WhatsApp Integration

Overview

WhatsApp is built into Omniops, but it is currently a private, readiness-gated rollout. Do not rely on it as a live customer channel until Meta setup, webhook verification, an approved text-only template, and a live delivery proof have all passed for your business.

Once enabled and proven, WhatsApp messages can be processed with your product catalogue, order data, and support policies. Until then, your live customer-support channel is the website widget, with WhatsApp prepared alongside it.

Current Availability

• General customer use: not yet available.
• Private rollout: available only with Omniops support during setup.
• Required before use: Meta Business setup, webhook verification, a dedicated WhatsApp number, a connected WhatsApp Business account, an approved text-only template, and a successful readiness check.
• Fail-closed behaviour: Omniops should report setup gaps instead of pretending WhatsApp delivery is ready.

Prerequisites

• A dedicated phone number — a separate number for Omni (cheap SIM or virtual number). Your personal WhatsApp stays completely separate.
• A Meta Business account — free to create at business.facebook.com
• Business verification — Meta verifies your business using official documents (takes 2-14 days)

Why a separate number? WhatsApp locks each number to one integration. Giving Omni its own number means your personal or business WhatsApp is unaffected. Once readiness has passed, customers can message Omni's number for support.

Setup

Unlike other integrations that connect with a single click, WhatsApp requires manual setup through Meta and an Omniops readiness check before it can be used. Expect around 30 minutes of active work, plus a wait for Meta's business verification and template approval.

Step 1: Get a Dedicated Phone Number

You need a phone number that isn't currently registered with WhatsApp. Options:

• A cheap pay-as-you-go SIM
• A virtual/VoIP number (must be able to receive one SMS for verification)

Step 2: Verify Your Business with Meta

1. Go to Meta Business Suite and create or select your business
2. Navigate to Settings → Business Verification
3. Upload your business documents (registration certificate, tax document, or utility bill)
4. Wait for verification (usually 2-14 days)

Step 3: Connect in Omniops

1. Contact Omniops support to enable the private rollout for your account
2. Go to Integrations → Meta Business Suite in your dashboard when support confirms it is enabled
3. Connect by signing in with your Meta account
4. Confirm that WhatsApp appears in the Connected Services panel
5. Wait for the WhatsApp readiness check to show that webhook verification, account connection, and template delivery are ready

How It Works

Once WhatsApp is enabled and readiness has passed, the intended flow is:

1. The message arrives at Omniops in real time
2. Omniops processes the message with your business context
3. The AI generates a response using your product data and policies
4. The response is sent back through WhatsApp

Features

• Product enquiries — customers can ask about products, pricing, and availability once the channel is live
• Order tracking — customers can check order status using their order number or email once the channel is live
• Multi-language — automatic language detection and response in the customer's language
• Template delivery — readiness-gated business-initiated messages using Meta-approved templates
• Rich messages — planned support for images, buttons, and list messages

Messaging Limits

WhatsApp has limits on how many messages a business can send. Once the channel is live, Omniops works within those limits automatically.

Need help? This is the most involved setup in Omniops and is not self-serve yet. Reach out via Help in your dashboard before advertising WhatsApp as a live channel.