TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Overview
- How is WhatsApp Business integration useful for Businesses?
- How to add a WhatsApp Number to Freshchat
- How to use the WhatsApp Business API
- How does the 24-hour reply window work?
- How does the pricing work for WhatsApp Business API?
- Message types supported on WhatsApp with Freshchat
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Overview
With the Freshchat - WhatsApp integration, you can message or notify your customers wherever they are on their WhatsApp numbers.
How is WhatsApp Business integration useful for Businesses?
Small businesses can interact with customers easily by using tools to automate, sort, and quickly respond to messages on the WhatsApp Business app. Medium and large businesses can communicate with customers at scale with the WhatsApp Business API.
How to add a WhatsApp Number to Freshchat
To start with the Freshchat-WhatsApp integration, a WhatsApp Number needs to be added to Freshchat.
Freshchat helps businesses of all sizes to communicate with customers at scale with the WhatsApp Business API.
If small businesses are currently using WhatsApp Business App for iOS and Android, and have challenges while scaling, they can leverage Freshchat - WhatsApp integration to communicate with their customers at scale with the WhatsApp Business API.
You can refer to this article to learn about adding a WhatsApp number on Freshchat. If you are a Freshchat trial user, you can add only 1 WhatsApp Business number to the account and use up to 1000 service conversations(User Initiated Conversations) per WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) per month which doesn't include template conversations (Business Initiated Conversations). To continue using beyond the initial 1000 conversations, you will need to purchase our paid plans where we offer WhatsApp.
How to use the WhatsApp Business API
You can use WhatsApp Business in the following ways:
- Customer Care
Customer support messages are responses to customer-initiated conversations on WhatsApp. Businesses have only 24 hours to reply to these messages. They enable you to:
- Resolve issues one-on-one with private conversations.
- Connect with your customers instantly.
- Communicate with your customers on the channel they prefer.
- Template Messages
Template Messages are business-initiated message templates that you can send anytime. They enable you to:
- Deliver important, timely messages during customers' path to purchase
- Continue the conversation with customers who respond to your notifications
Refer to this article on Template Messaging for more information.
How does the 24-hour reply window work?
As per the WhatsApp business policy, you may respond to a customer only within 24 hours of their last message to you. If a person initiates a chat with you, you may continue that conversation via Freshchat for up to 24 hours after the previous message sent to you. Outside of the 24-hour window, you may only send messages via approved Message Templates.
Once 24 hours are complete after the last message by the person, the agent will not be able to respond via Freshchat. Here is what your agents will see:
How does the pricing work for WhatsApp Business API?
The WhatsApp integration is available on the Pro and Enterprise plans of Freshchat. WhatsApp currently charges for both user and business-initiated messages.
- Conversation session: Charges will be per 24-hour conversation session, with different rates for business-initiated categories and Service (user-initiated) conversations. A session triggers on delivery of a business-initiated message or a business reply to a user-initiated message.
- Free tier: The 1,000 Free Tier Conversations per month will only apply to "Service Conversations" (or User - Initiated Conversations). Template Conversations (or Business - Initiated Conversations) will not count in Free Tier.
- Rates based on recipient region: Conversations will be paid at flat rates (no volume tiers) based on recipient region & whether they are business-initiated or user-initiated. The rates also vary between the category of the business initiated message.
- Free entry points: Conversations that start from ads that click to WhatsApp or Page CTAs on Facebook will be free and the conversation window will be open for 72 hours.
You can refer to this article to know more details about WhatsApp pricing.
*Prices are subject to change based on decisions by WhatsApp/Facebook Inc.
Message types supported on WhatsApp with Freshchat
Message Type | Direction | |
| Text | User to agent | Yes |
| User to bot | Yes | |
| Agent to user | Yes | |
| Bot to user | Yes | |
| Image | User to agent | Yes |
| User to bot | Yes | |
| Agent to user | Yes | |
| Bot to user | Yes | |
Video | User to agent | Yes |
| User to bot | Yes | |
| Agent to user | Yes | |
| Bot to user | via public URL | |
| Audio | User to agent | Yes |
| User to bot | Yes | |
| Agent to user | via App | |
| Bot to user | No | |
| File | User to agent | Yes |
| User to bot | Yes | |
| Agent to user | Yes | |
| Bot to user | Coming Soon | |
| Emoji | User to agent | Yes |
| User to bot | Yes | |
| Agent to user | Yes | |
| Bot to user | Yes | |
| GIFs | User to agent | Yes |
| User to bot | Yes | |
| Agent to user | No | |
| Bot to user | No | |
| Stickers | Bot to user | NA |
| User to bot | NA | |
| Agent to user | No | |
| Bot to user | No | |
| Automation | Bots | Yes |
Structured Messages | ||
Articles | Bot to user | Yes |
| Carousels | Bot to user | With transformation |
| Buttons | Bot to user | Yes |
| Dropdown List | Bot to user | Yes |
| Message Events | ||
| Delivered | User to agent | Yes |
| Agent to user | Yes | |
| Read | Bot to user | No |
| Agent to user | Yes | |
| Typing | Bot to user | No |
| Agent to user | No | |
| Consumer Profile | ||
| User Name | Yes | Yes |
| User Image | No | No |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can we integrate it with our current setup?
