Integrating WhatsApp Messaging Service with Zoho CRM  

To help businesses to interact with their customers via business messages from the CRM account, as well as to keep a record of these interactions, Zoho CRM provides seamless integration with WhatsApp. Only an administrator can initiate this integration.

To integrate WhatsApp Business with Zoho CRM

1. Go to Setup > Channels > Business Messaging.
   

2. Under WhatsApp click Details > Integrate.
   

3. In the WhatsApp access request page, log in with Facebook Business Manager's credentials.
   

4. Click Get Started.
   

5. Click Continue to give permission.
   

6. Create a new Facebook Business account or select existing account from the options.
   
7. Create a new WhatsApp Business Account or select existing accounts from the options.
   

8. Click Continue.
   

9. Create a new WhatsApp Business profile or select an existing profile from the options.
   

10. Click Continue.

11. Verify your WhatsApp Business number.
    

12. Click Ok on the next screen.
    

13. On the Configure WhatsApp Business Profile in CRM pop-up:
    

1. Provide a nickname for the WhatsApp Business Profile in CRM.
   

2. Select a phone number to be associated with the WhatsApp Business profile.
   
   All the numbers associated with your WhatsApp Business Manager profile will be listed here. If a number does not meet the conditions mentioned in the Prerequisites, you will not be able to associate the particular number.

14. Provide a nickname for the WhatsApp business profile in CRM and click Next.
    

12. Provide the account preferences choosing from the dropdown options.
    Choose add as Leads or Contacts

13. Assign to users, groups or roles
    

14. Choose the users, groups or role.
    

15. Click  Save .

WhatsApp Business messaging account is activated.

Notes:

• Once your business is verified, it will be reviewed for compliance with the WhatsApp Terms of Service and WhatsApp Commerce Policy.

• If you have rebranded your domain (domain-mapped accounts), you must enable third-party cookies in your browser before starting the integration,

• You cannot use WhatsApp phone numbers being used on other products. Only unused phone numbers can be used for the integration.
  

• Migration of existing phone numbers is not supported yet.

Business Message Charges, buying credits, and auto-recharge

Messages sent by the company are charged. You can buy credits based on the frequency of your usage so that the charges are automatically deducted from it. After the initial purchase of credits, you can use the auto recharge option to avoid running out of balance by setting the minimum number of credits that must be maintained in your account at anytime. You can also mention the number of credits that must be purchased when the limit is exhausted.  

To buy credits

1. Go to Setup > Channels > Business Messaging.
   
2. Click Buy Credits.
   This option will be available only after the phone number is active.
3. Enter the value.
   
4. Click Next.
   
5. Click Make a payment.
   

To auto-recharge

1. Go to Setup > Channels > Business Messaging.
   
2. Click Auto recharge.
   
3. Toggle on Enable Auto recharge.
   
4. Enter Minimum credit balance to be maintained.
   
5. Enter the number of credits to be added when the balance is minimum.
   
6. Click Save.
     

Instead of charging the customer for every message they send, businesses are now charged per conversation based on the new policies. Every conversation has a 24-hour messaging window where your customers can send unlimited messages. To know more about conversation-based pricing for WhatsApp Business and check the various rate cards click here.

Messaging using the WhatsApp for Business integration

After successfully integrating WhatsApp for Business with Zoho CRM, you can start sending and receiving messages with your leads and contacts.

Sending WhatsApp messages:

Unlike personal chats, business messaging using WhatsApp is structurally defined. That is, as a business, you cannot initiate a casual, one-to-one chat with a prospect or a customer; you can only send approved message templates to your customers.

1. Create a message template
   
2. Get approval from WhatsApp/ Meta
   

1. Append as actions for automations
   
2. Trigger messages from a record
   

1. Go to Setup> Automation >Actions.
   
2. Click on the WhatsApp Notification tab and select the WhatsApp Templates bubble.
   
3. Click +New WhatsApp Template.
   
4. In the WhatsApp Message Template page, do the following:
   
1. Provide a name for your message template. In the future, while sending messages, you will be identifying your message using this name.
   
