WhatsApp Integration

Integrate WhatsApp with ServiceDesk Plus Cloud to send help desk event updates directly to users' WhatsApp account. Users can stay informed and access support at their convenience, without needing to check emails or log in to the portal.

To send WhatsApp notifications, you must buy IM credits from Zoho Store after the integration is enabled.

Quick Links

Prerequisites

Enable WhatsApp integration

Configure communication channel

Configure WhatsApp notification templates

Template review

WhatsApp notifications via automation rules

Buy IM credits

How IM credits work

Prerequisites

Your organization must have a Facebook/Meta Business account. To create an account, go to https://business.facebook.com

Enable WhatsApp Integration

Go to Setup > Apps & Add-ons > Integrations > Third Party Integrations.
Enable the toggle in the WhatsApp card.
You will now be redirected to the Facebook authentication page.
Enter the business account credentials and click Log in.

Verify your account and click Continue as <your account name>. If you want to log in with another account, click Log in to another account.

Read through all the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service and the Meta Terms of Service and click Get Started.

Fill in your business details and click Next.

Choose a WhatsApp Business account and profile from the relevant drop-downs. If you do not have an account or a profile, select Create a WhatsApp Business account and Create a new WhatsApp Business profile from the relevant drop-downs.
Click Next.

Click Finish.

After successful authentication, you will be redirected to ServiceDesk Plus Cloud instance, and the WhatsApp integration will be activated.

Configure Communication Channel

Under a single Facebook/Meta Business account, an organization might have multiple WhatsApp Business phone numbers.

For users to recognize ServiceDesk Plus Cloud notifications, you must configure a communication channel by using the WhatsApp Business phone number designated for help desk operations.

After you enable the WhatsApp integration,

Click Configure on the WhatsApp card.
In the WhatsApp Channel Configuration pop-up,
- Give the channel a name.
- You will find a list of all WhatsApp Business phone numbers linked to the Facebook/Meta Business account. Select a phone number registered for help desk communications.
- To verify the phone number's connectivity via text message or call, click Verify and select Text or Voice.
- Click Save.

Configure WhatsApp Notification Templates

Notification templates enable you to send personalized, context-rich messages and standardize communication with users. You can either use existing notification templates in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud or create new ones that fit your business needs.

Predefined templates

Create a template

Predefined Templates

ServiceDesk Plus Cloud offers predefined WhatsApp notification templates for key events that occur across modules. To use these templates,

Go to Setup > Automation > Notification Rules.
Go to the required module tab.
Under the WhatsApp column , enable the checkbox next to required events. Only the enabled events will be notified.
To customize a template, hover over the required event and click the edit icon in the WhatsApp column.

In the Customize Notification Template pop-up, you can edit the existing message as needed. Use dynamic variables to personalize the template.

Learn more about Notification Rules.

Create a Template

In ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, WhatsApp notifications are treated as third-party notifications.

To create a new WhatsApp notification template,

Go to Setup > Automation > Custom Actions > Third-Party Notifications.
Select the required module from the module filter.
Click New Notification.
Fill out the following details and click Save.

Field	Description
Notification Name *	Give the notification a name.
Description	Describe the notification.
Type	Select WhatsApp Notification.
Applies to	Choose the subentity in the respective module for which the notification should trigger.
Notify *	Select the notification recipients from the drop-down. Use filters to select recipients from Organization Roles, Requesters, Technicians, and Request Users.
Message *	Draft the notification content. Use dynamic variables to personalize the template.

(* Mandatory)

These templates can be used with automation rules, such as Triggers, Workflows, and Life Cycles, to send conditions-based WhatsApp notifications to users automatically.

Template Review

To prevent spam, WhatsApp verifies all notification templates. You can use a template only after it has been approved. The review process typically takes between a few minutes and 24 hours to complete.

In Notification Rules, the review status is indicated on the WhatsApp column checkboxes and the Customize Notification Template pop-up.

Notification Rules

Template Customization Pop-Up

In Custom Actions > Third-Party Notifications, the verification status is indicated on the list view and edit form.

Third-Party Notification Edit Form

Click the required third-party notification to view its template and review status.

Third-Party Notification List View

Review Status Indicators

Indicators	Status	Description	Action to be Taken
	Pending	Template is under review with WhatsApp	Wait for the review process to complete, which typically takes between a few minutes and 24 hours.
	Approved	Template is approved by WhatsApp	You can use the template henceforth.
	Rejected	Template is rejected by WhatsApp	Revise the template. To avoid spam flagging, make sure that its context is clearly focused on ITSM follow-ups only.

Learn more about Meta guidelines for WhatsApp Templates.

Automated WhatsApp Notifications

After WhatsApp approves notification templates in Custom Actions, you can use them with automation rules, such as Triggers, Workflows, and Life Cycles, to send conditions-based WhatsApp notifications automatically.

Notify via Trigger

Configure an action in a trigger to send WhatsApp notifications when an entity meets certain criteria.

Go to Setup > Automation > Triggers.
Select the required module and site from the respective filters.
Click New Trigger.
Fill out the form, as follows:
- Give the trigger a name and describe it.
- Define execution criteria.
- Specify the condition on which the trigger must execute. Use the plus icon and logical operators to add more conditions.
- Select Third-Party Notification from the Custom Actions drop-down.
- From the left pane, select the required notification template or click New Third-Party Notification to create a new template.
- Click Save.

For more information, click here.

Notify via Workflows

To automate WhatsApp notifications during workflow execution,

Go to Setup > Automation > Workflows.
Select the required module and site from the respective filters.
Click New Workflow.
To build a workflow, drag nodes from the right pane onto the workflow editor.
Use the Third-Party Notification action to trigger a WhatsApp notification when specific conditions are met during status transitions (both auto and manual).
After you configure, save the workflow.

For more information, click here.

For auto transitions, use Third-Party Notification action node to trigger a WhatsApp notification.

For manual transitions, configure post-action rule set at a specific transition.

Notify via Life Cycles

Configure rule sets to send WhatsApp notifications during state transitions in a life cycle.

Go to Setup > Automation > Life Cycles.
Select the required module and site from the respective filters.
Click New Life cycle and associate a template.
To build a life cycle, drag states from the left pane onto the canvas.
Create a state transition after which you want to send the notification.
Configure an after rule set.
- Specify execution criteria.
- Select Third-Party Notification as the custom action and select the required WhatsApp notification.
After you configure, save the life cycle.

For more information, click here.

Buy IM Credits

To send ServiceDesk Plus Cloud notifications via WhatsApp Business account, you must purchase Instant Messaging (IM) credits after you enable the integration. Learn how credits work.

To buy IM credits,

Click Buy on the WhatsApp card.
In the pop-up, enter the number of credit units you want to purchase. The price per IM credit will be displayed below the IM credits field.
Click Calculate Price to view the total price of the IM credits to be purchased.

Click Make Payment. You will be redirected to the Zoho Store credit purchase page.
Click Proceed to confirm the IM credits purchase.

The price per IM credit is defined by WhatsApp.

View IM Credit Balance

Go to the Profile pane.
Click Manage in the plan widget.

You will now be redirected to Zoho Store, where you can view the subscription details, available credits, and payment details, as shown:

To purchase IM credits,

Click Buy more next to Nonrecurring Add-ons.
Select the number of credit units to be purchased. The total amount to be paid will be calculated based on the number of units and price per IM credit.
To complete the purchase, click Proceed.