WhatsApp Integration

Connect WhatsApp Business to provide AI-powered customer support via messaging.

Overview

The WhatsApp integration enables your customers to chat with Omni directly through WhatsApp Business. Messages are processed by your AI assistant with full access to your product catalogue and order data.

Prerequisites

  • A dedicated phone number — a separate number for Omni (cheap SIM or virtual number). Your personal WhatsApp stays completely separate.
  • A Meta Business account — free to create at business.facebook.com
  • Business verification — Meta verifies your business using official documents (takes 2-14 days)

Why a separate number? WhatsApp locks each number to one integration. Giving Omni its own number means your personal or business WhatsApp is unaffected. Your customers message Omni's number for support.

Setup

Unlike other integrations that connect with a single click, WhatsApp requires a short manual setup through Meta. This typically takes around 30 minutes of active work, plus a wait for Meta's business verification.

Step 1: Get a Dedicated Phone Number

You need a phone number that isn't currently registered with WhatsApp. Options:

  • A cheap pay-as-you-go SIM
  • A virtual/VoIP number (must be able to receive one SMS for verification)

Step 2: Verify Your Business with Meta

  1. Go to Meta Business Suite and create or select your business
  2. Navigate to Settings → Business Verification
  3. Upload your business documents (registration certificate, tax document, or utility bill)
  4. Wait for verification (usually 2-14 days)

Step 3: Register for WhatsApp Cloud API

  1. In Meta Business Suite, go to WhatsApp → Getting Started
  2. Create a WhatsApp Business account
  3. Add your dedicated phone number and verify it via SMS
  4. Note your Phone Number ID and Business Account ID

Step 4: Connect in Omniops

  1. Go to Integrations → Meta Business Suite in your dashboard
  2. Connect your Meta account via OAuth
  3. WhatsApp will appear in the Connected Services panel
  4. Omni automatically configures the webhook — no manual setup needed

How It Works

When a customer messages your WhatsApp number:

  1. The message is received via the WhatsApp webhook
  2. Omniops processes the message with your business context
  3. The AI generates a response using your product data and policies
  4. The response is sent back through WhatsApp

Features

  • Product enquiries — customers can ask about products, pricing, and availability
  • Order tracking — customers can check order status using their order number or email
  • Multi-language — automatic language detection and response in the customer's language
  • Rich messages — support for images, buttons, and list messages

Rate Limits

WhatsApp Business API has messaging limits based on your account tier. Omniops respects these limits and queues messages when necessary.