Messaging
WhatsApp Business API integration with an AI chatbot
Connect your WhatsApp business number to OrqLabs through Meta's official Cloud API. Incoming messages land in the Inbox, an AI chatbot answers from your knowledge base, and anything it isn't sure about is handed to your team.
- Connection type
- Token
- Scope
- Per project: every brand connects its own account
- Inbound webhook
- Yes, you get a webhook URL for incoming events
- Capabilities
- send messages, receive messages, broadcast
- Setup time
- 30 min
What it does in OrqLabs
OrqLabs connects to WhatsApp through Meta's hosted WhatsApp Business Cloud API – not a phone left running an app or an unofficial bridge. The connection is per project, so each brand uses its own number, knowledge base and workflows. Customer messages arrive through Meta's webhook and open as conversations in the Inbox.
The fastest way to set up a WhatsApp chatbot is the WhatsApp & Telegram chatbot template: the Message received trigger, the AI Chatbot, a handoff check and the reply step come prewired. Every reply comes with an intent and a confidence score; when confidence drops below your threshold, the customer asks for a person, or the topic is a refund or complaint, the conversation switches to “Human” and your team is notified. Anyone who shares a name, email or phone number in the chat is saved as a lead.
For sales and campaigns, the Send message node respects the 24-hour window: once it has closed, it won't send free-form text and requires an approved template name and parameters instead. The Broadcast node and the Campaigns page send to the lead segment you choose – for example only consenting contacts tagged wa_optin – at a per-minute rate, and anyone who replies STOP or DUR is taken off the list automatically.
What you can automate
24/7 WhatsApp chatbot
The AI Chatbot answers FAQs, pricing and order questions from the documents in your knowledge base, remembers earlier messages from the same contact and replies in the language the customer writes in.
Human handoff and a shared Inbox
When the bot isn't sure, the conversation moves to “Human” and your team gets an in-app and email notification. In the Inbox you take over, get an AI-drafted reply and hand the conversation back to the bot when you're done.
Leads from conversations
With lead collection on, the bot asks for a name, email and phone at a natural moment and saves the contact on the Leads page, with the WhatsApp number attached automatically.
Template notifications
Send out-of-window messages such as appointment reminders or order and shipping updates from a workflow with the Send message node, using a Meta-approved template name and parameters.
Opt-in broadcasts
Send a campaign to a segment of consenting leads at 20 messages per minute by default. Contacts who reply with an opt-out keyword are flagged and skipped in every later send.
Agents that work with it
AI Chatbot
Auto-replies on WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger and more
Outreach Agent
Personalised first-touch and follow-up sequences
Nodes that use this integration
In the workflow editor these nodes run with your WhatsApp Business (Cloud API) account.
Message received
Starts when a customer message arrives on a connected channel like WhatsApp or Telegram; e.g. so your chatbot answers automatically.
Send message
Sends a message to one person on WhatsApp, Telegram, SMS and more, e.g. delivering a chatbot reply or an appointment reminder.
Broadcast campaign
Sends a personalised message to a group of leads at a controlled pace, e.g. announcing a webinar to qualified leads.
Hand off to human
Passes the chat to someone on your team, silences the bot in that chat and alerts the team, e.g. when a customer complains or asks for a person.
Ready-made templates
Setup at a glance
Create a Business-type app in Meta for Developers and add the WhatsApp product.
On the API Setup page, copy the Phone Number ID and WhatsApp Business Account ID; add your own number and verify it by SMS or voice call.
In Business settings, create an Admin system user and generate a never-expiring token with
whatsapp_business_messagingandwhatsapp_business_management.In OrqLabs, go to Integrations → WhatsApp Business (Cloud API) → Connect, pick the project and fill in the three fields.
Paste the webhook URL and verify token shown on the card into WhatsApp → Configuration → Webhook in Meta and subscribe to the
messagesfield.Switch the app to Live and text the number from your phone – the conversation should appear in the Inbox.
Requirements
- A Meta Business portfolio with admin access and a Business-type app in Meta for Developers.
- A phone number that isn't registered in the WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app – if it is, that account has to be deleted first.
- A permanent system-user access token, the Phone Number ID and the WhatsApp Business Account ID.
- Meta business verification for live traffic; without it, a test number can only message up to 5 recipients you add to its list.
- Message templates approved in WhatsApp Manager and explicit opt-in from recipients for campaigns and first-contact messages.
What you enter when connecting
- Phone Number ID *
- WhatsApp Business Account ID *
- Permanent Access Token *
Good to know
- Free-form messages are allowed for 24 hours after the customer's last message; after that, and for first contact, only Meta-approved templates can be sent. Details: WhatsApp templates and the 24-hour window.
- Meta caps sending capacity with messaging tiers: unverified accounts can reach only a small number of unique recipients per day, and the tier rises step by step with business verification and a good quality rating. Blocks and reports lower that rating.
- WhatsApp messaging fees are billed by Meta, per its price list, directly to your own Meta account.
- Broadcasts require explicit opt-in. In Turkey, commercial messages to consumers also need an İYS (Message Management System) record; OrqLabs is not directly integrated with İYS.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the number from my WhatsApp Business app?
If the number is currently registered in WhatsApp or the WhatsApp Business app, you have to delete that account before connecting it to the Cloud API. That's why many businesses use a separate number for the API.
Can I message a customer who has never written to me?
Only with a Meta-approved template and the recipient's prior explicit opt-in. Free-form text is only possible within 24 hours of the customer's last message.
What happens when the chatbot can't answer?
When the confidence score falls below your threshold or the customer asks for a person, the conversation switches to “Human”, the bot goes quiet in that chat and your team is notified. You reply from the Inbox and hand the conversation back to the bot.
Can I send bulk WhatsApp messages?
Yes – with an approved Marketing template and a segment of recipients who opted in. OrqLabs sends at a per-minute rate and removes anyone who replies with an opt-out keyword from later sends.
Who pays the WhatsApp messaging fees?
WhatsApp fees are billed by Meta to your Meta account according to its price list. On the OrqLabs side, the chatbot's AI usage is metered.
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