Comm100 allows you to receive and respond to customer messages by integrating a WhatsApp Business Account with Comm100 Ticketing & Messaging.

Before configuring WhatsApp in Comm100, you must set up the required business assets on the WhatsApp Business Platform and create a Meta app for the WhatsApp Cloud API.

1. Create an app on Meta for Developers
2. Add a WhatsApp phone number
3. Generate a permanent access token
4. Set up a webhook

To create a Meta app for the WhatsApp integration, follow these steps: 

1. Register as a Meta Developer.
2. Enable two-factor authentication for your Facebook account.
3. Go to Meta for Developers and click My Apps in the left-upper corner.
4. Click Create App.
   
   
5. Under App details, enter a name for the App, and click Next.
   
   
6. Under Use cases, select Connect with customers through WhatsApp, and click Next.
   
   
7. Under Business, select the business portfolio that you want to connect to the app, and click Next.
   
   
   Note: The Facebook account used to create the app must have sufficient access to the selected business portfolio. If the business portfolio does not appear, confirm that you are using the correct Facebook account and ask a business portfolio administrator to grant you full control or the required app-management permissions.
8. Under Requirements, review the requirements that may apply to the app, including Business verification, Access Verification, and App Review, and click Next.
   
   
9. Under Overview, review the app details, selected use case, business, and requirements. Then click Create app.
   

After the app is created, it appears under My Apps in Meta for Developers.

To add and verify a WhatsApp phone number, follow these steps: 

1.  On the app dashboard, click WhatsApp and API Setup.
   
2. Scroll down to Step 5: Add a phone number and click Add phone number.
   
   
3. In the Create a WhatsApp Business profile window, provide your WhatsApp Business profile display name, Timezone, Category, and click Next.
   
   
   Note: The business profile information will be visible to customers on WhatsApp.
4. Enter the phone number that you want to use with WhatsApp, select a verification option – Text message or Phone call, and click Next.
   
5. Enter the one-time password sent by Meta to verify the phone number.
6. After successful verification, confirm that the phone number appears on the Step 1: Select phone numbers.
   
   
7. Copy and securely save the Phone number ID and WhatsApp Business Account ID. 

You will need the Phone number ID when configuring the WhatsApp channel in Comm100. The WhatsApp Business Account ID may be required when assigning assets or troubleshooting the integration.

To generate a permanent access token, follow these steps:

1. Go to Meta Business Settings.
2. Select the business portfolio associated with the Meta app and WhatsApp Business Account.
3. Navigate to Users > System users.
   Note: If an appropriate system user already exists, you do not need to create another one. Continue with the asset-assignment steps.
   
4. Click Add in the upper-right corner.
5. In the Create System User window, enter a name for the System Username, select Admin as the System User Role, and click Create System User.
   
   
6. The new system admin user appears on the list. Select the system admin user and click Assign Assets.
7. Under Apps, select the App created in Step 1, toggle Manage app under Full control.
8. Under WhatsApp accounts, select the WhatsApp Business Account associated with the phone number added in Step 2, and enable Manage WhatsApp Business Accounts under Full control.
9. Click Assign assets.
10. Select the same system admin user, and click Generate New Token.
    
11. Select the app created in Step 1.
    
12. If Meta displays an expiration option, select Never.
13. From the Available permissions section, select business_management, whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management.
    
14. Click Generate Token.
15. Copy the generated access token and store it securely.
    
16. In the Comm100 Control Panel, go to Ticketing & Messaging > Channels > WhatsApp, and do the following:
    • Provide the Phone ID and Token you saved locally in the WhatsApp channel account.
    • Copy the Callback URL and Verify token from the Comm100’s WhatsApp channel account.
      

Webhooks are user-defined HTTP callbacks that are triggered by specific events. You get a notification (HTTP request) sent to a setup URL whenever a trigger event occurs. 

To set up your Webhook, follow these steps:

1. Go to Meta for Developers and select the app from the drop-down list created in Step 1.
2. Navigate to Products > WhatsApp > Configuration.
3. In the Webhook section, click Edit.
4. On the Edit webhook’s callback URL pop-up, provide the Callback URL and Verify token you saved locally from the Comm100.
5. Click Verify and save. Meta sends a verification request to the Callback URL. After Meta successfully verifies the Callback URL and Verify Token, the webhook configuration is saved.
   
6. Click Manage and subscribe to the Webhook fields. You need to subscribe messages and message_template_status_update fields.
   
7. Return to Comm100 Control Panel > Ticketing & Messaging > Channels > WhatsApp, and click Save & Test to test the connection. 

To learn more on WhatsApp channel configuration on Comm100 Control Panel, see this article.