How to connect WhatsApp and run funnels in it

Funnels, broadcasts, Conversations and the AI agent on your WhatsApp number. How to connect a number through Meta, how the 24-hour rule works and what templates cost.

Connect a WhatsApp number, and Craft funnels reply to people right in that number's chats, with buttons, branches and delays, just like in Telegram. You connect the number through Meta's official window. The main difference from other channels is the 24-hour rule: after that, you can only message someone with a paid template.

What you get#

• Funnels: started by a code word or a link, with buttons, branches, delays, tags and variables.
• Broadcasts to people who have messaged this number.
• Conversations: reply to people by hand right from Craft.
• The AI agent: replies in the number's chats and hands the person over to a staff member when a real conversation is needed.
• Statistics on the funnel card.
• One person across channels. Chats in Instagram, Telegram and WhatsApp merge when the phone number or email matches. If they don't match, click "Same person" in Conversations.

What you need#

• A Facebook login and admin rights in the business. No business yet? You'll create one in the Meta window.
• A number that can receive an SMS or a call with a code.
• A card in WhatsApp Manager. You only need it for templates: regular messages within 24 hours are free.

Step 1. Choose how to connect#

There are two buttons when you connect:

• "Connect a number" is for a new number that isn't on WhatsApp yet.
• "I use WhatsApp Business on my phone" keeps the number in the app. You keep writing there, and funnels reply through Craft. Whatever you write in the app shows up in Conversations, and the agent goes quiet in that chat for the length of its pause.

Step 2. Connect the number#

1. Go to Accounts → Connect account → WhatsApp.
2. Click the button you chose, and the Meta window opens.
3. Log in to Facebook, then create or choose a business.
4. Add the number and confirm it with the code from the SMS or call.

The number appears in your accounts. It has its own page with templates, a chat link and the number's status.

Step 3. Build a funnel#

1. In Automations, click Create → WhatsApp and choose the number.
2. Set how it starts: a code word or a link.
3. Turn the funnel on and message the number from another phone to test the whole path.

One funnel can run in several channels at once: the steps are shared, and an edit goes to all of them.

How people get into a funnel#

A WhatsApp funnel starts with a code word or a link like wa.me/<number>?text=.... The link opens a chat with the text already filled in, so the person only has to press Send. There's no /start command here.

The 24-hour rule#

You can only send a regular message within 24 hours of the person's last message. If they came from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, the window is 72 hours. After that, only an approved template goes through.

• In a funnel: outside the window, a step without a template isn't delivered, and you can see why.
• In Conversations: the reply box shows how many hours are left, and locks once the window closes until the person writes again.
• In a broadcast: Craft shows how many people are in the window right now. Everyone else can only get it as a template.

Templates#

A template is a text approved by Meta in advance that lets you message someone after the window closes.

1. Open Accounts → your number and create a template on its page.
2. Wait for Meta's review, which takes from a few minutes to a day. Craft notifies you when a template is approved or rejected.
3. In a funnel step, choose it under "Template if more than 24 hours have passed" and fill in the values with text or a variable. It works the same way in a broadcast.

How WhatsApp differs from Telegram#

• Reply buttons: up to 3 per message, with up to 20 characters each. With 4–6 buttons, people see them as a list.
• Link button: one per message, and only without reply buttons. Other links go as text.
• Sent messages can't be edited or deleted.
• Not available: Articles, video circles, the channel subscription check, group invitations and a bot menu.

People who hide their number#

On WhatsApp, a person can hide their number behind a username. Funnels work with them as usual, but Craft doesn't get the phone number, and the "Share number" button can't get it either. If you need the number, ask them to send it in a message.

If something goes wrong#

The number's page shows how many people are in the 24-hour window right now and what Meta didn't deliver in the last 7 days, with reasons.

Craft notifies you when:

• there's no card in WhatsApp Manager;
• Meta blocked the number or limited sending;
• the number's quality dropped;
• Craft's access to the number is about to end.

Access to the number renews automatically, so you don't have to do anything. If it can't renew, Craft warns you in advance.

FAQ#

How much does WhatsApp cost?#

Regular messages within 24 hours are free. You pay for templates directly to Meta from your card in WhatsApp Manager, usually a few cents per message.

Can I message someone first?#

No. The person writes first, with a code word or a link. If they've written before and the window has closed, you can bring them back with an approved template.

Will the number stay on my phone?#

Yes, if you connect it with the "I use WhatsApp Business on my phone" button. You keep writing from the app, and funnels reply through Craft.

Why wasn't a message delivered?#

Most often the 24-hour window closed and the step has no template. You can see the reason on the number's page, in the list of what Meta didn't deliver in 7 days.

Why does a contact have no phone number?#

The person hid their number behind a WhatsApp username. Funnels still work, and you can ask them to send the number in a message.

Can I use WhatsApp for an audience in Russia?#

No, WhatsApp doesn't work in Russia. Use Telegram, Instagram or VK for that audience.