WhatsApp Business
Register your Frontdesk number as a WhatsApp Business sender so customers can message your AI on WhatsApp. Once Meta approves the sender, WhatsApp messages from your customers appear in your Inbox and your AI responds there like any other channel.
If you don't see WhatsApp in your sidebar, it isn't enabled for your account yet. Contact support to request access.
Prerequisites
- A Frontdesk AI account with a provisioned phone number
- A Facebook account that is an admin of a Meta Business Portfolio
The WhatsApp page
Open WhatsApp in the sidebar. The WhatsApp Business page shows three cards:
- Your Frontdesk number -- the number your customers will message on WhatsApp, with a Copy button.
- Status -- the current state of your WhatsApp sender, with a Refresh button.
- Connect WhatsApp Business -- the setup card with the signup button.
Setting up WhatsApp Business
- Confirm the Your Frontdesk number card shows your number. If it shows a dash, no number is provisioned for the selected agent yet.
- On the Connect WhatsApp Business card, click Set up WhatsApp Business.
- A Facebook window opens. Sign in with a Facebook account that is an admin of a Meta Business Portfolio.
- Follow every step of the embedded WhatsApp signup, including selecting or creating a WhatsApp Business Account. Do not close the window early.
- When you finish, Frontdesk submits your sender to Meta and shows "WhatsApp Business submitted."
Approval and status
Meta reviews new senders, which can take up to 24 hours. The Status card tracks progress:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Submitting | Your sender is being created |
| Awaiting Meta approval | Meta is reviewing your sender |
| Active | Your WhatsApp Business sender is live |
| Offline | Your sender is registered but currently offline |
| Failed | Registration failed; re-run the signup to try again |
While the review is pending, the page checks for updates automatically. You can also click Refresh at any time. Once registered, the card also shows your WABA ID and Phone ID.
After the status reaches Active, messages your customers send to your number on WhatsApp appear in your Inbox.
Re-running setup
If registration fails or you need to redo the connection, the setup card changes to Re-run WhatsApp setup with a Re-run signup button. This launches the same Facebook signup flow again.
Troubleshooting
- "Could not load Facebook SDK" -- an ad blocker or network filter is blocking Facebook's script. Disable it for the Frontdesk dashboard and reload the page.
- "Signup cancelled" -- you closed the WhatsApp signup before finishing. Click the signup button and complete every step.
- "Meta did not return a WhatsApp Business Account" -- the signup finished without creating or sharing a WhatsApp Business Account. Retry and make sure you complete the WhatsApp Business Account step.
- "No Frontdesk number found for this agent" -- the selected agent has no provisioned phone number. Set up a phone number first, then return to this page.
- Stuck on "Awaiting Meta approval" -- reviews usually complete within 24 hours. If it takes longer, contact support.