Connect WhatsApp to B6AI

Overview

WhatsApp is the highest-engagement channel for many businesses. Connecting the WhatsApp Business Platform (Meta’s Cloud API) lets your bot answer customers on WhatsApp, hand off to human agents, and send proactive notifications using approved templates.

This guide covers the full setup on Meta’s side and in B6AI, plus the messaging rules that keep your number healthy.

What you can do on WhatsApp

Connecting WhatsApp lets your bot hold real conversations there, with full handoff to human agents when needed. On this channel you can:

1. Answer inbound WhatsApp messages automatically with your bot.
2. Hand off seamlessly to a live agent in the Chats inbox.
3. Reply freely within the 24-hour customer-service window.
4. Send approved template messages (order updates, reminders) outside the window.
5. Share media (images, documents, location) and use interactive buttons and lists.

How the WhatsApp channel works

B6AI connects to the WhatsApp Business Platform (Meta Cloud API). Meta hosts your business phone number; when a customer messages it, Meta calls a webhook at B6AI, which runs your bot and replies using your Phone Number ID and a permanent access token.

Business-initiated messages sent outside the 24-hour window must use a message template that Meta has pre-approved.

Prerequisites

Have all of the following ready before you begin, each is required to complete the connection.

1. A Meta Business account (business verification is required to raise messaging limits).
2. A Meta app with the WhatsApp product added.
3. A phone number that is not already registered on WhatsApp (or one you migrate in), plus a display name for it.
4. The Enterprise Admin role in B6AI.

Set up WhatsApp on Meta

You configure the number and app on Meta’s side, then connect it to B6AI.

1. Create a Meta Business account at business.facebook.com.
2. At developers.facebook.com, create an app (type: Business) and add the WhatsApp product.
3. In WhatsApp → API Setup, add or select your phone number and set its display name.
4. Complete Business Verification (Business Settings → Security Center) to lift messaging limits.
5. Create a System User (Business Settings → Users → System Users) and generate a permanent token with the whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management permissions.

Get your WhatsApp Business Platform credentials

These are the values you will paste into B6AI. Copy each one carefully.

1. In WhatsApp → API Setup, copy the Phone Number ID and the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) ID.
2. Copy the permanent System User access token you generated (prefer this over the temporary 24-hour token).
3. Choose a Webhook verify token: any strong random string. You’ll enter the same value in Meta and in B6AI.

Phone Number ID:  109xxxxxxxxxxxx
WABA ID:          102xxxxxxxxxxxx
Permanent token:  EAAG… (System User token)
Verify token:     <a-strong-random-string you choose>

Required permissions

Grant exactly these permissions so B6AI can send and receive messages on WhatsApp.

Configure the webhook

Inbound WhatsApp messages reach B6AI through a Meta webhook. You paste B6AI’s callback URL and your chosen verify token into Meta so the two sides agree.

1. In your Meta app → WhatsApp → Configuration → Webhooks, set the Callback URL and Verify token to the values B6AI shows during connection.
2. Subscribe to the messages field.
3. B6AI completes Meta’s verification handshake automatically once the values match.

Connect WhatsApp in B6AI

Channels are configured per bot. In B6AI, open Bots and choose the bot you want on WhatsApp, switch to its Channels tab, and click Configure on the WhatsApp card. Complete the form (every field is explained below), Save, then toggle Enable to turn the channel on.

1. In B6AI, open Bots, choose your bot, and go to its Channels tab.
2. Click Configure on the WhatsApp card.
3. Enter the Phone Number ID, Business Account ID, permanent access token and your webhook verify token.
4. Copy the callback URL B6AI shows and paste it into Meta’s webhook configuration (previous section).
5. Save, then toggle Enable. B6AI validates the number and webhook.

{
  "provider": "whatsapp",
  "phone_number_id": "109…",
  "waba_id": "102…",
  "access_token": "EAAG…",
  "verify_token": "…"
}

Publish the bot to WhatsApp

Once the channel is configured and enabled on the bot, publish the bot so customers get answers on WhatsApp.

1. On the bot’s Channels tab, confirm the WhatsApp channel shows Configured and is Enabled.
2. Open the bot in Bot Builder and run it through the test simulator until it passes validation.
3. Click Publish. The bot now serves conversations on WhatsApp.

Verify with a test conversation

Confirm the channel is live end to end before sharing it with customers.

1. From your personal WhatsApp, send a message to the business number.
2. Confirm the bot replies within the 24-hour session window.
3. Check the conversation appears in the Chats inbox, and test a handoff to an agent.

Messaging rules & behavior

Every channel has its own rules about when and how businesses may message customers. Understanding these prevents blocked or undelivered messages.

1. The 24-hour customer-service window: after a customer messages you, you can send free-form replies for 24 hours.
2. Outside that window, business-initiated messages must use a message template that Meta has pre-approved (create templates in WhatsApp Manager → Message Templates).
3. You need customer opt-in to message people proactively.
4. Your messaging limit (250 → 1K → 10K → unlimited/day) and quality rating scale with business verification and good sending behavior.

Troubleshooting

If messages are not delivered or the bot does not reply, match the symptom below to its cause and fix.

Limitations

Keep these constraints in mind when designing conversations for WhatsApp.

1. Proactive messages require approved templates plus customer opt-in.
2. Messaging limits are tiered and scale with verification and quality rating.
3. One phone number per channel connection; media has size limits.

Security & compliance

1. Grant only the scopes and permissions listed above, never request more “just in case”.
2. Rotate your WhatsApp Business Platform credentials on a regular schedule, and immediately if you suspect exposure.
3. Restrict the Enterprise Admin role (which manages integrations) to a small, trusted group.
4. Prefer a dedicated service account or bot user over a personal login, so access survives staff changes.
5. Review the integration’s activity in the B6AI Activity Logs periodically for unexpected calls.
6. Disconnect the integration the moment a credential leaks; then rotate it in WhatsApp before reconnecting.

Recommendations

1. Test against a sandbox or non-production WhatsApp account before connecting live data.
2. Document which bots and flows depend on this integration so changes are predictable.
3. Set a recurring reminder to review scopes and rotate credentials.
4. Enable only the capabilities you actually use today; you can widen scopes later.