WhatsApp

Your team answers WhatsApp in a shared inbox in CRMSix, on your organization’s own WhatsApp Business number. New chats become leads, every message is kept with the lead or contact, and templates go out by hand, as follow-ups or from workflow rules. It uses Meta’s WhatsApp Cloud API directly, with no other provider in between.

How it works

  • Your own number.You connect your organization’s WhatsApp Business Account and phone number. Customers message that number, and see your business name.
  • A shared inbox.The WhatsApp tab in the Sales, Service and Marketing apps lists every conversation. Assign them, reply, send files and close them when done.
  • Leads from new chats.A message from a number on a contact or lead goes with that record, to its owner. A new number can become a new lead automatically.
  • Templates and automation.Approved templates start conversations and reach customers after 24 hours. A welcome message, a follow-up and workflow rules can send them for you.
  • Meta bills your account.Meta charges your WhatsApp account for templates. CRMSix adds no charge per message.

WhatsApp is an add-on feature. If you don’t see WhatsApp in Settings, ask CRMSix support to turn it on for your organization. You can raise a ticket from Help in the app.

What you need from Meta

  1. A Meta Business account (business.facebook.com) with a WhatsApp Business Account and a phone number added to it. The number can’t also be in use in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app on a phone; a new number, or one moved off the app, works.
  2. A Meta app: at developers.facebook.com choose My Apps → Create app → Business, and add the WhatsApp product. In WhatsApp → API Setup, copy the Phone number ID and the WhatsApp Business Account ID.
  3. A permanent access token: in Business Settings → Users → System users, add an admin system user, give it the app and the WhatsApp account, then choose Generate new token with the permissions whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management. (The temporary token on the API Setup page stops working after a day.)
  4. The app secret: in the app, App settings → Basic → App secret, then Show.

Connect your number (admins)

  1. Go to Settings → WhatsApp. You need the Customize Application permission.
  2. Enter a name, the WhatsApp Business Account ID, the phone number ID, the permanent access token and the app secret. Set the default country code (for example +91), used for numbers saved without one.
  3. Choose Connect. CRMSix checks the details with Meta, shows the number and its verified name, and reads your message templates. The token and app secret are stored encrypted and never shown again.
  4. Set up the webhook so messages reach CRMSix. In the Meta app, open WhatsApp → Configuration → Webhook → Edit, paste the Callback URL and Verify token shown in Settings → WhatsApp, and choose Verify and save.
  5. Under Webhook fields, subscribe to messages and message_template_status_update.
  6. Send a WhatsApp message to the number from your phone. It appears in the inbox within seconds, and Settings shows the time of the last webhook.

You can connect more than one number. Each has its own settings and templates, and the inbox shows which number a conversation is on.

The inbox

Open the WhatsApp tab. Conversations are listed newest first, with a count of unread messages.

  • Views: Open, Mine (assigned to you), Unassigned, Unread and Closed. Search finds a name, a number or words in the last message.
  • Assign a conversation to someone with Assigned to. Replying to an unassigned conversation assigns it to you.
  • Close a conversation when it’s done. It opens again by itself when the customer writes.
  • Lead or contact: the conversation links to the customer’s lead or contact. If it has neither, choose Create a lead.
  • Files: choose 📎 to send an image, PDF, document, audio or video, up to 4 MB. Images the customer sends show in the thread; other files download. WhatsApp keeps files for 30 days.
  • Ticks on your messages: ✓ sent, ✓✓ delivered, blue ✓✓ read, and a red ! with the reason when WhatsApp couldn’t deliver it.

The inbox is for everyone who can see leads or contacts. It refreshes by itself every few seconds.

The 24-hour window and templates

WhatsApp has one rule that shapes everything:

  • For 24 hours after the customer’s last message, you can reply with anything: text, files, any wording. The thread shows when the window closes.
  • Outside the window, and to start a conversation, you can only send a template that Meta has approved. When the customer answers, the window opens again.

