If you have a customer-base that uses WhatsApp regularly, or you want to expand into regions where WhatsApp messaging is popular, we recommend that you add your WhatsApp phone numbers to Zendesk Support.
Make sure that you review Understanding how the WhatsApp works and About the WhatsApp 24-hour rule.
This article includes these sections:
- About the WhatsApp phone number hosting fee
- Required action: Sending your WhatsApp information to Zendesk
- Installing the WhatsApp in Support integration
- Configuring WhatsApp in Support using a deployment ID
- Editing your business profile
- Adjusting views and business rules for WhatsApp tickets
- Advertising your WhatsApp phone number
- Sending proactive messages using “templated messages”
Related articles:
About the WhatsApp phone number hosting fee
If you need to add multiple WhatsApp phone numbers to Support, please let us know when you purchase hosting. You will be billed monthly per phone number.
The WhatsApp hosting fee pays for hosting for a custom piece of software that is created by WhatsApp and that is unique to your WhatsApp phone number. This software allows Support to connect to your WhatsApp phone number via the WhatsApp Business API. Zendesk installs and hosts the software on Amazon Web Service (AWS).
You are not buying an actual phone number such as a landline, cell, or 1-800 phone number from Zendesk. The phone number that you plan to use must be an existing phone number that you already have. You choose to use this phone number with your WhatsApp account. You tell Zendesk what the phone number is. You need to procure the phone number on your own (Zendesk does not provide this service) before you attempt to add WhatsApp to Support.
To purchase hosting for your WhatsApp phone number, contact your account manager.
Required action: Sending your WhatsApp information to Zendesk
After you enable social messaging and hosting for your WhatsApp phone number, there are some additional steps you need to complete before you can add your WhatsApp account to Support. You will need to send Zendesk certain information about your WhatsApp account. We need this information so we can create a unique deployment ID that you need in order to add your WhatsApp account to Support.
To get your deployment ID
- Collect the following information about your WhatsApp account:
If you purchased hosting for multiple WhatsApp phone numbers, collect this information for each of your accounts.
- Send your information to the WhatsApp Integration team at whatsapp-integration@zendesk.com so we can move forward with your activation.
- Check your email for an automated email from Zendesk’s dedicated WhatsApp Integration team (from whatsapp-integration@zendesk.com).
- Once all steps on both sides are complete, you will receive an email with your deployment ID and an installation link.
Note: Creating the deployment ID takes approximately 1-2 weeks total, and requires a few actions on your side, so please look for a reply email from us detailing your next steps.
- Use your deployment ID to add WhatsApp in your Support account.
WhatsApp Business display name
The WhatsApp Business display name is the name of your business that will appear on end user devices (for example, from the WhatsApp iOS app). We recommend that you use your actual business name as your display name. You can make your display name more specific than your business name, if needed. For example, here we used “Zendesk” as the display name, but we could have used “Zendesk Support” or “Zendesk San Francisco.”
WhatsApp Business phone number
Choosing your WhatsApp Business phone number is important because you can’t change it later.
Every WhatsApp account has a phone number. The phone number that you intend to use with WhatsApp Business must be “clean,” which means that it has never been registered with a WhatsApp account before. There are 3 types of eligible phone numbers:
| Type | Details |
|---|---|
| Landline | A landline is easiest to use, if you are physically near the phone and able to answer a phone call (this is required part of the set up process). |
| Cell phone | You can use a cell phone number if the number hasn’t been registered with WhatsApp in the last 6 months. |
| 1-800 or toll-free number | You can use these numbers if the phone number is capable of receiving SMS or voice calls directly. You will not be able to use numbers that are behind IVR. (If you have a phone number already registered using a manual code before, it will continue to work normally). |
Be sure to provide the correct formatting for the phone number. For example, in Brazil, +55 11 9XXXX XXXX for a mobile phone or +55 11 XXXX XXXX for a landline.
If your preferred phone number is already affiliated with WhatsApp through the business or consumer app, you have the option of upgrading the phone number to use it with the WhatsApp Business API, but you will need to migrate the phone number first. Here’s how. Migrating your number will erase all previously collected data.
