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Channels

WhatsApp channel

Connect a WhatsApp Business number so customers can chat with your assistant over WhatsApp.

The WhatsApp channel lets your assistant talk to customers on the world’s most-used messaging app. The same assistant — same knowledge, same tools, same tone — answers from your WhatsApp Business number.

What you need

  • A WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) — you can create one for free as part of the setup.
  • A phone number that is not already in use with the regular WhatsApp app. It can be a landline, a new mobile number, or a number you already use for business as long as it has been removed from the consumer WhatsApp app first.
  • A Facebook Business Manager account — required by Meta to host the WhatsApp Business Account.

If you do not have these yet, the setup wizard helps you create them.

Connecting WhatsApp

  1. Open your assistant and go to Channels → WhatsApp.
  2. Click Connect WhatsApp.
  3. You will be sent through Meta’s embedded sign-up flow:
    • Sign in to Facebook with the account that owns (or will own) your business.
    • Pick or create a Business Manager.
    • Pick or create a WhatsApp Business Account.
    • Pick or register a phone number.
    • Verify the number by SMS or voice call.
  4. Approve the requested permissions and return to Gabbex.
  5. The number appears as connected in the channel page.

How conversations work

When a customer messages your number on WhatsApp, the message is delivered to your assistant. The assistant replies in the same conversation thread. From the customer’s point of view, it is a normal WhatsApp chat.

All the assistant’s knowledge sources, tools, and tone settings apply automatically. Lead capture and escalation work the same way they do on your website.

The 24-hour rule

WhatsApp has a rule that businesses can only send free-form messages within 24 hours of the customer’s most recent message. Outside that window, you must use a pre-approved template.

In practice this is rarely a problem because the assistant always replies quickly. But if you ever need to follow up after a long gap — for example, when a human agent picks up an escalation a day later — you may need to send a template first.

Disconnecting WhatsApp

  1. Go to Channels → WhatsApp.
  2. Click Disconnect.
  3. Confirm.

The number is unlinked from Gabbex. You can re-connect it later or migrate it to a different assistant.

Common issues

  • “My number is rejected during setup.” Make sure the number is not already registered in the consumer WhatsApp app. If it is, delete the WhatsApp account on that number first, then retry.
  • “The verification code never arrives.” Try the voice call option. Some carriers block SMS from short codes.
  • “Replies are slow.” Check your connection on the assistant’s Conversations page. WhatsApp delivery is usually instant; delays almost always mean the assistant itself is taking longer than expected.

Next steps