunately, your agent responds instantly.

Keep answers concise​

WhatsApp is a mobile-first channel. Long paragraphs are hard to read on phones. Train your agent to give shorter, focused answers.

What the agent handles​

Customers can send:

  • Text
  • Voice notes — transcribed to text and answered
  • Images — saved to the conversation and read by your agent

Documents, videos, stickers, locations, and contact cards are not processed; the customer is asked to send text instead. Messages older than two hours (for example after an outage) are not answered.

Your agent sends:

  • Text replies
  • Product images with the details as a caption, when it recommends products from a connected store
  • Templates, which can carry media — see message templates

Not supported:

  • Composing your own image or file replies from the agent
  • Group chats

Good for:

  • Conversations, FAQ, and support
  • Lead capture
  • Information requests
  • Product questions with a photo attached

Disconnecting WhatsApp​

Pause the agent without losing the connection:

  1. Go to Channels
  2. Switch the toggle on the WhatsApp card off
  3. Confirm

Your agent stops responding to WhatsApp messages. Switch the toggle on to resume.

Remove the channel completely:

  1. Go to Channels and open the menu on the WhatsApp card, or open the channel page
  2. Click Remove Channel
  3. Confirm

The connection is deleted and the number is released from TAB. You will need to run Setup again to reconnect. Past conversations remain in the Customers section. For a coexistence number, also unlink it in the WhatsApp Business app (see Coexistence).

Troubleshooting​

Connection fails

  • Allow popups for TAB and use a desktop browser
  • Log in with the Facebook account that is an admin of your Meta Business
  • Check your number isn't registered on WhatsApp or connected to another provider
  • Try the connection process again
  • See WhatsApp Issues

Agent not responding

  • Verify the toggle on the WhatsApp card is on
  • Check your agent is trained
  • Test in the Playground to make sure the agent works
  • Check you have conversation credits available
  • Check whether a team member has taken over the conversation

Next steps​