WhatsApp channel

In today's digital era, businesses need to adapt to diverse communication channels to meet customer expectations.WhatsApp is a popular messaging app used by billions of people around the world, both for personal and business purposes. With the launch of WhatsApp Business, businesses now can use WhatsApp to communicate with customers more effectively, providing them with a convenient and familiar way to get in touch. 
However, for businesses handling multiple communication channels, managing interactions and messages can become a challenging and time-consuming task. The need to switch between applications can lead to chaos, impacting efficiency and customer responsiveness. 

This is where Zoho TeamInbox comes to rescue. Access all your WhatsApp messages alongside emails and other communication channels within Zoho TeamInbox. With WhatsApp inbox you gain access to a centralized inbox where you can manage all your WhatsApp messages in a consolidated view. No more juggling between different applications, you can now manage all your customer interactions directly from your inbox.

Configuration between Zoho TeamInbox and WhatsApp is remarkably straightforward, requiring only a few easy steps to accomplish:

Prerequisites:

• A WhatsApp Business account.
• A registered phone number to access the WhatsApp Business API. 
• A Facebook Business Manager account.

Setting up WhatsApp Inbox

Create inbox

1. Log in to Zoho TeamInbox and click the Plus icon from the left pane and select Inbox.
2. Select Team as the inbox type to create a shared inbox.
3. Enter a name for your inbox and select the team you want to create it under. If necessary, provide a description about your inbox and click Next. 

Select Channel

1. Select WhatsApp as the channel for your inbox.                                                                                                                  

• In addition to the WhatsApp Business channel, you'll find the WhatsApp Sandbox option. WhatsApp Sandbox is a pre-configured environment that allows you to test WhatsApp messages before configuring your official WhatsApp number. Learn More.

   2. Now, you will be shown the WhatsApp Client ISV Terms & WhatsApp Client Terms. It is important to carefully review         the terms and conditions before proceeding. Once you have thoroughly read through them, you can click Agree and             Integrate to proceed with the configuration.

Facebook authentication

 1. The Facebook authentication pop-up box will open.

2. Enter your phone number or email address to login to your Facebook account and click Log in. Or select Create New Account if you don't have an account.

3. A login code would be sent to your account. Enter the code and click Submit code.

3. Click Continue to link your Facebook account.

4. Click Get started and then click Continue to proceed further with your facebook account.

5. Fill in your business information and click Next.

6. Choose or create your WhatsApp business account.

• If you already have an account, select the account from the drop-down, then click Next and adhere to the on-screen instructions to link your account.
• If not, select Create a new WhatsApp Business profile, then click Next and proceed further with the below instructions to create a new account.

7. Select your Business Category from the drop-down menu. Enter a brief description of your business.

 8. Add your WhatsApp business number for verification and select a verification method of your choice. You can choose between Text Message or phone Call. 

Note: The number must not be actively registered on either WhatsApp Messenger or the WhatsApp Business App.

 9. A verification code will be sent to your number. Enter the code and verify your WhatsApp phone number.

10. You have now completed the setting up process  of your WhatsApp account, click Finish to get back to Zoho TeamInbox.

11. You'll now be redirected to the channel creation page. Select your WhatsApp business account you wish to link. Select the phone number from the list to proceed further with the configuration, then click Create inbox.

Add members

1. There are three ways to add members to your inbox:

• Invite members: If you want to invite new members to your inbox, enter their email addresses and click Invite. Once they accept the invite, they will be added to this inbox.
• Choose members: If you want to add a member who is already part of the organization, select them from the list of members. 
• Import users: You can also import users from your Zoho groups. Select your preferred group and click Invite.

    Members who are already on the team are added to this inbox by default. Members can be removed by simply                        deselecting   them.

2. Click Save and Next.  

Inbox settings

1. You will be given a link that your contacts can use to send messages directly to your WhatsApp inbox. You can copy it and paste it on your website, in your email signature, or on any other platform where you want your customers to be able to find it. When they click on the link, WhatsApp will open and they will be able  to send you a message directly.

2. You will then find the following settings options, from which you can:

• Automatically add new teammates to this inbox: When you add a new member to the team under which you have created this inbox, the member will be added automatically to this inbox.
• Automatically assign thread upon reply: Assign threads automatically to the member who makes a reply in an unassigned thread.

    Enable the settings as per your preferences. Or you can do it later from your Organization settings section.

2. Click Save changes after setting up your inbox.

 
Now you have created your WhatsApp inbox and it's all set to start receiving messages.

Add phone numbers to your WhatsApp business account

Once you have configured your WhatsApp business account, you can add multiple WhatsApp business phone numbers to it and link them to your Zoho TeamInbox account. 

To add a WhatsApp business phone number to your WhatsApp business account:

In the channel creation window, once you have chosen WhatsApp as your channel, you can click on Add Number in the Select WhatsApp Number field and follow the on-screen instructions to add a new phone number to your WhatsApp business account. Click here for the step-by-step instructions on how to add a phone number.

Once you've have added your phone number, you'll now be redirected to the channel creation page. Select the WhatsApp phone number you've added from the list to proceed further with the inbox creation process.

Whatsapp sandbox

WhatsApp Sandbox is a pre-configured environment that lets you to preview inbound and outbound messages before connecting your official WhatsApp number. 

Points to note before setting up your WhatsApp Sandbox channel

• This pre-configured environment is intended for testing purposes only.
• If you opt to use the WhatsApp Sandbox, the inbox name you provide will be ignored, and a channel will be automatically created with the name WhatsApp Sandbox.
• You will not be able to send and receive messages from numbers other than the test phone numbers you provide.
• The test number must begin with a plus sign '+' and country code followed by the digits.
• You can only add up-to three test phone numbers to send and receive messages from this WhatsApp sandbox channel.
• Each sandbox channel will come pre-configured with a WhatsApp phone number.
• You can only send a maximum of 200 messages per day to this WhatsApp sandbox phone number.
• The general privacy terms of WhatsApp apply to this WhatsApp sandbox channel as well.

Setting up WhatsApp Sandbox: 

1. Log in to Zoho TeamInbox and click the Plus icon from the top pane and select Inbox.
2. Select Team as the inbox type to create a shared inbox.
3. Enter a name for your inbox and select the team you want to create it under and click Next. 
4. Select WhatsApp Sandbox as the channel for your inbox.
5. Enter your preferred phone numbers to send and receive messages from this WhatsApp Sandbox number and click Create inbox.
6. Select or Invite members to your inbox and click Save and next.
7. In the inbox settings window, You will be given a WhatsApp link.  You can use this link to send messages to your inbox directly from the provided test numbers only, then click Save changes.
8. You have created your WhatsApp sandbox channel and is ready to test your inbound and outbound messages.

WhatsApp Conversations & pricing

Meta has implemented a revised pricing structure for WhatsApp conversations, shifting from charging per message to a per-conversation based pricing for businesses.

Businesses will be charged per conversation they have with their customers.  A conversation refers to a 24-hour chat window, during which messages exchanged between your business and your customer are associated to  a single conversation. 

Each conversation is charged based on the conversation category and the end user's country. Zoho TeamInbox supports only  user-initiated conversations, also called  as service conversations. A user-initiated conversation is one initiated by a end user. When a business responds to a user initiated conversation, a 24-hour customer service window opens, and all messages exchanged within this window are linked to that conversation. And each conversation is charged as per the country of the end user you are messaging to. Please refer to this page for the country-wise cost per conversation.

To learn more about the pricing details, please refer our pricing page.