1. On the forms listing page, under Setup, click Control Panel.
   
   
2. Click WhatsApp Configuration.
   
   
3. Once it is ready for configuration, click Link with WhatsApp.
   
   
4. You will be redirected to log in through your Facebook account in a widget to connect to your Meta Business account.
   
   Note: Ensure that your browser's pop-blocker is disabled for the widget to load.
   
5. Login to your existing personal Facebook account. New personal accounts may not be approved.
6. Once you log in, you will be prompted to get started with the setup to register and connect your WhatsApp business account to Zoho Social to send notifications to WhatsApp users via the WhatsApp business API. Click Get Started.
   
   
   
   
   
   
7. To allow Zoho Social to manage your WhatsApp Business account, you'll need to share account and billing permissions. Click Continue.
   
8. Then, you will be asked to fill in your business information. To connect your WhatsApp Business Account, you must first select a Meta Business Account from the dropdown. If you do not already have a Meta Business Account, you will be given the option to create one.
   
   Your business must have a  Meta Business account (formerly known as Facebook Business Account) in order to have a WhatsApp Business Account (WABA). The Meta Business Account is specific to a Company. If the Company has multiple Sub-brands with different names, each Sub-brand should have its own WhatsApp Business Account with their name.
   
9. Your Business name, Business email address, Business website, and Country will be autofilled. Click Next.
   
10. The next step is to create or select a WhatsApp Business account which will belong to your Meta business account. 
    
11. Choose Create a new WhatsApp Business profile and click Next. 
    
    
    
    
12. Give your WhatsApp business account name, WhatsApp Business profile display name and select the Category of your business. 
    The WhatsApp Business display name is the name that customers see when they visit your WhatsApp Business profile. Read the guidelines in choosing a display name for your WhatsApp profile.
    
13. You can optionally provide a description for your business and include any website you have for your business. The category and business description will both be visible to your customers. Click Next. 
    
    
    
    
14. The next step is to add a WhatsApp business phone number. This is the number that people will see when they chat with you for your business. Enter the Phone number along with your country code.
    Pre-Requisites for Phone Number
1. The number must be owned by you
   
2. The number must have a country and area code
   
3. It should be able to receive voice calls and SMS
   
4. It should not be a short code
   
5. Any other BSP should not have previously used the number
   
6. The number should not be connected to any WhatsApp Messenger or WhatsApp Business App at the instant. 
15. Choose if you would like to verify your phone number via Text message or a Phone call . You will receive a code to verify this phone number on your preferred verification method. You can change your preferred verification method if it isn't working.
    
    
    

  

Creating a Channel

1. In your Control Panel > Notification Settings > WhatsApp Configuration, click + New Channel.
   
2. In the pop-up, enter a name for your channel and choose a WhatsApp Business Account. Select the WhatsApp business phone number that you have verified from the dropdown.
   
   
3. Click Create.
   

1. Once you have created a channel, you will have a Templates tab. Navigate to the Templates tab and click + New Template.
   
2. Select the WhatsApp Business Account in which you want to create this template.
   The template will be created under this account.
3. Enter a Template Name. 
   The name you give must be unique and contain only lowercase alphanumeric characters and underscores. Use a name that helps the WhatsApp's reviewer comprehend the intent of your message.
4. Select a Template Category from the dropdown list. Your WhatsApp message templates must fall into one of the categories listed:
   
1. MARKETING
2. UTILITY
   
3. AUTHENTICATION
   Make sure that you choose a suitable category for your template that best fits your use-case. WhatsApp is more likely to reject templates that do not clearly align with these template types.
   The AUTHENTICATION message template is exclusively for sending OTP verification messages through WhatsApp under Settings > Spam Control > OTP Verification. 
   Learn more about message templates 
   
5. Choose a Header Type from the dropdown list. 
   To configure the template using message text only, proceed by selecting None.
   If you wish to include a header in your WhatsApp template, choose one of the two available formats: Text or Image. Depending on your use case, you can opt for a static or dynamic header. Learn More
6. Type in your message for the WhatsApp notification and click Create. If you wish to include the field responses from the submitted form in this message, use the placeholder values inside double curly braces {{...}}.
   
   For example:
   
   Hi {{1}}, your order number {{2}} will be delivered by {{3}}.
   

Header Type

1. Header Text 
   
2. Header Image
   

1. For Text, enter the desired text in the field Header Text. 
   
2. For Image, choose Add Manually after selecting the header type.
   
   

1. Choose Header Type as Text from the dropdown list.
   

   
2. Enter the desired text in the Header Text field.
   
3. Preview the WhatsApp notification message with Text as the header along with the message text. 
   
   
   

Note: 

1. If more than one attachment is uploaded in image upload fields, only the first uploaded image will be used for sending WhatsApp notifications.
2. The maximum file size allowed for Header Images is 5MB.
3. The maximum length allowed for Header Text is 60 characters. 

      Website URL: This is the website address where the button will direct users. Ensure it starts with http:// or https://.

Template Status

Setting up a form to send WhatApp Notifications 

1. Go to the form builder of the form that you wish to send WhatsApp Notifications for.
   
2. Navigate to the Settings tab > Email & Notifications > WhatsApp Notifications.
   
3. Click Configure Now.
   
   
   
4. Select the Channel and Template that you wish to use for sending WhatsApp notifications for this form.
   
5. Enter the Recipient's phone number. You can either enter a number or select a Phone field from your form by clicking the phone icon. If you select a Phone field from your form, the message will be delivered to the phone number entered by the respondent in the selected Phone field.
   You can either use US format or use International format with Country Code.
6. Under Placeholder Mapping, you can select the form fields whose responses you want to replace for the placeholders in the double curly braces you specified when configuring the WhatsApp message template.
   
7. Click Save.
   
   
   
   

The mapped template above has no headers as you can see in the preview.

Send Notifications With Headers

If your template includes a header (Text or Image), you can configure the notification based on whether the header is static or dynamic.

For a template with a static header:

1. Select the template for the WhatsApp Notification. 
   
2. Map the placeholders in the message text, if any.
   Header will be used from the selected template directly, as you can see in the preview.

For example: In the above order update form, the customer's name, product name, and order number are sent as a WhatsApp notification along with the order status shown as the Header Text.

For a template with a dynamic header: 

1. Select the template for the WhatsApp notification.
   
2. Click Choose Field under Header Mapping to display the available image upload fields in the form.
   
3. Select the Image Upload Field that need to be mapped as the dynamic header.  Add placeholders for message text if needed.
   
   Preview the WhatsApp notification message with a placeholder image as the header and the message text. 

For example: In the above order form, the customer's name and order number are sent along with the image uploaded by the customer (e.g., a sample cake design), which appears as the Header Image in the notification.

Pricing

How to purchase credits

1. In your Zoho Forms account, click the Subscription link in the top-right corner.
   
2. Under Nonrecurring Add-Ons, click Buy More.
   
3. Specify the number of credits you want to purchase. You will be charged per credit, along with a value-added fee of 3% of the cost.
   
4. Click  Proceed and make the payment.
   
5. Once paid, your credits will be topped up and will be reflected in the  Available Balance section, and you can start sending your WhatsApp business messages.