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What is WhatsApp Business?

Learn more about WhatsApp Business and the WhatsApp Business API.

Connect your WhatsApp Business API to your maaiiconnect service. Your visitors and customers' messages on your WhatsApp account become omnichannel enquiries in your maaiiconnect service account, which any of your Staff can attend to as one-on-one conversations.

Here is a simple flow to setup maaiiconnect and your WhatsApp Business API account.

 

Refer to the following step by step to for the configuration.

Step 1 - Choose your WhatsApp Business API Provider

You can find the WhatsApp Business API Provider in Facebook Official Partner Directory

For M800 & maaiiconnect, we have partnered with the following WhatsApp Providers:

 

Step 2 - Prepare and apply for the Business API

Before you apply for the Business API, you need to provide the following information:

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Note

If you want to use an existing number which has Whatsapp Account, we recommend you to use a new number or a number from M800/maaiiconnect:

• You will be required to delete the WhatsApp account with this number during the final setup stage.
• To delete the account, follow these steps. (*You will lose your old chat history.)

 

Step 3: List your WhatsApp Business API details

maaiiconnect follow standard APIs provided by Facebook. Therefore, as long as your supplier you choose to use allowing maaiiconnect directly connecting to Facebook instead of connecting to the supplier for integration.

And in order to integrate maaiiiconnect to your WhatsApp Business API Account, the following information is needed from your WhatsApp Business API Supplier:

Clare.AI
After you completed the set up in Clare.AI, they will provide you with the information needed via email.

Sanuker
After you completed the set up in Sanuker, you can access their Dashboard and view your registered WhatsApp Business API's details.

EMMA
After you completed the set up in EMMA, they will provide you with the information needed via email.

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Submit this information to your Account Manager or to the Sales team at [email protected] to assist on setting up for you the connection of your WhatsApp Business API Account in your maaiiconnect Service.

 

Step 4 - Setting Up WhatsApp Channel in maaiiconnect

To create a new WhatsApp channel:

• From the navigation menu, go to Channels > Omnichannels.
  On the Omnichannels interface, click on the Create Channel button on the top-right corner.

• Click on the WhatsApp icon.

 

Source

• Choose for the WhatsApp Business API account as a source you want to link to your WhatsApp Channel.
• Click on the Select button.

 

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If you do not have yet the WhatsApp Business API as a source on your maaiiconnect service, please contact your Account Manager or our Sales Team at [email protected] to assist on setting up for you the connection of your WhatsApp Business API Account in your maaiiconnect Service.

Refer to Step 3: List your WhatsApp Business API details for the details to provide to the maaiiconnect Team.

 

After selecting a WhatsApp Business API source, this will launch the Create New Channel wizard with the following workflow:

Basic Information

The Basic Information section contains the following details:

Channel Name

• Add a name for your WhatsApp channel. The channel name can be up to 40 characters.
• Click on the Save button.

Source

• See above information

 

Routing Settings

Routing rules help businesses with multiple customer service teams or groups distribute incoming customer enquiries to their preferred destinations.

Routing rules may be any of the following:

Alternative routing rule
Alternative routing distributes incoming enquiries based on the order of Destinations. Using this rule, you can have up to five Destinations per Channe. The order they are listed from top to bottom indicates their routing priority and succession (i.e., if a preceding Destination is unavailable or has timed out).

Percentage routing rule
Add two or more Destinations to your channel to use the percentage rule. This rule distributes incoming enquiries at percentage value. It helps your customer service provide support according to your support teams or hours of operation.

Time routing
Add two or more Destinations to your channel to use the rime-based rule. This rule distributes incoming enquiries using time allocation. It helps your customer service provide customer support 24/7 effectively, or according to your operating hours.

To manage the routing rule:

• On the Routing rules dropdown box, select the Routing appropriate to your customer service. It will then display the Destination as required to add.

 

Destination
A channel with multiple destinations routes customer enquiries to the succeeding destinations on the list if the first one is unavailable or has timed out.

By having multiple destinations in a channel, missed enquiries can be minimised.

Adding a Destination
To add a destination:

• Click on the (+) button located on the right side of the Add Destination field. A pop-up window will display a list of created destinations to choose from.
• Search or scroll up/down the destination list, select a destination, then click on the Add button.

Removing a Destination
To remove an added Destination

• Click on the trash icon beside it. A pop-up window will appear to confirm the removal.
• Click on the Remove button.

• Back on the Routing Setting section, click on the Save button. A pop-up message will appear, asking you to confirm the action.
• Click on the Confirm button.

To rearrange the order of the Destinations:

• Click on the dots on the left side of a Destination to drag and drop it up or down to your preferred order.
• Click on the Save button. A pop-up message will appear, asking you to confirm the action.
• Click on the Confirm button.

 

Sticky Routing

Sticky Routing is a relationship established between a visitor and a specific agent, such that the next enquiry from the said visitor will be directly routed to the same agent.

Enabling Sticky Routing

• To enable the Sticky Routing function, click on the grey (disabled) toggle button to switch it on.

Disabling Sticky Routing

• To disable the Sticky Routing function, click on the green (enabled) toggle button to switch it off.

 

Messages Settings

Display Name Format
You may include a display name on your messages whenever your Staff members send them on behalf of your WhatsApp Business API. Choose from the following options:

• No Title
• Staff First Name
• Staff Default Display Name

 

Welcome Message
Greet your visitors when they send you their very first message.

• maaiiconnect provides a default welcome message; you can change it according to your preference.

 

Away Message
When a visitor's enquiry is missed, send an auto-reply message that their enquiry will be attended to shortly.

• maaiiconnect provides a default away message; you can change it according to your preference.

 

Created channels will also be listed on the Omnichannel page.

Help and Support

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

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

 

Managing WhatsApp channels in maaiiconnect

To edit, suspend, or delete your WhatsApp channels in maaiiconnect, refer to the Managing Omnichannels section of this Guide.

 

Serving Chat Enquiries

Refer to Serving Chat Enquiries for more information on how to serve an enquiry via WhatsApp channel.

 

Known limitations

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Please take note:

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

• Any Staff with an administrator role can connect or disconnect a WhatsApp Business API to maaiiconnect. However, you cannot connect to the same WhatsApp Business API more than once. Only the WhatsApp Business API account that was connected first will work.

• You can only send up to 3,900 characters per message.

• You cannot recall messages from WhatsApp/Omnichannel enquiries.

Supported Media Content-Types and Size Limit:

• DOC, XLS, PPT, and PDF and should not exceed 100 MB for a file

• PNG and JPG and should not exceed 5 MB for an image

• AAC, MP4, AMR and MPEG and should not exceed 16 MB for audio

• MP4 and 3GPP and should not exceed 16 MB for a video

• WhatsApp Business API have a 48-hour window period when you can send messages and respond to enquiries. The following message appears when the window period has lapsed:
  Sorry, your message can no longer send; the 48-hour message window has lapsed. Close this enquiry, or wait until the visitor sends a message again.