Facebook Business Manager ID
For information about how to find your Facebook Business Manager ID, see these instructions from Facebook. If you don’t have a Facebook Business Manager ID, see these instructions about how to create one (also from Facebook).
Installing the WhatsApp in Support integration
If you have not already installed social messaging you can use the installation link you received from Zendesk.
To install the WhatsApp in Support integration using the installation link
- Click the link in the email and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
Alternatively, you can get the integration directly from the Zendesk Marketplace. In Admin Center, click the Apps and integrations icon (
) in the sidebar, then select Apps > Zendesk Support apps. Then click Marketplace at the top of the page and search for Social Messaging. -
In Admin Center, click the Apps and integrations icon () in the sidebar, then select Apps > Zendesk Support apps. Confirm the integration is on your list of installed apps.
You are now ready to configure the integration.
If needed, you can uninstall the integration by right-clicking the icon and choosing Uninstall from the shortcut menu.
Configuring WhatsApp in Support using a deployment ID
After you install the social messaging, you need to connect your WhatsApp accounts to Support. The easiest way to do this is with a deployment ID.
To connect WhatsApp accounts to Zendesk Support using a deployment ID
- In Admin Center, click the Apps and integrations icon () in the sidebar, then select Apps > Channel apps.
- On the Channel integrations page, click Social Messaging.
- On the Accounts tab, click the Add account button to add a WhatsApp account.
The Add account wizard displays. Follow the on-screen instructions to add your account.
- From the Channel drop-down list, select WhatsApp, and then click Continue.
- Enter your deployment ID (provided by Zendesk) and then click Save changes.
The Enter your verification code screen displays.
- Choose a verification method (SMS or phone call) and then click Send code.
Go to your WhatsApp account and get your verification code (may take up to 60 seconds).
- Enter your verification code and then click Add account.
The WhatsApp account will now appear in the Admin Center under Apps and integrations > Channel apps.
- Edit your business profile, if needed.
For more information, scroll down and read Editing your business profile.
- (Recommended) Set up the auto responder.
Note: The auto responder sends messages automatically to end user when you when you receive their messages. For more information, see Sending automatic responses to social messaging channels.
Editing your business profile
You can include information about your business in your business profile. These details are visible to your customers from WhatsApp.
To edit your business profile
- In Admin Center, click the Apps and integrations icon () in the sidebar, then select Apps > Channel apps.
- On the Channel integrations page, click Social Messaging.
- On the Accounts tab, open your WhatsApp channel for editing.
The Edit account screen displays.
- From the Edit account screen, make sure you are on the Business Profile tab.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to add these account details.
- Channel name
- Profile photo
- Short description of the business (appears at the top of the profile)
- Other business information (address, description, email, industry, website)
Note: You can enter two websites (maximum), each with 256 characters or less.
When setting the industry, you must enter one of the following names exactly. Entering your own industry will not update your business profile. Information about the approved industry names (vertical parameters) can be found here on the Facebook developers site.
- Automotive
- Beauty, Spa and Salon
- Clothing and Apparel
- Education
- Entertainment
- Event Planning and Service
- Finance and Banking
- Food and Grocery
- Public Service
- Hotel and Lodging
- Medical and Health
- Non-profit
- Professional Services
- Shopping and Retail
- Travel and Transportation
- Restaurant
- Click Apply changes (for each section).
Adjusting views and business rules for WhatsApp tickets
After you complete initial installation and configuration of WhatsApp in Support, you may want to adjust your views, triggers, and automations to reflect the new WhatsApp channel.
The following examples reflect that you named your integration "WhatsApp" when creating the integration. If you named your WhatsApp account with a different title, such as "Social Messaging," look for that name instead when selecting a channel in business rules.
Views
You can create personal or shared views with these WhatsApp conditions (see Adding views). Agents can also create personal views using these conditions. You can use one or both of these conditions.
-
Ticket: Channel + Is + Social Messaging
This condition causes tickets associated with any WhatsApp phone numbers that are associated with the Support account to appear in the view. This condition appears after the integration is installed, even if you haven’t added any of your WhatsApp accounts yet.
-
Ticket: Integration account + Is + Social Messaging
This condition causes tickets associated with one, specific WhatsApp phone number associated with the Support account to appear in the view.
