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deploy-whatsapp.md

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Documentation for the classic {{site.data.keyword.assistant_classic_short}} experience has moved. For the most up-to-date version, see Integrating with WhatsApp{: external}. {: attention}

Integrating with WhatsApp

{: #deploy-whatsapp}

Integrate with WhatsApp messaging so your assistant can exchange messages with your customers where they are. {: shortdesc}

Many customers use WhatsApp because it provides fast, simple, secure messaging for free, and is available on phones all over the world. WhatsApp uses the phone Internet connection to send messages so customers can avoid SMS fees.

This integration creates a connection between your assistant and WhatsApp by using Twilio as a provider.

Before you begin

{: #deploy-whatsapp-twilio-setup}

If you don't have one, set up a Twilio messaging account and get a phone number.

  1. Go to the Twilio website{: external}.

  2. Create an account.

  3. From the All Products and Services menu Twilio All products and services icon, click Phone numbers.

  4. Follow the instructions to get a phone number.

    When you get a Twilio phone number, it supports voice, SMS, and MMS automatically. Your new phone number is listed as an active number.

Ask WhatsApp for permission to enable your Twilio number for WhatsApp.

{: #deploy-whatsapp-prereqs}

WhatsApp has a rigorous process that they use to review all businesses that want to interact with customers over their network. WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, requires that you register your business with the Facebook business directory.

  1. To register, go to the Facebook Business Manager{: external} website, and click Create account and follow the instructions to create an account.

  2. Get your Facebook Business Manager ID. In Settings{: external}, click the Business info tab. The Facebook Business Manager ID is at the top of the page.

  3. Submit the Request to enable your Twilio numbers for WhatsApp form from the Twilio API for WhatsApp{: external} web page.

    Tips for specifying the following values:

    • Phone Number: Specify the Twilio phone number that you created earlier.

      Consider provisioning more than one phone number and going through the process of getting permission for the numbers in parallel. If your number was used by a different business previously (because Twilio assigned you a number that was used before, for example), WhatsApp will reject it. {: tip}

    • Are you working with an ISV: No

    • Twilio Account SID: From the Twilio site, click the home icon to go to your project dashboard to find the SID.

    • Facebook Business Manager ID: Add the ID for the account that you created in the previous step.

  4. Click Request Now.

Give WhatsApp time to evaluate and approve your request. It can take up to 7 days for your request to be approved.

Set up the integration

{: #deploy-whatsapp-setup}

To set up the integration, complete the following steps:

  1. From the Assistants page, click to open the assistant tile that you want to deploy.

  2. From the Integrations section, click Add integration.

  3. Click WhatsApp with Twilio.

  4. Click Create.

  5. From the Twilio site, click the home icon to go to your project dashboard.

    Copy the following values and store them temporarily, so you can paste them into the phone integration setup page in the next step.

    • Account SID
    • Auth token

  6. Return to the WhatsApp integration setup page.

    Paste the values that you copied in the previous step into the fields with the corresponding names in the Twilio account information section.

    • Account SID
    • Auth token

  7. Click Sync account.

  8. Add the Twilio messaging phone number that you created previously to the Company phone number field.

    Specify the number by using the international phone number format: +1 958 555 0123. Do not include parentheses ((958)).

    The phone number must be unique per WhatsApp integration.

  9. Copy the value from the WhatsApp Webhook field.

  10. Click Save and exit.

Testing the integration

{: #deploy-whatsapp-sandbox}

While you wait for WhatsApp to approve your request, you can test the integration by using the Twilio sandbox. With the sandbox, you can send and receive preapproved template messages to numbers that join your sandbox, using a shared Twilio test number.

Do not use the Twilio sandbox in production. Sandbox sessions expire after 3 days.

  1. To create a sandbox, go to the Twilio Try WhatsApp{: external} web page. An Activate your sandbox prompt is displayed. Agree to have a sandbox created, and confirm your choice.

  2. Follow the instructions to create the sandbox.

  3. Connect to the sandbox by sending a WhatsApp message from your device to the Sandbox phone number.

  4. From the Programmable Messaging menu, expand Settings, and then click WhatsApp Sandbox Settings.

  5. In the Sandbox Configuration section, paste the webhook URI that you copied earlier into the when a message comes in field, and then save the configuration.

  6. You can test the integration by sending a message from WhatsApp to the shared phone number that is assigned to your Twilio sandbox.

Finish the product integration

{: #deploy-whatsapp-finish}

After WhatsApp grants permission for your Twilio phone number or number to access the WhatsApp network, update the integration to use your dedicated Twilio phone number instead of the sandbox number.

  1. From the WhatsApp with Twilio integration setup page, scroll to the Setup instructions section, and then copy the value from the Webhook URI (uniform resource identifier) field.

  2. Go to your Twilio account web page and add the webhook you copied to the Twilio configuration to complete the connection to the WhatsApp integration in Twilio.

Give your customers fast access to your assistant

{: #deploy-whatsapp-click-to-chat}

You can add an icon to your web page that customers can click to start a conversation over WhatsApp with your assistant.

To add an icon to your web page, complete the following steps:

  1. From the WhatsApp with Twilio integration setup page, click the Click to chat tab.

  2. In the Prefilled message field, add text that you want WhatsApp to send to your assistant on the customer's behalf to get the conversation started.

    Specify a message that you know your assistant can answer in a useful way.

  3. Copy the embed link and add it to your web page. Consider adding text in front of the icon that explains what the icon does. For example, you might add a <span> HTML tag in front of the icon's <span> element that says Have a question? Ask Watson Assistant for help.

    When a user clicks the icon in your web page, it opens a WhatsApp messaging session that is connected to your assistant, and adds the text you specify into the user's text field, ready to be submitted.

Dialog considerations

{: #deploy-whatsapp-dialog}

The rich responses that you add to the dialog are displayed in WhatsApp as expected, with the following exceptions:

  • Image: This response type embeds an image in the response. A title and description are displayed before the image.

  • Audio: This response type embeds audio from various file formats in the response. A title and description are not displayed, whether or not you specify them. WhatsApp automatically shows a preview of content on supported platforms (such as SoundCloud and Mixcloud).

  • Video: This response type embeds a native video from various file formats in the response. A title and description are not displayed, whether or not you specify them. WhatsApp automatically shows a preview of content on supported platforms (such as YouTube and Vimeo).

  • The iframe response type is not supported.

For the best customer experience, design your dialog with the capabilities of the WhatsApp integration in mind:

  • A text response that contains more than 1,600 characters is broken up into multiple responses.
  • You can upload media files or even documents to the chat. Files shared in the chat can be intercepted and processed by a configured premessage webhook. For more details, see Processing input attachments.
  • Do not include HTML elements in your text responses.
  • The WhatsApp with Twilio integration does not support chat transfers that are initiated with the Connect to human agent response type.
  • If you use Markdown syntax, see the Supported Markdown syntax table.
  • To include a hypertext link in a text response, specify the url directly. Do not use markdown syntax for links. For example, specify Contact us at https://www.ibm.com.
Format Syntax Example
Italics We're talking about _practice_. We're talking about practice.
Bold There's *no* crying in baseball. There's no crying in baseball.
{: caption="Supported Markdown syntax" caption-side="top"}