WhatsApp automation: one number, approved messages, a kept history
WhatsApp automation is a setup in which a business runs its WhatsApp conversations through the WhatsApp Business API on one number, and notifications go out by rule. ALTAI Digital builds it so that several people can answer from the same number. Booking, order and payment notices go out as templates approved by Meta. Replies to common questions are drafted, and a person decides what is sent. The conversation history stays with the business and links to the customer record.
In many small businesses, WhatsApp is an app on one employee's phone. Customers write to that number, and replies go out when that person is free. When they are on leave, messages wait. When they leave the company, the history leaves with the phone. The same questions about address, opening hours, prices and bookings are typed out every day. Reminders go out when someone remembers.
The WhatsApp Business API is the business version of that setup. The number sits in one account, and several people answer from it. Everyone can see who wrote what. When someone leaves, the history stays with the business. Notifications are tied to a trigger. When an order changes status, a booking is near or a payment is due, the message goes out by itself.
WhatsApp's rules shape the build. A business can send free-form messages for twenty-four hours after the customer's last message. After that, only templates approved in advance by Meta can be used. Template approval usually takes a few days, and the plan allows for it. Marketing messages go only to people who have opted in. We put these rules on screen. When the window closes, the free-text box closes too, so nobody has to remember the rule.
Below you will find the scope of a WhatsApp automation build, the steps and the questions we hear most. Businesses that run on appointments can also see our booking system page. We work from Rotterdam and Istanbul, and we treat customer data under GDPR. Pricing is given after the discovery call, once the number of lines, templates and connected systems is clear.
What goes wrong today
- 01
The number lives on one phone
The business WhatsApp sits on an employee's phone. When that person is in a meeting or on holiday, messages wait. When they leave, the customer history goes with them and the next person starts from zero.
- 02
The same answers, typed by hand
Questions about address, hours, prices and bookings arrive every day. Each answer is typed by hand and depends on who types it. At busy times those questions push the real work aside.
- 03
Reminders depend on memory
Booking, delivery and payment reminders go out when someone remembers. On a busy day they are forgotten. A missed booking is an empty slot, and a late payment is a gap in the cash flow.
- 04
Bulk messages put the number at risk
A promotion goes out from a personal number to many people without recorded consent. Blocks and reports rise, and the number gets restricted. The line your customers use can stop working overnight.
- 05
Chats are not linked to the customer record
The WhatsApp conversation sits apart from the CRM. Sales cannot see what the customer asked, and the same question gets asked twice. Nobody can tell which enquiries turned into sales.
- 06
Evening messages wait until morning
A question sent after hours waits until the next day. In the meantime the customer writes to someone else. In the morning twenty messages are waiting, and nobody has decided which comes first.
Scope of the build
WhatsApp Business API account and number
The business account is opened and the number is connected to the API. An existing number can be moved, but it then leaves the personal WhatsApp app. That is why most businesses start with a separate number. The account is registered to the business.
One number, answered by the team
Several people answer from the same number, and everyone sees who wrote what. The history stays with the business. When someone leaves, the customer history stays.
Approved templates and triggered notices
We write templates for bookings, orders, deliveries and payments and submit them to Meta. The build records which template goes out in which situation. Each notice is tied to a trigger and goes out by itself.
Reply drafts for common questions
Replies to frequent questions are drafted from your own sources and placed in an approval queue. A person decides what is sent. Automatic sending can be switched on for cases you list in writing.
The 24-hour rule on screen
The twenty-four-hour window after the customer's last message is shown on screen. When it closes, the free-text box closes and only approved templates can be chosen. The rule is not left to memory.
CRM and calendar connection
Each conversation links to the customer record. Booking notices read from the calendar and order notices from the order record. Sales can see what the customer asked on the same screen as the quote.
Channel health and consent
Read and reply rates, template status, blocks and reports sit on one screen. The list of people who opted in to marketing is kept separately. If blocks start to rise, sending stops and the reason goes in the report.
How the build runs
- 01
Discovery (1 week)
We map which questions arrive, who answers them and which notices are sent by hand. We check the number and consent records.
- 02
Account and templates
We open the business account, connect the number and submit templates to Meta. Approval usually takes a few days.
- 03
Flows and trial
We set up triggers, reply drafts and the CRM link, then run a trial week and adjust the approval rules.
- 04
Launch and measure
The flows go live. After the first month we report reply time, read rate and blocks. The first live flow opens in four to eight weeks.
Products used in this build
WhatsApp Business integration
Notifications, order tracking and customer conversations gather in the business account; the history stays with the company.
Request handling
Requests from five channels collect in one list, the draft reply arrives ready, and the decision to send stays with you.
CRM and customer management
The customer record gathers in one place: duplicates merge, required fields are defined, the report comes out on its own.
Terms used on this page
- WhatsApp Business API
- Business access to WhatsApp that connects a number to an account, so several people can answer and notices can be sent by a system.
- Message template
- A message text approved in advance by Meta that can be sent outside the twenty-four-hour window.
- 24-hour window
- The period after a customer's last message during which a business can reply in free text.
- Trigger
- An event, such as an order changing status or a booking coming up, that starts an automatic notice.
- Approval queue
- The list where a drafted reply waits for a person to approve it before it is sent.
whatsapp automationFrequently asked questions
The app runs on one phone and suits a very small business. The API connects the number to an account. Several people answer from it, notices go out by trigger and chats link to the CRM. The history stays with the business, not with a person.
Yes. An existing number can be moved to the API. During the move it leaves the personal WhatsApp app, so most businesses start with a separate number. We decide this together on the discovery call.
No. Free-form messages can be sent for twenty-four hours after the customer's last message. After that, only templates approved by Meta can be used. When the window closes, the screen closes the free-text box.
Yes, to people who have opted in, using approved templates. Messages without consent lead to restrictions on the account. Keeping consent records is part of the build and fits GDPR.
A model drafts replies to common questions from the sources you provide. The draft goes to an approval queue and a person decides what is sent. Automatic sending is switched on only for cases you choose in writing.
Usually a few days on WhatsApp's side. No message goes out on a template that is still pending. The plan allows for this time from the start.
In your business account and your customer records. When an employee leaves, the history stays. Conversations are not used to train models.
Blocks and reports are tracked on screen, and sending stops when they start to rise. If a restriction comes, we handle the appeal. Your conversation history stays in your account throughout.
The process first, the proposal after
In a short discovery call we map the process together and tell you plainly whether it is worth automating. If it is not, we say that too.
30 minutes · no preparation needed