To send one, choose Use a template (or it’s offered automatically when the window is closed), pick the template and fill in its values, such as the customer’s name. You see exactly what the customer will get before you send it.

To message someone new, choose New conversation, enter their mobile number and pick a template. From a lead or contact, the WhatsApp button at the top of the record opens their conversation, or starts one with their number.

Managing templates (admins)

  • Settings → WhatsApp lists each number’s templates with their language, category and review status. Refresh from Meta reads them again; templates made in WhatsApp Manager appear there.
  • New template writes one in CRMSix and submits it to Meta for review: a name (lowercase letters, numbers and underscores), the language, the category, an optional header and footer, and the message with values numbered {{1}}, {{2}}…, each with an example. Meta usually decides within minutes, and the status updates in CRMSix by itself.
  • Utility templates are for updates about something the customer started (an order, an appointment, a case). Marketing templates are offers and news, and need the customer’s agreement.
  • Templates with an image or document header, or a link button with a value, can’t be sent from CRMSix yet. Send those from WhatsApp Manager.

New chats and leads (admins)

In Settings → WhatsApp, under New chats:

  • A message from a number that’s on a contact or lead is linked to that record, and assigned to its owner (a contact’s account owner). Numbers are matched on their last 10 digits, so +91 98765 43210 and 098765 43210 match.
  • For any other number, Create a lead for a number that isn’t on a contact or lead makes a new lead from the customer’s WhatsApp name and number, with their first message in its description. Choose its lead source and status. Your duplicate rules and workflow rules apply as to any new lead.
  • Assign new chats to one person, or round robin across a sales team.

Tip: add a WhatsApp value to your lead source picklist (Settings → Data Model → Leads). CRMSix uses it for leads from WhatsApp when the setting is left on Automatic.

Automatic messages

  • Welcome message: sent once, to a customer’s first message. {{FirstName}} and {{Name}} are their name. Because it answers the customer, it doesn’t need a template.
  • Follow-up: choose a template and a number of hours. If the customer hasn’t answered your last message by then, CRMSix sends the template, once. Its {{1}} is the customer’s first name, so pick a template with at most one value.
  • Workflow rules: in Settings → Workflow Rules, the action Send WhatsApp template sends a template to a lead’s mobile (or phone), a contact’s phone, or the contact of a case or opportunity. Fill its values with text or merge fields such as {{Lead.FirstName}}. Add a delay for reminders, for example a day before a close date. See Workflow rules.
  • A customer who sends STOP (or unsubscribe) is marked opted out. Nothing more is sent to them, by people, follow-ups or workflow rules, until they send START.
  • Agents can mark a customer opted out or back in from the conversation, and tick Agreed to marketing messages when a customer agrees to offers and news.
  • Only send marketing templates to customers who agreed to them. WhatsApp lowers a number’s quality rating, and can limit it, when many people block it or report it.

Questions

What does it cost?
CRMSix doesn’t charge per message. Meta charges your WhatsApp account for each template it delivers, by category (marketing, utility, authentication) and the customer’s country. Replies within the 24-hour window are free. See Meta’s WhatsApp pricing for current rates.
Can I keep using the WhatsApp Business app on my phone?
Not on the same number. A number connected to the Cloud API is used through CRMSix; use a different number for the app.
Messages aren’t arriving in CRMSix.
Check Settings → WhatsApp: if it says no webhook calls yet, the webhook isn’t set up in the Meta app, or messages isn’t subscribed. Choose Check the connection to confirm the token still works. A token from the API Setup page expires after a day: use a system user’s permanent token.
Why couldn’t my message be sent?
The reason shows under the message. The usual ones: it’s been more than 24 hours (send a template), the customer opted out, or the number isn’t on WhatsApp.
Are WhatsApp conversations copied to a sandbox?
No. The connection, templates and messages stay in production, so a sandbox can’t message real customers.
What happens if we disconnect the number?
Its conversations and messages are deleted from CRMSix. Leads and contacts stay, and the number stays in your Meta account.