WhatsApp

Overview

The WhatsApp channel connects your ChatSpark AI agent to a WhatsApp Business phone number. Once connected, your agent responds to every incoming WhatsApp message automatically. Customers get instant answers and the full conversation history syncs to your ChatSpark dashboard.

WhatsApp reaches over 2 billion people worldwide. For businesses with a mobile-first customer base or international audience, it is often the highest-engagement channel available.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have all of the following in place.

Meta Business Account (Verified)

This is the most common blocker. To access the WhatsApp Business API, your Meta Business account must be verified by Meta. Verification is a separate process from creating the account and can take several days to complete.

To check your verification status, go to Meta Business Settings and look for the Business Verification section. If your account is not yet verified, start that process before continuing. You will not be able to connect WhatsApp without it.

WhatsApp Business API Access

You need access to the WhatsApp Business API through Meta Business Suite, not the standard WhatsApp Business app. These are two different products.

• The WhatsApp Business app is the free mobile app for small businesses. It does not support API connections.
• The WhatsApp Business API is accessed through your Meta Business account and supports third-party integrations like ChatSpark.

If you have not set up WhatsApp Business API access yet, go to Meta Business Suite and follow the WhatsApp setup flow under your business account.

Approved Phone Number

You need a phone number registered and approved in your WhatsApp Business account inside Meta Business Suite. A few things to know:

• The number cannot already be registered on the standard WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app. If it is, you need to delete it from that app first.
• The number must be capable of receiving a verification code (SMS or voice call).
• Once approved, the number appears in the phone number dropdown during ChatSpark setup.

Personal Facebook Account with Admin Access

The connection process uses a Meta OAuth popup. You will log in during this popup with your personal Facebook account, not a business email address.

That personal account must have admin access to the Meta Business account that owns the WhatsApp Business API setup. If you try to log in with a work or business email, the connection will fail.

Setup Instructions

Step 1: Create Your Agent

1. Go to AI Agents in your ChatSpark dashboard
2. Click Create Agent
3. In the Settings tab, find the AI Agent Type dropdown
4. Select Whatsapp
5. Fill in your agent name, personality, and any other settings you want to configure

Step 2: Connect Your WhatsApp Account

1. Scroll down in the Settings tab to find the WhatsApp Integration section
2. Click Connect with WhatsApp
3. A Meta OAuth popup will open. Log in with your personal Facebook account that has admin access to your Meta Business account
4. Review and approve the permissions Meta requests. These allow ChatSpark to send and receive WhatsApp messages on your behalf
5. Complete any additional steps Meta shows in the popup, then close it when prompted

Step 3: Select Your Phone Number

1. After the OAuth popup closes, a Phone Number dropdown will appear
2. Select the WhatsApp Business phone number you want the agent to use

Step 4: Train and Save

1. Add training data on the Training tab so your agent knows how to respond
2. Click Save to activate the agent

Your agent is now live on WhatsApp. Send a message to the connected phone number to test it.

How It Works

When a customer sends a WhatsApp message to your connected number, Meta forwards it to ChatSpark through the WhatsApp Business API. ChatSpark processes the message through your agent and sends the response back through the same channel. The customer sees the reply directly in WhatsApp.

All conversations are visible in your ChatSpark Conversations dashboard with full transcript history.

Troubleshooting

Connection popup fails or shows an error

Make sure you are logging in with your personal Facebook account, not a business email. Also confirm your Meta Business account is verified. Both of these are required before the connection can succeed.

No phone numbers in the dropdown

Your Meta Business account does not have an approved WhatsApp Business phone number. Add one in Meta Business Suite and then return to ChatSpark and reconnect.

Agent is connected but messages are not getting responses

Check that your agent has training data added and has been saved. An agent with no training data will not respond meaningfully. Also confirm the phone number selected in the dropdown is the correct number your customers are messaging.

Connected to the wrong Meta Business account

Click Connect with WhatsApp again to re-authorize. During the popup, make sure you select the correct Meta Business account. If you are logged into multiple Facebook accounts in your browser, log out of all of them first, then log back in with the correct personal account before connecting.