QoCRM connects a number of the WhatsApp Business app in coexistence mode (Coexistence): the number keeps working on the phone, managers reply to customers from the app as before, and QoCRM receives copies of all messages — from customers and your replies from the phone. Messages go to the “Conversation” tab of the project's customers and create inquiries.
A number is connected to one project only. Owner and administrators connect and disconnect numbers; everyone who sees the project sees the channel page.
Connect a number
On the project card, in the “Channels” section, click “Connect WhatsApp”. A screen with important limits opens — read them before connecting:
- the number stays in the WhatsApp Business app, your replies from the phone show up in QoCRM too;
- linked devices are logged out: WhatsApp Web and the desktop app have to be linked again (up to 4 devices); WhatsApp for Windows and for watches (Wear OS) are not supported;
- the WhatsApp Business app on the phone has to be opened at least every 13–14 days, otherwise Meta disconnects the number;
- group chats are not synced;
- history covers up to 6 months (180 days); for photos and files only descriptions of the last 14 days;
- a connected number can send at most 20 messages per second.
Click “Connect with Facebook”. In the Meta window, log in to Facebook, choose a business portfolio, choose to connect an existing WhatsApp Business account and confirm the number in the app on the phone. When the window closes, QoCRM checks the number and opens the channel page.
If you close the window early or an error happens, nothing is saved — QoCRM shows the error code and you can try again. A number connected to another project of your account cannot be connected here — QoCRM names that project: disconnect the number there. A number from another QoCRM account moves to you.
Channel page and statuses
Click a channel in the project's “Channels” section. The page shows the number, its status, when it was connected and when the last event came.
- “Working” — messages arrive;
- “Connecting” — connecting is not finished yet;
- “Disconnected” — messages are not processed. The reason is under the status: disconnected in QoCRM, Meta disconnected the number (for example, the app was not opened for a long time), the number was registered on another device, the number was connected in another QoCRM account. When Meta connects the number again, the channel goes back to “Working” by itself;
- “Error” — QoCRM's access to the number expired or was revoked. Click “Connect again” and go through the Meta window once more: the channel's chats stay.
Owners and admins see the «WhatsApp templates» button on the channel page: the templates QoCRM can send to customers from this number.
Contacts and history
Right after connecting, QoCRM loads the contacts of the app and the chat history of the last 6 months once. Meta allows it only within 24 hours after connecting and only if you agreed to share the history in the Meta window. The state is on the channel page: “loading”, “loaded”, “the customer did not allow it” (history sharing is turned off in the app) or “not loaded” with an error code.
- History messages appear in the “Conversation” tab marked “history”. They create no inquiries and are not counted as unread.
- A customer who is in the history but not yet in the project is created by phone number; the name comes from the app's address book.
- Contacts of the address book only fill in the names of customers already in the project: friends and suppliers from the address book do not become customers.
The number was connected in another account
Numbers change hands: a business is sold, a SIM card goes to a new owner. Whoever passes Meta's window for a number controls it now, so a number connected in another QoCRM account moves to its new owner — even if the channel was still working in the old account.
- The new owner gets a new channel without anyone else's history: the old account's clients, conversations and name are not visible. New messages of the number go to the new owner only.
- In the old account the channel becomes “Disconnected” with the reason “The number was connected in another QoCRM account. The conversations up to that moment are kept.” Clients, conversations and inquiries stay, and the audit log gets an entry — without any data of the new account. If the number is yours again, press “Connect again”.
Within one account a number does not move to another project by itself: disconnect it in the old project first.
Disconnect a number
“Disconnect” on the channel page: QoCRM stops processing the number's messages; chats and inquiries stay. The number can be connected again the same way.
The number itself stays connected to the Meta platform. To disconnect it completely, open WhatsApp Business → Settings → Account → Business Platform on the phone: QoCRM cannot do it.