WhatsApp by EngageLab

You can configure a Bot to work within WhatsApp, allowing your customers to directly converse with an AI Bot through WhatsApp.

This tutorial is aimed at users who plan to register a WhatsApp Business Account ID in the EngageLab backend.

EngageLab is an official BSP of WhatsApp.

Setting up an EngageLab Account

Creating an Engagelab Account

Go to the EngageLab Registration and fill in your email, password, and phone number, then click "Sign Up."

After entering the email verification code, you will need to provide the organization name, website name, and select the organization's time zone.

Note: Once the time zone is selected, it cannot be changed! When creating a WhatsApp business account, the time zone must also be selected to match.

Click "Next" to enter the main Engagelab page.

Activating WhatsApp Service

In the "Pending Services" section, find WhatsApp and click "Get Start."

Accessing the Subsite

Click "Send Message" to access the subsite for this service, which will redirect you to the "Overview" guide page to begin the registration process for the WhatsApp account.

Registering a WhatsApp Account and Sending Number

On the overview page, click "Register" to be redirected to Meta's official registration page. After logging in with your Facebook account, follow the official process step by step to complete the registration. Steps 1 and 2 will be completed simultaneously upon registration.

If you have not yet registered a Facebook account, please create an account first.

Note: Do not use a newly registered Facebook account immediately to register a WhatsApp account. Perform normal activities such as logging in, posting information, and editing your profile for a few days before registering, as using a new account immediately may result in it being banned. For more information on using Facebook accounts, please read the Facebook Account Exception.

Authorization Reminder

After selecting your Facebook account, you will be prompted with an authorization reminder, which is mandatory.

Creating/Selecting Meta Business Account

If you have already created a Meta business account, especially if the account has completed business verification in the Meta Business Manager, it is recommended to select that account directly. If not, fill in the required information to create a new account. Please note:

• It is recommended to use a company email address instead of a QQ email address.
• Use a website address that showcases your company's legitimate business, as it will be reviewed by Meta.
• If the creation fails at this step, even with correct information, it is likely due to restrictions on the Facebook ad account. You can refer to the Facebook Troubleshooting Solutions.

Creating/Selecting WhatsApp Business Account

If you have already created a WhatsApp Business account in EngageLab:

• If you want to add a new number to the account, select "Existing Account" and create a new WhatsApp Business business page.
• If you want to verify a phone number within the account, select "Existing Account" and choose an existing business page (phone number).

If not, select "Create" for all options. Please note:

• The account name will not be visible to your users.
• The business profile display name (must comply with the naming rules), website, and other information will be visible to your users.
• The time zone should match the time zone of the EngageLab organization and the location of the company (users, business systems). Billing and other information will be based on this time zone. It can be modified before going live.

Adding and Verifying Phone Numbers

Use a brand new phone number for registration, ensuring that it can receive verification codes and has not been used in the WhatsApp app or any existing WhatsApp Business accounts. For more requirements, refer to the WhatsApp Phone Number Requirements.

Verification can be done through SMS or voice call, with voice call being the recommended method. If you still do not receive the verification after multiple attempts:

• Exit the registration process and try again after a few days. Choose an existing Meta business account, WhatsApp account, or business page (phone number), and attempt verification again.
• Exit the registration process and select "Add Account" on the Business Account Management page, then proceed to verify the number on the Sending Number Management page.

Note: This phone number will be visible to users. Each WhatsApp Business account can create up to 20 phone numbers, and each number can have different display names, descriptions, and website information for users to view.

After completing the registration, you will be automatically redirected from the "Meta registration page" to the "Overview." At this point, you will see that steps 1 and 2 of the guide have been completed (if the status has not been updated to completed, please refresh the page), and the WhatsApp account you just registered will be selected in the top left corner. Next, proceed to step 3 - verifying the sending number.

Verifying the Sending Number

In step 3, click "Verify" to access the "Sending Number" page. Here, you will need to verify the phone number that was successfully registered in EngageLab.

Click "Verify Number" and select the verification method "WhatsApp Business Cloud API":

• If you completed the verification code input in the Meta official registration process within 14 days of performing the verification operation, it will be directly verified.
• If you did not complete the verification code input in the Meta official registration process within 14 days of performing the verification operation, you will need to request a verification code to be sent to your phone for verification.
• If the display name shows "Under Review," you cannot click "Verify Number" at this time. Please wait for some time before attempting again.

After successful verification, the operational status will change to "Connected," and you can now use this sending number to send messages.

Generating API Keys

On the "Configuration Management" - "API Keys" page, click "Create Now" to generate the keys.

Fill in the API key description, expiration date, IP whitelist, and select API permissions.

• Set a longer expiration date.
• It is recommended not to restrict the IP. If you need to set an IP whitelist for security reasons, include GPTBots' IP address.
• Check the API permission - Message Sending API - and select the sending number you want to use.

After successful creation, the system will automatically generate the DevKey and DevSecret.

Click on the entire row to access the details page, where you can retrieve the DevKey and DevSecret and copy them to configure the GPTBots' WhatsApp configuration page.

Configuring GPTBots WhatsApp

Enter the Bot's WhatsApp configuration page and fill in the "DevKey," "DevSecret," and "Phone Number" obtained in the previous steps, then click "Submit" to obtain the "Callback URL" below.

Configuring Callback URL

Go to "Configuration Management" - "Callback Settings" and click "Configure Callback."

Enter GPTbots' Callback URL in the callback address field, check all callback events, and click "OK" to save.

At this point, all configurations have been completed, and the Bot has been associated with the "WhatsApp Account."

Conversing with the Bot

Send the message to the phone number configured in the "EngageLab WhatsApp Account" to have a conversation with the Bot.

Note: If the EngageLab balance is insufficient, messages cannot be sent. You can recharge in the "Product Market" of EngageLab.

Meta Business Verification

If your Meta Business Manager has not completed corporate verification, you will only be able to send 250 messages per day. If you intend to officially launch your service and need more message sending capacity, follow the Corporate Verification Guide to complete the corporate verification process.

Migrating Numbers to EngageLab

Meta supports migrating registered phone numbers between different WhatsApp Business accounts (WABAs) in the following scenarios:

• Your company is currently using services from another Meta partner and wants to switch to EngageLab.
• Your company has implemented its own solution and wants to switch to EngageLab.

If you have this need, you can complete the "Account Registration" process and then contact EngageLab support personnel for assistance with the migration.