2. Select the module to which this message will be related to. You can select both standard and custom module.
   
3. Select the language in which you are sending the message.
   
4. Based on your message type, select your message category: Utility or Marketing.
   
5. Enter your message. You can use #merge fields to be contextual in your communication.
   Only the fields from the selected module will be used as merge fields.
5. Click Save.
   

Notes:

1. Upon saving, the template will be submitted for review from Meta.
   
2. You can send or append only those Meta-approved messages.
   
3. Approval time might depend on the content and the language used.
   
4. A template cannot be edited while in review and once it is approved.
   
5. To learn more about Facebook guidelines for WhatsApp Business message templates, click here.
   
6. The module selection from step 4b, (the ability to choose standard or custom module) applies only in the data population. That is, you can use data from those module to build the message templates. Your messages, however, can be sent only to a lead or a contact.

Journey Builder:

Sending WhatsApp messages to an individual record:

1. Go to the record of your choice.
   
2. Click on the drop-down next to the Send Email button > Send WhatsApp Template. Select the number you'd like to send the message to.
   
3. In the WhatsApp templates page, select the desired approved template available for this module and click on Send.
   

Receiving incoming messages:

Only a customer or a prospect can initiate one-on-one chats. They can be new messages or a response to existing conversation, and these responses are received and can be managed in the Messages module.

Get notified of new messages:

If you have enabled alerts for incoming business messaging, then for every message you receive, you will get notified from the bell icon from the quick utility bar of Zoho CRM.

From the signals page, you can preview your messages, make quick actions like creating tasks, meetings, calls, and appointments.

Replying to the business messages 

Note:

1. CRM users can reply to a message within 24 hours of receiving. After this time the WhatsApp messaging window will be closed.
   
2. WhatsApp allows only the end customer to initiate a conversation by sending a message to the business. A user is not allowed to initiate a conversation to leads or contacts via WhatsApp. This restriction is enforced by WhatsApp.
   

To reply a business message

1. Click on the notification to view the message.
   Alternately, you can go to the Messages tab and click on the record.
2. Type your message or click Predefined text and select a text.
   
3. Click Send, to respond.
   

1. Answers to commonly asked questions like what is the cost of the mobile cover? My order is delayed, can you help me track?
   
2. Greetings, like Hi, $[Leads.First Name] how are you doing? How can I help you?
   

1. Go to the Messages tab, click on a message.
   
2. Next to the typing bar, click New Predefined Text next to the typing bar.
   Alternately, click Manage and + New Predefined Text.
3. In the New Predefined Text popup, give a name for the text (for eg., Greetings)
   
4. Enter the text message.
   You can use merge fields too.
5. Click Save.

Note: You cannot change the module while editing a predefined text. This is to prevent errors in case of merge fields have been used in the predefined texts.

To manage predefined text

1. Go to the Messages tab and click Predefined Text from the text area.

2. Click Manage from the drop-down list.

3. In the Manage Predefined Text, hover on a text and click Edit or Delete icon. 

Sending attachments via business messages 

CRM users can send attachments through text messages. They can attach up to 5 files using:

• Upload a file from their computer.

• Attach files from the Inventory such as sales orders, quotes, purchase orders, and invoices.

• Attach files from supported cloud drives like Google drive, Sky Drive, Evernote, and Dropbox.

The user can either select a quote that is associated with the prospect, create a new quote or send one of the available quotes depending on the business need and type.

Each conversation view tab is divided into two tabs: Messages and Attachments where respective information are stored. You can preview and download all the attachments from here or from the messages.

Managing conversations: Working with the Messages module

In the Messages module users can use the following filters and set criteria to find a message quickly:

• Not replied in x days/weeks/months

• Replied in x days/weeks/months

• Message time in x days/weeks/months

• Record owner is x user or logged in user

• Replied by x user or logged in user 

 

Users can also set a view for the module to see the messages that are unreplied, all messages sent today, all unreplied messages etc.