Overview

The WhatsApp Business Integration allows Fixably users to communicate with customers through the WhatsApp Business API. This feature enables sending both template messages (pre-approved messages) and freeform messages (regular text messages) while maintaining compliance with WhatsApp's business messaging policies.

Key Benefits

• Professional Communication: Send order updates, reminders, and support messages through WhatsApp
• Template Messaging: Use pre-approved message templates for consistent communication
• Two-way Conversations: Engage in real-time conversations with customers
• Order Integration: Automatically link WhatsApp conversations to repair orders
• Multi-language Support: Send messages in different languages based on customer preferences

Initial Setup

Step 1: Enabling WhatsApp

Please reach out to customer.success@fixably.com to discuss enabling WhatsApp in your tenant. Please note that this feature may not be available to all plans. 

Step 2: Access WhatsApp Settings

1. Navigate to System Settings in the main menu
2. Click on Integrations in the settings menu
3. Select WhatsApp from the integrations list
4. 

Manually Adding Account

1. Click the "New Business Account" button in the top-right corner and fill in the required information:
   • Facebook Business Account ID: Your Facebook Business Account identifier
   • WhatsApp Business Account ID: Your WhatsApp Business Account identifier
   • Phone Number: Your business phone number in E.164 format (e.g., +15551234567)
   • Phone Number ID: The unique identifier for your WhatsApp phone number
   • Token: Your WhatsApp Business API access token
   • Webhook Token: Security token for webhook verification
   • Make as default account: Check this if it should be your primary WhatsApp account
     • Note: If this is the first account added, it will be ignored, and we always make the first one the default.
2. Click Save to create the business account.
3. 

Quick Connect with Meta

1. Click the "New Business Account" button in the top-right corner
2. At the top of the form, click the "Connect with Meta" button
3. You will be redirected to Meta's authorization page

4. 

5. Sign in to your Facebook account (if not already signed in)
6. Grant permissions when prompted:
   • WhatsApp Business Management
   • WhatsApp Business Messaging
7. Select or create your WhatsApp Business Account in the Meta wizard
8. Select the phone number you want to use for WhatsApp messaging
9. Click Continue to complete the setup
10. You will be redirected back to Fixably
11. Your account information will be automatically saved.
12. 

Account Status Indicators

• DEFAULT (Blue): This is the default account for sending messages

Important Notes

• You can have multiple WhatsApp Business Accounts, but only one can be set as the default
• The phone number must be in international format, starting with + and the country code
• Ensure your WhatsApp Business Account is verified with Meta before setup

Managing WhatsApp Templatess

WhatsApp templates are pre-approved message formats that can be sent to customers outside the 24-hour messaging window. These must be approved by WhatsApp before use.

Viewing Templates

1. Navigate to Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp
2. Click on the View Templates tab under the gear button for each business account
3. 
4. After clicking you will see the template list
5. 

Template List Information

Each template displays:

• Template Name: Unique identifier for the template
• Category: Type of template (UTILITY, MARKETING, etc.)
• Language: Template language (e.g., en_US for English)
• Status: Current approval status
• Quality: Template performance rating

Template Status Meanings

• APPROVED: Template is active and can be used
• PENDING: Awaiting WhatsApp approval
• REJECTED: Template was not approved (check rejection reason)
• PAUSED: Template temporarily disabled due to quality issues
• DISABLED: Template permanently disabled

Creating New Templates

1. Click the "Create Template" button
2. Fill in the template details:
   • Template Name: This name will be converted to lowercase with underscores (e.g., Order Update will be saved in the database as order_update)
   • Category: Select appropriate category
   • Language: Choose template language
   • Header Text (Optional): Short header message (max 60 characters)
   • Body Text: Main message content (max 1024 characters)
   • Footer Text (Optional): Additional information (max 60 characters)
3. 
4. Use Fixably’s template style:
   • System variables: Use {contactName}, {order.id} for auto-filled data
5. Click "Save Template" to submit for WhatsApp approval

Understanding Template Variables

When working with WhatsApp templates in Fixably, you'll encounter two different variable styles that serve different purposes:

Fixably System Variables

When creating templates in Fixably, you should use Fixably's template variable style. These variables are automatically filled by the system using data from your orders and customer information:

Examples:

• {contactName} - Automatically fills with the customer's name
• {order.id} - Automatically fills with the order number
• {order.total} - Automatically fills with the order total amount
• {deviceName} - Automatically fills with the device being repaired
• {customerEmail} - Automatically fills with the customer's email address

Manual Input Variables (1,2, etc.)

When you sync templates from WhatsApp, you may see placeholder variables like {$1}, {$2}, {$3}, etc. These appear when:

• The template was created outside of Fixably (directly in WhatsApp Business Manager)
• The system cannot determine what data should automatically fill these positions
• Custom information is needed that varies for each message

What this means for you:

• {$1}, {$2}, etc., are manual placeholders that require you to enter values each time you send the template
• When sending a message with these variables, you'll see input fields labelled "Body - 1", "Body - 2", etc.
• You must fill in these values manually before sending the message

Best Practice Example

Creating a new template in Fixably:

→ All variables will be auto-filled when sending

Template synced from WhatsApp:

• Body - 1: Customer name
• Body - 2: Required documentation
• Body - 3: Reference number

Key Takeaway

• Use Fixably variables ({contactName}, {order.id}) when creating templates for automatic data filling
• Manual variables ({$1}, {$2}) require input each time, but offer flexibility for custom information
  • You can mix both types in the same template for maximum efficiency

Syncing Templates

• Click "Sync Templates" to fetch the latest templates from WhatsApp
• This updates the template status and quality ratings
• Recommended to sync regularly to stay updated