Connecting WhatsApp

 

For a business frequently interacting with customers on WhatsApp, we suggest you get WhatsApp Account Business API (WABA) from one of our BSP partners to integrate with CINNOX and take advantage of supporting customers with multiple staff on one of the most popular messaging platforms and leveraging CINNOX's other powerful features for customer support, engagement, marketing and contact centre solutions.

CINNOX partnered with 360dialog as WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP) and other BSPs, which you may already have to connect with CINNOX for the WhatsApp channel.

This user manual covers two parts:

• PART I: Get a WhatsApp Business API (WABA) Account

• PART II: Connect your WhatsApp Business API Account to CINNOX

If you already have a WhatsApp Business API Account, you are ready to jump right through Part II.

If your BSP is 360dialog, please refer to our 360dialog Guide.

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What are a WhatsApp Business account and a WhatsApp Business API account?

Learn more about WhatsApp Business and the WhatsApp Business API.

 

PART I - Get a WhatsApp Business API (WABA) Account

Step 1 - Choose your WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP)

• If you don't have a WABA account, you can directly register a WABA from 360dialog BSP on CINNOX. Please refer to our 360dialog User Manual on creating a new WABA account.

• Also, CINNOX has partnered with the following WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP).

 

Step 2 - Prepare and apply for the Business API

You must prepare the following information for the partner and apply for the Business API with the BSP.

 

Step 3 - List your WhatsApp Business API details

CINNOX follows the standard APIs provided by Meta.
Any provider with direct integration to Meta should be compatible with CINNOX.

The following information is required to connect your WhatsApp Business API to CINNOX when you choose either Emma Global or Clare.AI as your provider:

 

Clare.AI

Once your application is approved, Clare.AI will email your WhatsApp Business API details.

Emma Global

Once your application is approved, Emma Global will email your WhatsApp Business API details.

 

PART II: Connect your WABA Account to CINNOX

Step 1 - Create WhatsApp Channel:

• Log in to your CINNOX Web Dashboard.
• Go to Administration > Channels > Social from the navigation menu.
• Click the Connect Social button in the top-right corner of the Social page.
• Click Connect on WhatsApp.

 

Step 2 - Select your WhatsApp Provider

• Click + Connect your WhatsApp Business Account

• Select your WhatsApp Business Account Provider:

  • 360dialog
  • Emma Global
  • Clare.AI

• If you use Another WhatsApp Provider, please contact us through our Live Support web link.

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The guide below will show you how to create a WhatsApp Channel with Emma Global, Clare.AI or anther WhatsApp BSP. For 360dialog, please refer to our 360dialog Guide.

Step 3 - Connect your WABA

Source Details

• Source name: Input your WhatsApp Display Name registered as your Source Name.
• WhatsApp Number: Input the phone number registered as your Whatsapp Business API

Please provide the information below from your BSP (Emma Global, Clare.AI or another BSP).

• Endpoint URL
• User Name
• User Password
• Namespace

 

Step 4 - Configure the CINNOX Channel and Routing Setting

Channel Name

• Add a name as your WhatsApp channel name. The channel name can be up to 40 characters.

Routing Settings
Select the Routing Rule and add Destinations based on the operational support to your channel.
For more information, please check our detailed guide Alternative, Percentage, Time and Sticky Routing.

 

Step 5 - Set up the Auto-Reply Message

You can enable and configure the following Auto-Reply Messages:

• Welcome Message: Greetings are sent to customers when they first message you.
• Away Message: It is only sent if no staff can answer an enquiry.
• Custom Auto-Close Notification Message: It is sent when the chat room doesn't have a new message after 2 minutes, and the enquiry will be closed when the notification has been sent after 1 minute.
• Close Enquiry Message: This will be sent to the visitors' chatrooms when the staff or the system closes the enquiries.

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Reminder

• The limit of Welcome, Away, Custom Auto-Close Notification and Closed Enquiry Messages is 500 characters.
• Before configuring the Custom Auto-Close Notification Message function, you must enable the auto close feature for handled enquiries without new messages. For more information, please refer to the Managing Auto Close Enquiry page.

 

Display Name Format
You may include staff display names in your messages. Choose from the following options:

• No name to display
• Staff first name
• Staff first name + last name

Welcome Message

• CINNOX provides a default welcome message.
• Toggle the switch on to enable it.
• After toggling on it, you can change the default message according to your needs.

Away Message

• CINNOX provides a default away message.
• Toggle the switch on to enable it.
• After toggling on it, you can change the default message according to your needs.

Custom Auto-Close Notification Message

• Click the downward arrow icon.
• Enter your Auto-Close Notification Message in the box.
• You can preview the message in the chat room on the right-hand side of the grey box.

Close Enquiry Message

• CINNOX provides a default close enquiry message.
• Toggle the switch on to enable it.
• After toggling on it, you can change the default message according to your needs.

 

Enable CINNOX Channel Custom Info

Channel Custom Info allows you to add your channel details that your staff would see in the call screen and chat room whenever they are serving an enquiry. The custom info can be about the standard procedure or operation details of handling the enquiry.

• Toggle the switch on to enable the Channel Custom Info.
• A blank space adds the required basic information about the channel.
• Click the Next button to complete all configurations, and the customised info appears on the Channel Custom Info.

The custom info is displayed on the staff side in the chat room section for the chat enquiry.

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• You can customise the Channel Custom Info per Channel - Directory/Tag, Number, Social and Third Party Channel.
• The custom info is displayed on the staff side in the chat room section for the chat enquiry.
• The Channel Custom Info you can add is 10,000 chars per channel. Please ensure it is at most the limit to work correctly.
• The Channel Custom Info will still be displayed as a chatbot message in the enquiry room if an enquiry is missed.

 

The created WhatsApp channel is listed on the Social channels.

 

Others

Manage WhatsApp Channel in CINNOX

To edit, suspend, or delete your WhatsApp channel in CINNOX, refer to this guide's Managing Social Channels section.

 

Manage Social Channel Source

Refer to the Social Channel Source Guide to view, edit, or delete a channel source.

 

Serve Chat Enquiries

Refer to Serving Chat Enquiries for more information about serving an enquiry via the WhatsApp channel.

 

Known Limitations

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• You can only connect WhatsApp Business API to CINNOX. You cannot connect to other WhatsApp accounts.

• A WhatsApp Business API account can only connect to one CINNOX service.

• WhatsApp Business API has a 24-hour idle conversation limit.
  A message will appear in the chat room when the staff attempts to send a message to the visitor, but the conversation has lapsed due to being idle and has reached the time limit: Sorry, your message can no longer be sent the 24-hour message window has lapsed. Close this enquiry, or wait until the visitor sends a message again.

• Supported Text, Media Content-Types and Size Limit. For details, please refer to Meta Supported Files.

 

Help and Support

Send a test message to your WhatsApp Business API account and check if your CINNOX service receives it as a new enquiry.

If your CINNOX service is still not receiving any messages, contact our CINNOX Support Team at [email protected].