WhatsApp Integration

Overview

The WhatsApp integration allows RespondeIA to send and receive messages through your WhatsApp Business account, enabling AI-powered customer service automation directly in WhatsApp conversations.

You’ll need a WhatsApp Business API account to use this integration. If you don’t have one yet, we can help you set it up during onboarding.

Prerequisites

Before connecting WhatsApp to RespondeIA, ensure you have:

A WhatsApp Business API account (not the same as WhatsApp Business app)
Your WhatsApp Business phone number verified
Admin access to your RespondeIA account
Your Facebook Business Manager account linked

Connection Methods

Quick Connect

Recommended for most users. Connect in under 5 minutes using our guided setup.

Manual Setup

For advanced users who need custom webhook configurations.

Quick Connect

Access Integration Settings

Navigate to your RespondeIA dashboard and go to Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp.Click the Connect WhatsApp Business button to begin the OAuth flow.

Authorize WhatsApp Business

You’ll be redirected to Facebook Business Manager. Select the WhatsApp Business account you want to connect.

Make sure you select the correct phone number. Changing it later requires reconnecting the integration.

Grant the following permissions:

Read messages: To receive customer inquiries
Send messages: To send AI-generated responses
Manage webhooks: To receive real-time updates

Configure Webhook

RespondeIA will automatically configure the webhook URL for your WhatsApp Business account:

https://api.respondeia.com/webhooks/whatsapp/{your-account-id}

The webhook handles incoming messages, delivery receipts, and read confirmations.

Test the Connection

Send a test message to your WhatsApp Business number. You should see:

Message appearing in the RespondeIA dashboard under Consultas
AI assistant responding automatically within 1-2 seconds
Message marked as delivered in WhatsApp

Use the test message: “Hola, quiero información sobre sus servicios” to verify the AI is responding correctly.

Customize AI Behavior

Once connected, configure your AI assistant’s behavior:

Business Information: Add your products, services, and pricing
Operating Hours: Set when the AI should auto-respond vs. escalate
Tone & Style: Adjust formality and language preferences
Response Templates: Pre-define answers to common questions

Manual Setup

For developers who need more control over the integration:

1. Generate API Credentials

Create an API key in your RespondeIA account:

curl -X POST https://api.respondeia.com/v1/auth/api-keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "WhatsApp Integration",
    "permissions": ["messages:read", "messages:write", "webhooks:manage"]
  }'

2. Configure WhatsApp Webhook

Set up your webhook in the Facebook Business Manager:

Webhook Configuration

{
  "url": "https://api.respondeia.com/webhooks/whatsapp/YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID",
  "verify_token": "YOUR_WEBHOOK_VERIFY_TOKEN",
  "fields": [
    "messages",
    "message_status",
    "message_reactions",
    "message_echoes"
  ]
}

3. Handle Incoming Messages

RespondeIA automatically processes incoming messages, but you can also handle them programmatically:

Example: Message Handler

interface WhatsAppMessage {
  from: string;
  text: string;
  timestamp: number;
  messageId: string;
}

// RespondeIA processes messages automatically
// This example shows the internal flow
async function handleIncomingMessage(message: WhatsAppMessage) {
  // 1. Message is received via webhook
  const response = await fetch('https://api.respondeia.com/v1/messages/process', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      channel: 'whatsapp',
      from: message.from,
      content: message.text,
      messageId: message.messageId
    })
  });

  // 2. AI generates response (avg. 1.4s)
  const { aiResponse, shouldEscalate } = await response.json();

  // 3. Response is sent automatically
  // You'll receive a webhook notification when sent
}

4. Send Messages Programmatically

Send messages through the RespondeIA API:

async function sendWhatsAppMessage(to: string, message: string) {
  const response = await fetch('https://api.respondeia.com/v1/messages/send', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      channel: 'whatsapp',
      to: to,
      content: message,
      type: 'text'
    })
  });

  if (!response.ok) {
    throw new Error('Failed to send message');
  }

  return response.json();
}

Features

Automatic Response

The AI responds to customer messages automatically based on:

Business knowledge: Information you’ve trained the AI with
Context awareness: Previous conversation history
Intent detection: Understanding what the customer needs
Sentiment analysis: Adjusting tone based on customer emotion

Average response time is 1.4 seconds from message receipt to AI response sent.