Yes, you can, as long as you have a WhatsApp Business account and a Facebook Business Manager ID.
Can I add multiple numbers?
Yes, there is a limit of 25 numbers as of now. If you need to add more than 25 numbers, please contact us at support@freshchat.com.
Can we move a phone number back to the business App from the business API?
Yes, you can - Please write to support@freshchat.com
Can I create groups with WhatsApp?
No, we don't support this right now.
Can I make calls through WhatsApp?
No, you can't make calls through the WhatsApp Business number.
Can I use a normal number, or should I have a WhatsApp business number?
You can use a regular number. You can even use landline and Fresh caller numbers,
Is ticket creation possible?
Yes, you can do it through Freshchat.
I am already using the number to support customers. If I delete the number, will chat history be migrated to Freshchat or Freshdesk?
Your previous WhatsApp contacts won't appear on WhatsApp integration. It will be a clean slate, and you won't be migrating past conversation history from your number. If you want, you can take back up those chats and store them in your cloud from WhatsApp.
Once integrated, will my profile show up as a verified account?
We will have to raise a request from Facebook Business Manager Account for this. It may take up to 1-2 days and the decision is completely upon Meta. A prerequisite is that you must have a verified Facebook account, or your request for a verified WhatsApp number could be rejected.
I already have my WhatsApp linked with another vendor. Can I migrate from them to Freshworks?
Yes. If a customer already has WhatsApp integrated with another vendor, they can be migrated to Freshworks with the same number. Please write to support@freshchat.com
Will a customer's profile name and picture be visible?
You can see your customer's profile name, but as WhatsApp doesn't allow us to import their profile picture, you will not be able to see it.
Is it possible to trigger bots for WhatsApp conversations?
Yes. You can assign the Bot to WhatsApp as a Messaging Channel, it will be triggered for WhatsApp conversation. You can refer to this article to learn more about deploying bots on WhatsApp.
What are the file formats supported in WhatsApp?
File formats supported in WhatsApp,
1. End customer can send images in .jpeg, .png, .pdf, .xlsx, and .docx, and it will all be received in Freshchat.
2. Agents can also send images, files, and videos in the above format, but it will be shown as a link to the end customer, and they will have to click on the link to see the attachment you sent.
*Attachment size limit is 25MB for any attachment.
Clearing the chat or deleting messages in WhatsApp will not affect the conversation in Freshchat.
Will deleted messages get deleted from Freshchat as well?
No, deleted messages from the customers' end will still be visible in Freshchat.
How does the block and report function affect a Business?
For end-user protection, WhatsApp has a reporting and blocking mechanism. You must respect all requests by a person to block, discontinue, or otherwise opt-out of your WhatsApp communications.
Can I block a user?
A business cannot block a user from reaching out through WhatsApp Business number on Freshchat.
Can a business initiate/proactively message a user?
Facebook restricts sending messages to customers after 24 hours. Proactive messaging for Marketing and Sales use cases. However, they allow sending proactive messages for support use cases such as order confirmation, booking confirmation, delivery updates, and so on. For this, you need approved message templates from Facebook (https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/message-templates/). We will help you throughout this process.
Important note:
Additional pricing will be applicable for proactive messages. You can refer to this link for pricing: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/updates-to-pricing
How do I use Freshchat APIs to send template/proactive messages?
You can send proactive/bulk template messages to customers using Freshchat outbound messages, provided you have the templates approved by Meta. Please find the steps below:
- Select the template and customer phone numbers you would like to send.
- Navigate to this document https://developers.freshchat.com/api/#outbound-messages
- Choose the payload based on the type of template you choose, text or rich media.
- Using this sample payload, configure the details of the template like template name, namespace, language, etc.
- Please ensure you are using the right end-point URL and API key from your FreshChat account.
- Once the payload is ready, please trigger the API to your customers using an API platform.
Is there a cut-off time to message/respond to customers?
WhatsApp messages have a cut-off control that prevents messages from being delivered to users out of certain conditions.
You can send regular text messages or media messages (i.e., any non-template messages) within the first 24 hours after the last time the customer sent a message to your business.
Template Messages do not have this restriction.
You can also refer to this link: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/api/messages#cutoffcontrol
When I write a single message with multiple line breaks, why does the message gets sent individually or in multiple fragments?
WhatsApp messages for multiline messages will be received as a single message when sent from Freshchat to Whatsapp. This seems to be the behavior with Whatsapp since they don't allow multiple Fragments to be received from our Service. For us, a message can have multiple fragments/parts. Each of them can be either text or images, for example. Hence allowing us to combine multiple different contents in a single message.WhatsApp
But WhatsApp (or any other chat provider) does not support text and images in a multi-message. Any multi-line messages sent directly by using SHIFT+ENTER, will get broken into single messages and be sent.
For more details, contact support@freshchat.com.