In this article, you will find a detailed step-by-step guide on how to connect WhatsApp natively to SAAS First. We will guide you through every stage of the integration process, from setting up your WhatsApp Business API to connecting it within the SAAS First platform, so you can start communicating with your customers directly through WhatsApp in one seamless system.
Step 1.
The first step in setting up WhatsApp integration in SAAS First is to create a Meta Developer Account. You can do this by visiting Meta for Developers, then clicking on “My Apps” in the top-right corner to begin setting up your account.
Step 2.
In the second step, you need to create a new app. To do this, click the green “Create App” button located in the top-right corner of the page.
After clicking “Create App”, you will need to complete a few steps to finish the setup process.
App details: Here, you need to enter your App Name and App Contact Email to continue.
Use cases: In the Use Cases step, locate the Filter By column, scroll to the Others section, and select the “Other” option.
Business: Here click on the Business option
Requirements: Make sure to fill out all the fields on this page. Even though the Business Portfolio section appears optional, you will need it later, so we recommend completing this step now.
Step 3.
After completing all the steps, go to the Dashboard, find the WhatsApp option, and click Set Up to continue.
After that, find and go into the API setup in the left sidebar
Step 4.
Add a Phone Number and Payment Method
Scroll down to Step 5: Add a phone number, where you’ll need to enter the phone number you want to use for your business. Fill in all required fields and complete the verification process for this number.
Once verified, continue to Step 6: Add payment method. Set up your preferred payment option according to your business needs. For detailed information about Meta’s pricing and billing, you can visit Meta’s pricing details.
Step 5.
Scroll back up on the page and copy your Phone Number ID and WhatsApp Business Account ID.
Then, paste both values into the corresponding fields in SAAS First.
Step 6.
In this step is to set up a Permanent Access Token. To to that please follow the following steps:
Go to system users and click on "+ Add"
A pop-up window will appear. Make sure to set the System User Role to Admin.
After creating the system user, click Assign Assets to continue.
Under Select Asset Type, click Apps, and select the app you created in the previous step. Then, switch on the toggle for Full Control to ensure the system user has complete access to manage the app.
Step 7.
After assigning the asset, you need to generate an access token. To do this, click the Generate Token button. A pop-up window with several steps will appear on the screen.
At the Select App step, choose the app you created earlier in the process.
In the next step, set the Expiration Date to Never.
In the third step, you need to assign permissions. From the list, select whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management, then click Generate Token to proceed.
After clicking Generate Token, you will receive your access token. Copy it carefully, as you’ll need to paste it into SAAS First in the next step.
After copying the token, paste it into the corresponding field in SAAS First.
Step 8.
Next, navigate to the Configuration section.
Within the Configuration page, there are 2 steps you need to complete
From SAAS First, copy the Webhook Endpoint and paste it into the Callback URL field on the Meta side.
In the next step, create a Verify Token in Meta. You can choose any value for this token. Then, go to SAAS First and enter the exact same token in the Verify Token field. After confirming that both values match, click Save in SAAS First to proceed with the setup in Meta.
After completing all the required fields, select Verify and Save on Meta’s page to validate your webhook and finalize the setup.
Step 9.
As the final step, you need to configure your Webhook Fields.
To begin, switch to your WhatsApp Business Account to access the settings where you can configure your webhook fields.
Then, scroll down to the Webhook Fields section and turn on the toggles for messages and message_template_status_update.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully completed the setup and connected WhatsApp to SAAS First. Your integration is now active, and you can begin communicating with your customers directly through WhatsApp in SAAS First. 😊
Usage
Please note that SAAS First's WhatsApp integration only supports text messages and currently, only User Initiated conversations are available.
SAAS First allows you to maintain your WhatsApp Templates (create new, delete, or update them) and provides Pre-Defined ones to send them as soon as possible.
24-hour Interval
Please be aware that your customer support team has 24 hours to answer your customers' messages. If this is not possible, they have to use templates. Documentation on the 24-hour interval can be found here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/messenger-platform/send-messages/#standard-messaging-window and here: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/conversation-types#conversations)%2C.
