WhatsApp inbox
Connect a WhatsApp Business number to the inbox, reply to client messages within the 24-hour window, link senders to client profiles, and disconnect the number.
With a WhatsApp Business number connected, messages your clients send to that number arrive in the Zanfia inbox and you answer them from there, next to your other client conversations.
Do not use your personal WhatsApp number
The connect screen warns: "The number you connect is moved to the WhatsApp Cloud API and stops working in the WhatsApp app on your phone. Chats on it will no longer sync to the app." Use a separate number (a spare SIM or a landline that can receive a verification call) that is not registered in WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business.
Open the WhatsApp tab
In the sidebar open Customers → Inbox and click the WhatsApp pill
(/communication/whatsapp). Until a number is connected the tab shows Connect WhatsApp with
the warning above.
Connect your WhatsApp Business Account
You need a WhatsApp Business Account (Cloud API). Click Connect WhatsApp; you are taken to Facebook to sign in and grant access to that account, then brought back to the inbox. When the connection is ready, the left column is headed by your business phone number or verified name.
Wait for the first message
An empty inbox says "No WhatsApp messages yet. New messages to your business number will show up here." A conversation appears when a client writes to the number; it is named by their WhatsApp name or phone number and marked with a colored dot until you open it.
Reply within the window
Open the conversation. A green tag such as "21h to reply" shows the time left. Type in Reply on WhatsApp… (up to 4,096 characters) and click Send. A message that carries only a file or a picture shows as "[Attachment]".
Link the sender to a client
Click Link to client in the conversation header, search for the client and pick them. After "Linked to client." the header shows a Client profile link, and the conversation is listed on the client's profile under Linked channels.
The 24-hour reply window
| State in the header | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Green tag, for example "21h to reply" | Write and send replies |
| Orange tag Reply window closed | Nothing can be sent. The reply field is replaced by: "WhatsApp allows free replies for 24 hours after the last customer message. The window reopens when they write again." |
As the connect screen puts it, "Replies within 24 hours of their last message are free." Starting a conversation yourself or writing after the window has closed is not available from the inbox.
Disconnect the number
Click the disconnect icon next to the number at the top of the left column (Disconnect WhatsApp) and confirm Disconnect WhatsApp?. "New WhatsApp messages will stop arriving here and you will not be able to reply from Zanfia. Existing conversations stay visible. You can reconnect at any time."
Good to know
This tab has no Message all or New message button; those belong to Direct messages. The list shows the 100 most recently active conversations, and opening one clears its unread dot for your whole team.
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