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Set Up WhatsApp

This guide takes you from an empty Daktela instance to answering WhatsApp chats in Daktela. It builds the pieces in the order they depend on each other.

If you haven't yet, read How WhatsApp Works first, and note the WhatsApp Pricing & Communication Rules β€” Meta bills business-initiated template messages and enforces anti-spam limits.

Info

Please get in touch with us before creating a new connector. Our Sales team will be happy to get you started.

The whole setup:

  1. Create the WhatsApp queue
  2. Add agents to the queue
  3. Define your business hours
  4. Create a terminate target for offline chats
  5. Create the time condition
  6. Create the connector and authorise your WhatsApp Business Account
  7. Apply the configuration and test

1. Create the WhatsApp Queue

  1. Go to Settings β†’ Routings β†’ Queues and click Add new, then select WhatsApp.
  2. Fill out the Unique queue number and the Title (e.g. "WhatsApp – Support").
  3. Click Save.

Every field is described in the WhatsApp Queue reference.

2. Add Agents to the Queue

Info

Agents get queues only through their profiles: this dialog and the Queues area of a profile are two views of the same setting. If you have already given the queue a log-in type in your profiles, this step is done. Setting up Daktela for the first time? Set Up Your Contact Centre shows where queues, profiles and users fit in.

  1. In the queue list (Settings β†’ Routings β†’ Queues), find your new queue and click Change in the Agents column.
  2. Check (tick) the profiles that should have access to the queue β€” this is how agents are assigned, via the profiles they hold.
  3. Select a Priority for each profile (10 – highest, 0 – lowest) and a Login type β€” Automatic is a good default.

See Queue Basics – Assign Agents to a Queue for all the options, and Distribution Strategies for how priorities drive who rings when.

3. Define Your Business Hours

  1. Go to Settings β†’ Workflows β†’ Time groups and click Add new.
  2. Fill out the Title and add an Open definition for each working period β€” e.g. 9:00–17:00, Monday–Friday.
  3. Click Save.

See Time Groups for holidays, linked groups and common pitfalls.

4. Create a Terminate Target for Offline Chats

  1. Go to Settings β†’ Routings β†’ WhatsApp β†’ Terminate and click Add new.
  2. Fill out the Title and select the Disconnection cause (internal only).
  3. In Queue, select the WhatsApp queue from step 1 β€” this is what makes missed chat notifications work.
  4. Optionally select an Auto response template and set Answered.
  5. Click Save.

The full field reference is in Terminate.

5. Create the Time Condition

  1. Go to Settings β†’ Routings β†’ WhatsApp β†’ Time conditions and click Add new.
  2. Fill out the Title, select the Time group from step 3.
  3. In If time matches, select Queue and choose the WhatsApp queue from step 1.
  4. In If time does not match, select Terminate and choose the target from step 4.
  5. Click Save.

See Time Conditions for the other routing targets you can use here.

6. Create the Connector and Authorise Your WhatsApp Business Account

  1. Go to Settings β†’ Routings β†’ WhatsApp and click Add new.
  2. Fill out the Title, Description and Next destination β†’ the time condition from step 5, and set Allow attachments. The API Token, Channel ID and Number fields are filled in automatically later.
  3. Click Save, then reopen the connector.
  4. Click Authorise WAP and then Login with Facebook β€” log in with the account that manages the business you are connecting. Follow the wizard: connect your Daktela account, select the business, select or create the WhatsApp Business Account and Profile, and verify the number. The full flow is described in WhatsApp Connector – Authorise Your WhatsApp Business Account.

Warning

A phone number can be active either in the WhatsApp mobile app or on the WhatsApp Business API that Daktela uses β€” never both at once. If the number is currently registered in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app on a phone, delete the account from the app first; otherwise the authorisation fails with an error saying the number is already in use. Once the number is connected to Daktela, it can no longer be used in the mobile app.

Tip

If you are planning to send business-initiated conversations, you can add a payment method at the end of the wizard.

7. Apply the Configuration and Test

  1. Back in Settings β†’ Routings β†’ WhatsApp, click Apply configuration changes in the top right corner.
  2. Test the online path: with an agent logged in to the queue and in the Ready state during business hours, send a WhatsApp message to your business number and check that it rings the agent.
  3. Test the offline path: outside business hours, check that the chat ends via your terminate target and shows up as a missed activity in the queue.

Warning

Every later change to connectors, time conditions, automessages, decision trees, chatbots or terminate targets needs Apply configuration changes again.

Go Further

Not Working?

  1. Nothing arrives? Click Apply configuration changes in Settings β†’ Routings β†’ WhatsApp β€” routing changes stay in a working copy until you do.
  2. Always the offline path? Check the time condition has a time group selected and that the time group covers the current time.
  3. Conversations don't ring? In Realtime, check an agent is logged in to the queue, Ready and not on a pause.
  4. No missed conversations to follow up? The terminate target must have your queue selected, and Missed activities must be on in the queue.
  5. The authorisation fails or messages stopped? The number can't be active in the WhatsApp mobile app at the same time. If the connector lost its authorisation, authorise it again.

More checks, by symptom, are in Troubleshooting.