Customer Support via WhatsApp

Overview

WhatsApp is the preferred support channel in most of the world. Customers expect to message businesses the same way they message friends — and they expect fast replies.

Cliqtel lets you receive and reply to WhatsApp messages without a separate Business Solution Provider. Connect your WhatsApp Business Account once, and manage support conversations from the portal or your own helpdesk system.

Two Approaches

Approach 1 — Portal Inbox

Go to My Numbers → WhatsApp tab. The Inbox view shows all incoming conversations grouped by contact. Click a conversation to see the full message history and reply.

• Real-time updates — new messages appear instantly via WebSocket
• Conversation threading — messages are grouped by phone number
• Quick reply — type a response and hit Enter or click Send
• No coding required — works out of the box

Approach 2 — Webhook to Helpdesk

Configure a webhook URL on your WhatsApp-enabled number. Cliqtel will POST every inbound message to your endpoint in real-time.

{
  "event": "whatsapp.message.received",
  "message_id": "wamid.abc123",
  "from": "+31611398058",
  "to": "+16315950406",
  "body": "Hi, I need help with my order #12345",
  "type": "text",
  "timestamp": "2026-04-06T14:22:00Z",
  "account_id": 1,
  "media": null
}

app.post('/webhooks/whatsapp-inbound', async (req, res) => {
  const { from, body, message_id } = req.body;

  // Create or update ticket in Zendesk
  await zendesk.tickets.createOrUpdate({
    requester: { phone: from },
    subject: `WhatsApp: ${body.substring(0, 60)}`,
    comment: { body: `[WhatsApp] ${body}` },
    tags: ['whatsapp', 'inbound'],
    external_id: `wa:${from}`,
  });

  // Send auto-acknowledgment within 24h window
  await fetch('https://cliqtel.com/api/v1/whatsapp/messages', {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      account_id: 1,
      to: from,
      type: 'text',
      text: { body: 'Thanks for reaching out! A support agent will reply shortly.' },
    }),
  });

  res.sendStatus(200);
});

Step 3 — Reply via API

When an agent replies in your helpdesk, forward the reply to the customer via the Cliqtel API.

// Within the 24-hour session window: send free-form text
await fetch('https://cliqtel.com/api/v1/whatsapp/messages', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    account_id: 1,
    to: '+31611398058',
    type: 'text',
    text: {
      body: 'Hi! I checked your order #12345 — it shipped yesterday. ' +
            'Tracking: https://track.example.com/abc123'
    },
  }),
});

Auto-Reply Setup

Set up automatic acknowledgment messages so customers know their message was received, even outside business hours.

app.post('/webhooks/whatsapp-inbound', async (req, res) => {
  const { from, body } = req.body;
  const hour = new Date().getHours();
  const isBusinessHours = hour >= 9 && hour < 18;

  const replyText = isBusinessHours
    ? 'Thanks for your message! A support agent will respond within 5 minutes.'
    : 'Thanks for your message! Our team is currently offline. ' +
      'We\'ll reply first thing tomorrow morning (9 AM CET).';

  await sendWhatsAppReply(from, replyText);

  // Forward to helpdesk queue
  await createSupportTicket(from, body);

  res.sendStatus(200);
});

24-Hour Session Window

Understanding the session window is critical for WhatsApp support:

• Customer messages you → 24-hour window opens
• During the window → you can send unlimited free-form replies (text, images, documents)
• Window closes → you can only send approved templates to re-engage
• Customer replies again → window resets to a new 24 hours

Re-opening a closed conversation

If you need to follow up after the 24-hour window closes (e.g., resolved issue, survey), send an approved template:

Hi 1,

Your support request #2 has been resolved.

Is there anything else we can help with? Reply to this message and we'll get right back to you.

Best Practices

• Reply within 5 minutes during business hours — WhatsApp customers expect near-instant responses
• Set up auto-reply for after-hours with expected response time
• Use the portal inbox for simple setups, webhooks for scaling
• Keep the 24-hour window in mind — reply promptly to avoid needing templates
• Forward to email as backup so messages don't get lost if your webhook is down
• Send a follow-up template after resolution to collect feedback
• Use one WhatsApp number for all support — keeps conversation history unified per customer
• Add your WhatsApp number to your website, email signatures, and invoices for easy access

FAQ

Can I assign conversations to specific agents?

Yes. The Cliqtel portal supports per-conversation assignment to any member of your organization, plus private internal notes for team coordination. Open a conversation and use the Assign dropdown in the header. For helpdesk-native workflows (Zendesk, Freshdesk, Intercom) you can still use the webhook approach in parallel.

Can I use a chatbot?

Yes. Set up a webhook endpoint that runs your chatbot logic. Process the inbound message through your bot, and reply via the Cliqtel API. If the bot can't handle the query, escalate to a human agent.

What happens if my webhook is down?

Messages are still received and stored in the Cliqtel portal inbox. Set up email forwarding as a backup. Cliqtel also retries webhook delivery with exponential backoff (3 attempts).

Can I send images and documents in replies?

Yes. Within the 24-hour session window, you can send text, images, documents (PDF), audio, and video. Use the type field in the API to specify the media type.