WhatsApp Business

WhatsApp is the #1 channel in LATAM for customer conversations. LealUp integrates it so those conversations live in the customer timeline — and so you can reply without leaving the platform.

Important: activating WhatsApp Business API is a Meta process (their policy, not ours). The good news: with Kapso, our recommended provider, the technical setup drops from weeks to ~5 minutes. The only thing we can't accelerate is Meta's review of your display name and templates (24–48 h typical) — but you can send and receive messages while that review is pending.

What it does

• Conversations in the timeline — every message (inbound and outbound) lands on the customer record.
• Issue detection — when the customer references a problem (e.g. "I can't bill"), Alfred suggests opening an associated ticket.
• Engagement signals — frequency, response time, tone feed the Engagement dimension.
• Send from LealUp — reply without leaving Customer 360.

Before you start

Have these ready before clicking Connect:

• ✅ Personal Facebook account with 2FA enabled (Meta requires it).
• ✅ Phone number for WhatsApp Business.
  • It must not have WhatsApp installed. If your business number is already on WhatsApp, log out of it or use a different number.
  • It must be able to receive SMS or a phone call for verification.
• ✅ Public business name and business category (what your customers will see in chat).
• ✅ Access to a Facebook Business account. If you don't have one, Meta helps you create it during the flow (free).

You don't need: a Twilio account, API keys, or pre-completed "Meta Business Verification". Kapso is a Meta-certified Tech Provider and handles that for you.

How to activate (Kapso — recommended)

This is a workspace-level integration (admin sets it up once, all CSMs use it).

1. Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp → Connect.
2. Click Connect WhatsApp in the modal.
3. A new tab opens with Meta's official Embedded Signup (via Kapso):
   1. Log in with your Facebook account.
   2. Pick (or create) your Facebook Business account.
   3. Connect or create your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA).
   4. Enter your display name and business category.
   5. Verify the phone number (you'll receive an SMS or call).
   6. Approve Kapso's permissions (needed to send/receive on your behalf).
4. You return to LealUp and the modal confirms: Connected!.

Total time: ~5 min in the flow + Meta's review of your display name (typically 24–48 h, sometimes minutes).

While Meta reviews your name, you can already send and receive messages. Only the visible branding remains "pending".

Why Meta runs this process

WhatsApp Business API has strict rules to prevent spam and protect its 2 billion users. That's why Meta:

• Requires login with a real Facebook account (not anonymous or brand-new).
• Verifies the phone number is tied to an identifiable business.
• Reviews your display name and templates before approving them.
• Limits how many conversations you can initiate until your business is verified (typically 250/day → 1,000/day → unlimited based on usage).

Kapso is a Meta-certified Business Solution Provider (BSP), which lets it:

• Skip the "Meta Business Verification" wait (1–2 weeks in manual flows).
• Provision your WABA without you going through technical processes.
• Handle the billing relationship with Meta on your behalf.

LealUp connects to Kapso via API, and Kapso connects to Meta. You only see the 5-minute flow.

Templates

To initiate conversations (proactive messages), Meta requires approved templates. You can't skip this (WhatsApp policy).

Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp → Templates

• Lists the templates approved in your workspace.
• Categorized by purpose (onboarding, renewal, expansion).
• LealUp validates variables are complete before sending.
• For new templates, request them from the send flow and Meta reviews them in 24–48 h.

How messages associate to your customers

In order:

1. Contact phone number matches the customer's whatsapp_number field.
2. Match by known contact.
3. Fallback: if a message arrives from an unknown number, an orphan contact is created that you can associate manually.

Issue detection

When the customer references a problem in WhatsApp, Alfred proposes:

Alfred: Maria mentioned a billing problem. Create an associated internal ticket?

The CSM approves or dismisses. If approved, a ticket is created in the connected system (Jira, Zendesk, or internal LealUp ticket).

Send messages from LealUp

Initiate conversation (proactive)

• Requires a Meta-approved template.
• Customer 360 → WhatsApp → New message → Choose template → fill variables → send.

Reply (reactive)

• Within the 24 h window after the customer's last message.
• Free text, emojis, attachments (images, PDF, video).
• Customer 360 → WhatsApp → Reply.

Engagement signals

From the WhatsApp flow, LealUp extracts:

• Frequency of messages per week.
• Champion response time (proxy for interest).
• Initiative: who starts more, you or the customer?
• Tone via NLP (with caveats — WhatsApp is casual language).

Privacy and compliance

• We store message text (required for Alfred and the timeline).
• Attachments encrypted at rest.
• Voice-to-text: if the customer sends audio, we transcribe (configurable, off by default).
• We comply with LGPD (Brazil), Habeas Data (Colombia, Argentina), and Chile's Law 21.719.

Costs

WhatsApp Business API has costs per conversation (not per message) that Meta bills.

• Customer-initiated conversations (replying within 24 h): typically free or very cheap.
• You-initiated conversations (with template): cost varies by country and category (marketing, utility, authentication).
• LealUp doesn't add charges on top of WhatsApp — you pay Kapso directly.
• See your usage at Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp → Usage.

Common issues

"The Meta flow gives me an error"

• Verify the number isn't active in WhatsApp on another device.
• Confirm your Facebook account has 2FA enabled.
• If it blocks you for "Commerce Policy", contact LealUp support — we escalate with Kapso.

"My display name has been pending for more than 48 h"

• Meta reviews case by case. If it's >72 h, contact LealUp support and we escalate via Kapso.
• In the meantime, you can already send and receive messages — only the branding is pending.

"Messages don't show up in the timeline"

• Verify the contact has whatsapp_number on their record.
• Check Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp → Logs.

"I can't start a conversation"

• Template not approved — request it from the send flow and wait for Meta's review.
• 24 h window closed — the customer didn't reply to your last message; you can only use a template.

"The customer's number changed"

• Update whatsapp_number on the customer's record.
• LealUp doesn't do fuzzy matching on numbers (avoids wrong associations).

Alternative: Twilio (advanced)

If your organization already uses Twilio for WhatsApp or needs granular control:

Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp → Advanced (Twilio) → Connect with account_sid, auth_token, and whatsapp_number.

Twilio requires you to already have Meta Business Verification approved and the WhatsApp Business API account configured in Twilio. Not the recommended path for SMBs in LATAM.

Disconnect

Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp → Disconnect.

• Revokes credentials in LealUp.
• Historical messages stay in the timelines.
• In Kapso, contact support if you also want to deactivate the WABA (LealUp only unlinks).