Smart Escalation

The AI automatically escalates to human agents when:

Customer explicitly requests human assistance
Query is outside the AI’s training scope
Negative sentiment is detected
Transaction requires manual approval

Rich Media Support

RespondeIA supports all WhatsApp media types:

Text messages (up to 4096 characters)
Images (JPEG, PNG)
Documents (PDF, DOCX)
Location sharing
Contact cards
Quick reply buttons
List messages

Monitoring & Analytics

Track your WhatsApp integration performance in the dashboard:

Message Volume

Total messages sent/received, broken down by hour/day/month

Response Time

Average AI response latency and delivery time

Resolution Rate

Percentage of queries resolved without human intervention

Customer Satisfaction

CSAT scores collected automatically after conversations

Troubleshooting

Messages Not Being Received

Verify Webhook Status

Go to Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp and check webhook status is “Active”.

Check WhatsApp Business API

Ensure your WhatsApp Business account is active and not rate-limited by Meta.

Review Webhook Logs

Check webhook delivery logs in Facebook Business Manager for error codes.

AI Not Responding

Verify your subscription plan includes AI responses (not available on trial with limitations)
Check if operating hours are configured correctly
Ensure AI training data has been provided

Connection Lost

If you change your WhatsApp Business phone number in Facebook Business Manager, you must reconnect the integration in RespondeIA.

To reconnect:

Go to Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp
Click Disconnect
Follow the Quick Connect steps again

Rate Limits

WhatsApp Business API has the following limits:

Tier	Messages per 24h	Notes
Tier 1	1,000	New accounts
Tier 2	10,000	After quality rating improves
Tier 3	100,000	Established accounts
Unlimited	No limit	By Meta approval

RespondeIA automatically manages rate limits and queues messages to prevent API blocks.

Security

Message Encryption

All messages are:

Encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3)
Encrypted at rest (AES-256)
End-to-end encrypted by WhatsApp

Access Control

Control who can:

View conversation history
Modify AI training data
Access API credentials
Export customer data

Compliance

RespondeIA’s WhatsApp integration is compliant with:

GDPR (Europe)
CCPA (California)
LGPD (Brazil)
WhatsApp Business Policy

Best Practices

Train your AI thoroughly: Provide comprehensive business information before going live
Set clear operating hours: Define when AI should handle vs. escalate
Monitor daily: Review AI responses in the first week to catch edge cases
Use templates for common queries: Pre-define answers to frequent questions
Enable human handoff: Always have agents available during business hours
Respect customer preferences: Honor opt-out requests immediately

Next Steps

AI Training

Learn how to train your AI with business-specific information

Response Templates

Create message templates for common scenarios

API Reference

Explore the full API documentation

Analytics

Set up custom analytics and reporting

Get Started

Core Features

User Guide

Integration

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Connection Methods

Quick Connect

Manual Setup

​Quick Connect

​Manual Setup

​1. Generate API Credentials

​2. Configure WhatsApp Webhook

​3. Handle Incoming Messages

​4. Send Messages Programmatically

​Features

​Automatic Response

​Smart Escalation

​Rich Media Support

​Monitoring & Analytics

Message Volume

Response Time

Resolution Rate

Customer Satisfaction

​Troubleshooting

​Messages Not Being Received

​AI Not Responding

​Connection Lost

​Rate Limits

​Security

​Message Encryption

​Access Control

​Compliance

​Best Practices

​Next Steps

AI Training

Response Templates

API Reference

Analytics

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Prerequisites

Connection Methods

Quick Connect

Manual Setup

1. Generate API Credentials

2. Configure WhatsApp Webhook

3. Handle Incoming Messages

4. Send Messages Programmatically

Features

Automatic Response

Smart Escalation

Rich Media Support

Monitoring & Analytics

Troubleshooting

Messages Not Being Received

AI Not Responding

Connection Lost

Rate Limits

Security

Message Encryption

Access Control

Compliance

Best Practices

Next Steps