Integrations
How your agents hold WhatsApp conversations on your WhatsApp Business number, how the connection to Meta works, and where to find each part of the WhatsApp channel.
On this page
WhatsApp is where many of your customers in the Gulf expect to reach you. Your agents hold full conversations on your own WhatsApp Business number, inbound and outbound, with the same knowledge, limits and customer record as on every other channel. This page covers how the connection to WhatsApp is made. The WhatsApp channel pages, listed below, cover how conversations work in detail.
What the connection lets the agent do
| Action | What it means for you | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hold conversations | The agent replies to customers who message your WhatsApp Business number, and continues the conversation to an outcome | A buyer asking about the handover date for her unit |
| Start conversations with templates | The agent sends messages Meta has approved to open a conversation, such as reminders and updates | A reminder that an insurance renewal is due |
| Send and read media, buttons and lists | Images, documents, voice notes and tappable choices, configured during implementation | A guest sends a photo of a damaged item in the room |
| Respect consent | Opt-in and opt-out are checked before every outbound message | A customer who replied "stop" receives no further updates |
| Get your number verified | Telonic runs Meta's business verification process with you during implementation | Verification completed before outbound messages start |
How it connects
Telonic connects to WhatsApp through Meta's Cloud API (Meta's hosted service that lets business software send and receive WhatsApp messages). If you already work with a Meta business solution provider (a company Meta allows to offer WhatsApp access to businesses), Telonic can connect through that provider instead, so your existing arrangement stays in place.
Incoming messages reach your deployment through a webhook (a message one system sends to another automatically when something happens). Replies go back the same way. Access tokens (the credentials that let Telonic act on your WhatsApp account) are stored encrypted in your deployment, and every call travels over TLS 1.2 or higher (Transport Layer Security, which encrypts data in transit).
Meta receives, processes and briefly stores WhatsApp messages on its own infrastructure before they reach your deployment, as it does for every business using WhatsApp. Once a message reaches your deployment, all processing runs in the region you choose, unless you explicitly choose a language model provider outside it. See Hosting and data residency.
Utility templates and service conversations are included in your messaging package. Meta's charges for marketing templates are passed through at cost. See How pricing works.
Permissions
| Permission | Needed for | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Receive messages on chosen numbers | Replying to customers | Only the WhatsApp Business numbers you connect |
| Send messages | Replies, and outbound messages to customers who have opted in | Replies on; outbound only with approved templates and consent |
| Manage message templates | Submitting templates to Meta for approval | Only templates your team has signed off |
| Receive delivery and read events | Follow-up based on what happened to a message | Configured during implementation |
The agent can only take actions your team has granted. Anything not granted cannot be invoked. See Permissions.
Where to read more
- WhatsApp: overview
- WhatsApp: Business account and verification
- WhatsApp: message templates and outbound messages
- WhatsApp: media, buttons and lists
- WhatsApp: opt-in, opt-out and consent
In practice
Sahel Crest Properties connects its customer WhatsApp number through Meta's Cloud API.
- Telonic runs the business verification process with Sahel Crest's team, and Meta approves its update templates.
- Mariam messages to ask when her apartment will be handed over. The agent confirms her identity and gives the date from the developer's system.
- She asks for the list of documents she needs to bring. The agent sends it as a PDF in the chat.
- The conversation, and the document sent, are saved to her customer record.
Related
- MessagingIntegrations
- WhatsApp: overviewChannels
- WhatsApp: message templates and outbound messagesChannels
- WhatsApp: Business account and verificationChannels
- Hosting and data residencySecurity and data protection
Product names and logos are trademarks of their owners. Their mention shows systems Telonic connects to and does not imply partnership or endorsement.