I am looking for a way to automatically start new Whatsapp conversations—using approved Templates (triggered by events that are synced from the product to IC).
I know that this is not possible with the current Whatsapp integration and that only 1:1 conversations can be started via the Inbox.
Does anyone have any ideas on how I could implement this? Has a workaround perhaps been found?
If not, an external solution would also be conceivable. I would be grateful for any advice.
Best answer by Jacob Cox
Hi
Any setup like this would require the sending of a WhatsApp message through the Intercom public REST API. Currently, the API doesn’t have this ability so I’m not terribly hopeful of their being a 3rd party solution out there for this workflow. I’ll flag having the ability to send WhatsApp messages via our API as a Feature Request with our Product Team though!
+5Hi
Any setup like this would require the sending of a WhatsApp message through the Intercom public REST API. Currently, the API doesn’t have this ability so I’m not terribly hopeful of their being a 3rd party solution out there for this workflow. I’ll flag having the ability to send WhatsApp messages via our API as a Feature Request with our Product Team though!
I have a question relating to a prior step in this process:
I’ve verified my Whatsapp-account, linked it to the Intercom application and built a few message templates within WhatsApp Manager. Somehow I’m still not able to choose this channel even though (I think) the requirements to do so are met.
Obvious screenshot as superfluous proof.
It would be very helpful to have the feature to use the REST API to send a whatsapp outbound message using a template, This is a feature most platforms have.
Ive added the feature request here, please help me upvote it:
Hey
not sure if this fits your use case, but you can use Series to start a WhatsApp Conversation.
When starting the Series you have to select the Template which has to be used. Within this Series you can also select your triggers and create the path, the user should be guided through.
+1Hey
Old thread, so this is an update for people landing here later.
Florian's Series answer is the native route and it still works: a Series can have a WhatsApp step with an approved template, triggered by events you send from your product, and Intercom bills those as Bulk WhatsApp Sent usage. Marketing templates to US numbers are blocked, and recipients must have opted in.
If your trigger lives in your own backend and you'd rather just call an endpoint, Octopods has one (full disclosure, I am part of the company, and it's third-party). You POST to an approved template's endpoint with the destination phone and variables, and replies land in Intercom (it opens an intercom conversation if there wasn't one already).
One small nuance: Meta allows one active registration per number, so you'd connect the number to Octopods instead of Intercom's own WhatsApp channel, and as far as I know Intercom's Series would then not send from it. Pick one per number.
Hope this helps!
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