Connecting WhatsApp Business to AI: answering where the customer already is
WhatsApp Business can be connected to AI. IntraGPT can send messages to a customer and retrieve the approved message templates belonging to your WhatsApp Business account. One hard rule from Meta applies: within twenty-four hours of the customer's last message you may reply freely, outside that window only with a pre-approved template.
What the connector does
Send a message
The agent sends a text message or a template message to a phone number, through the WhatsApp number attached to your account. That message genuinely arrives and cannot be taken back.
Retrieve approved templates
The connector fetches the message templates belonging to the WhatsApp Business account, with their status and their variables. That way the agent only uses templates that are actually approved.
Respect the 24 hour window
Within twenty-four hours of the customer's last message you may reply freely. Outside it a template is mandatory. The connector is set up so the agent follows that rule rather than discovering it through an error.
Numbers in the right format
Phone numbers go in international format without a plus and without dashes. The agent converts a number a user supplies in everyday notation first.
How organisations use WhatsApp
Customer service
- Situation
- A customer sends a message about an open order, outside office hours.
- What the agent does
- The agent looks the order up in the connected system and sends an answer with the current status within the twenty-four hour window.
- Result
- The customer has an answer without anyone standing by with a phone in hand.
Healthcare and community work
- Situation
- Participants in a group activity need a reminder the day before.
- What the agent does
- The agent sends an approved reminder template with the date and location as variables.
- Result
- Fewer no-shows, and the coordinator does not have to type the same message thirty times.
Real estate
- Situation
- A viewing has been rescheduled and the prospective buyer needs to know before getting in the car.
- What the agent does
- The agent sends a message with the new time, or a template if the customer has not written for more than a day.
- Result
- The message arrives on the channel people actually read instead of in a mailbox.
E-commerce
- Situation
- A customer asks over WhatsApp whether a product is in stock and when it will be delivered.
- What the agent does
- The agent checks the connected order system, drafts the answer and shows it before it is sent.
- Result
- A concrete answer with the right details, without the employee switching between two screens.
From number to first conversation
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1
WhatsApp Business account
You need a WhatsApp Business account with Meta and a verified phone number. You arrange that with Meta; we help get the details in place.
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2
Get templates approved
Anything you want to send outside the twenty-four hour window needs an approved template. Decide in advance which messages those are, because approval takes time.
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3
Add a source
A WhatsApp agent without a source can only chat. Attach the knowledge base or the system the answers come from, for example order status or the frequently asked questions.
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4
Agree what may run autonomously
Sending is irreversible. Agree which messages the agent may send on its own and which it has to submit first; the connector shows the recipient and the text before anything goes out.
A message on a customer's personal phone
WhatsApp arrives on the device people carry in their pocket. That calls for restraint in what you send and clarity about what was sent.
Where the data lives: Nederland of de EU
Sending is final
A sent WhatsApp message cannot be taken back. The agent only sends on explicit request and shows the number and the text beforehand.
Inside Meta's rules
The twenty-four hour window and the approved templates are Meta policy, not advice. The connector sticks to them so your account does not run into trouble.
Everything in the log
Every call lands in the connector log with the action and the outcome. You can therefore trace which message went out when and at whose request.
The model runs at your end
Drafting the text happens on your own server with open-weight models. The content of the conversations is not sent to an external model provider.
Questions about the WhatsApp Business connector
Can I connect WhatsApp to ChatGPT?
Not as a managed channel for an organisation. There is no integration where you set roles, sources and logging. IntraGPT works through Meta's official business channel with your own WhatsApp Business account, and the model drafting the messages runs on your own server.
Does IntraGPT work with WhatsApp Business?
Yes. WhatsApp Business is in the connector catalogue with actions to send a message or a template message and to retrieve the approved templates.
What exactly is that twenty-four hour rule?
Meta allows free-form messages only within twenty-four hours of the customer's last message. Outside that you may only send a pre-approved template. That is Meta policy, not IntraGPT's, and it applies to everyone messaging customers through WhatsApp.
Can we have incoming messages handled too?
The platform also has a full WhatsApp channel where incoming messages reach an agent, with QR code pairing and a typing indicator. That is switched on or off per workspace. The connector on this page is the outbound side; tell us what you want in a call and we will pick the right form.
What does a WhatsApp connector cost?
The connector itself is part of the project we run together. Note that Meta charges separately per conversation window; that runs through your own WhatsApp Business account and sits outside IntraGPT.
How long does setup take?
Once the WhatsApp Business account and the number are ready, the connector can be tested quickly. The lead time sits in Meta's verification and in getting the templates approved that you want to use outside the window.
Can the AI message customers on its own?
You can configure that, but we advise starting with review. A message on someone's personal phone is different from an email: the agent shows the number and the text first, and only once that runs well do you move towards autonomy.
May we put customer data in a WhatsApp message?
Be careful with that. The connector can technically include data from your systems, but a message is an open channel. Agree in advance which data may and may not appear in a message and record that in the agent instruction.