Triggers
You can create triggers with these WhatsApp conditions:
- Channel + Is + Social Messaging
- Integration account + Is + Social Messaging: WhatsApp Account (account number)
- Requester: WhatsApp Phone Number
You can create triggers with this WhatsApp action:
- Requester: WhatsApp Phone Number
There aren’t any trigger actions for notifications. Use the auto responder instead.
Automations
You can create automations with these WhatsApp conditions:
- Ticket: Channel + Is + Social Messaging
- Integration account + Is + Social Messaging: WhatsApp Account (account number)
- Requester: WhatsApp Phone Number
You can create automations with this WhatsApp action:
- Requester: WhatsApp Phone Number
There aren’t any automation actions for notifications. Use the auto responder instead.
Macros
Macros work with this integration, as long as WhatsApp’s 24-hour rule is observed.
Advertising your WhatsApp phone number
After you have completely configured WhatsApp in Support, you need to advertise your WhatsApp phone number so that customers know how to reach you. Keep in mind that WhatsApp is very strict about how business advertise their WhatsApp phone numbers. It’s your responsibility to make sure you are familiar with WhatsApp’s rules and terms of use.
You must be very clear about where you are telling customers to go. For example, it’s a good idea to say something like, “Click here to chat with us on WhatsApp.” You aren’t allowed to use misleading ads to get customers to message you. For more information, see this article from WhatsApp.
Sending proactive messages using “templated messages”
If the agent fails to reply within 24 hours, it can be difficult to reconnect with the end user. If this sometimes happens to you, you may want to consider using WhatsApp’s templated messages feature in the future (see this article from WhatsApp about templated messages).
41 Comments
Hi @...
Did you receive any updates for hiding unassigned tickets for social messaging channels?
Thanks in advance
Hi @..., I didn't understand your question - what do you mean by "hiding unassigned tickets"?
If you meant the default view "WhatsApp conversations - Unassigned" created by Zendesk that I mentioned, it can be deactivated as usual.
@... I mean hiding unassigned issues for all agents (not all agents must see the whatsapp issues especially the unassigned ones) and showing them to specific agent or group
If that can be deactivated as you say, can you please tell me how, I am pretty new to zendesk
Thanks for your reply
Hi
We are a B2B SaaS company in customer service/contact center automation domain and we are an ISV in Twilio. We and our customers have phone numbers from Twilio, approved by Whatsapp Business, and we have received approval for Business Name, templates for notification, we use webhooks for our own AI-based chat bot for question answers, we have used integration both by service ID from Twilio to send notifications or webhook to a third party integration. We are in need of Zen Desk chat applications to integrate with Whatsapp API. Can you please have someone from Zen Desk contact us?
Hi Sneharthi -
We don't have a way to have support reach out to you from comments on an article, but here's information on Contacting Zendesk Customer Support
Hi, i have installed the WhatsApp integration using the other tutorial (https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360048880714)
Tbh I dont understand where the main difference between both is.
But my question is: how can I chat with a customer via WhatsApp using the Zendesk-App? It simply did not work to see the reply from the customer on the app. Desktop version is not a problem.
Hi there, having issues with the last step on Add Whastapp on Zendesk - showing "Channel couldn't be added" even trying after multiple times. Anyone know what went wrong?
Hi Roman,
To understand how you can chat with your WhatsApp customers via Zendesk, you may check About messaging channels for the Zendesk Agent Workspace for the complete guide.
All the best
Hi Kelvin,
I'm sorry to hear that you are having a problem setting up the WhatsApp integration. I highly suggest that you initiate a chat with us so we can immediately check your account.
All the best
Hi. We tried deleting, uninstalling WhatsApp from Zendesk and using the number back on WhatsApp mobile app but apparently can't able to. Appreciate if you can guide us how to do so. Thank you.
Hi Jo,
We need to have a closer look into your account to identify the issue that you are experiencing. I highly suggest that you initiate a chat with us for a real-time check.
Hi,
After integrating Whatsapp to Zendesk, our agents get an error while responding to customers. The messages are not delivered.
What could be the problem?
Hi Stephen,
I am sorry to hear that your team is having trouble responding to your customer via the WhatsApp channel.
The most common reason for messages not to be delivered by Whatsapp is that it's been more than 24 hours since the Whatsapp user sent their message. For more information, see Working with WhatsApp tickets and the 24-hour rule.
If you know that this time limit had not passed, then I'd suggest chatting with our support team so they can help you troubleshoot the issue in real-time.
Cheers,
Blanca | Customer Advocate
Chat with our live support!
https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us
Hi,
After integrating Whatsapp to Zendesk, our agents get an error while responding to customers. The messages are not delivered.
What could be the problem?
If your account is under Business verification from Facebook, you will have messaging and time limits on your phone number, once reached, the messages will not be delivered.
If your WhatsApp business account hasn't been approved, you will only be able to add one WhatsApp channel. This channel will be restricted and only allow you to message a maximum of 10 users. Once your WhatsApp business account is approved, this messaging restriction will be lifted and you will be able to add additional WhatsApp channels using the self-service flow. More information can be found here: Adding WhatsApp channels to the Zendesk Agent Workspace
Or it could be an actual error in message delivery, It’s been 24 hours since the last end user message over WA, the integration is inactive, and the account does not have right subscription - Suite or social messaging add on
If you would like to know the exact reason, you may initiate a conversation with us
We need to port over one number away from Zendesk to another provider to enable bots. We are asked to "disable 2fa" on the number. But the number doesn't exist on our FB page as this was done more than a year ago by a zendesk partner here so we are not in control of the number on our FB page.
It is possible to migrate a phone number to another Business Solutions Provider indeed. Here is WhatsApp documentation for this.
In order to follow this process, you need some confidential details so I create a new ticket with you.
Have a nice day, Cécile
Can you help adding whatsapp number? its been a month and no agent has help
Buenas Tardes, me gustaria saber como se obtienen las metricas de los clientes que ingresan por WhatsApp.
Tiempo de primera Respuesta.
diferencia del cliente que esta ingresando por Chat Zendesk y WhatsApp Zendesk.
Que asesoria requiere mas.
Dividir
por grupos.
De momento las SLAs no están disponibles para los canales de mensajería por redes sociales como WhatsApp. Sin embargo, se prevé su implementación en un futuro.
Por ese motivo, te invito a dejar un comentario en nuestra comunidad para interactuar con otros usuarios que tienen necesidades similares y exponer tu caso particular. Puedes hacerlo en el siguiente enlace: WhatsApp SLAs
I'm having the same issue that Andre Tasil is having.
We have the social messaging package, but we are unable to proceed due to the following error message. Can anyone in Zendesk clarify?
"You need Social Messaging and a WhatsApp number to set up WhatsApp. An account owner can purchase it for your subscription."
Bunas tardes, en mi caso me gustaria obtener los SLA y data de WhatsApp.
Ene Cristian I've created a ticket on your behalf, so our customer care team can investigate your issue. Thanks for your patience!
Hi Zendesk Customer care,
our WhatsApp channel has been working well till recently when the outgoing/replies to customers are not going and the send button is deactivated.
It acts up but sometimes it sends out the messages?
Is it a bug? is it a device issue or is it a system/Zendesk issue?
What could be the problem.
I just want to know if you are still experiencing this issue. If you do, you can contact support directly for there are multiple factors that can be causing this issue. One of our Advocates will help you with it directly.
Having same issues Kelvin Fok
In regards to the following error, have you tried any basic troubleshooting? If not, then I would advise clearing your browser's cache and cookies, and also if possible try the following using a different browser.
If you're still experiencing any issues, you can contact support directly since there could be other factors why the issue is happening.
Thank you and have a wonderful day ahead!
Kind regards,
Yes tried basic troubleshooting and then opened a total of 4 support tickets. But what always happens is that your support team sends the same canned reply and after answering the same questions over and over again they are unable to resolve the issue. They are more interested in closing support tickets than solving problems. I don't think your support team has the experience or mindset to resolve this issue.
Never expected such unprofessional behavior from Zendesk support team.
Sorry you've had a hard time getting this resolved. I see you have a new ticket today with our support team. I'll keep an eye on it myself as well -- looks like they're waiting for a screen recording from you?
i4E Team hey, I could solve the WA Integration issue with zendesk. If you are interest, pls email me at andretansil@vokraf.com
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