How to integrate Twilio WhatsApp for propagate.at
If you want to send bulk template messages using WhatsApp via propagate.at, this guide will give you all the directions needed.
If you go to propagate.at dashboard > Integrations, you will see the WhatsApp Integration box.
The integration box wants 3 credentials from you, to connect with your Twilio WhatsApp Account.
1. Twilio WhatsApp Number
2. Twilio Account SID
3. Twilio Auth Token
This guide will provide you with directions to get a valid WhatsApp Business Number, getting Approval from Facebook, and Creating Message Templates, and connecting it all to propagate.at.
Before you follow the given instructions, I would recommend you to give Twilio WhatsApp Test Sandbox a try.
Set up instructions
propagate.at’s WhatsApp integration is exclusively powered by Twilio, so you will need to use a WhatsApp-enabled number from Twilio. Twilio manages the approval process to enable customers for WhatsApp Business, and you will need to secure approval through Twilio before beginning your propagate.at setup. The approval process follows WhatsApp’s Commerce Policy, so be sure that you abide by the guidelines to avoid any unnecessary delay.
First: Get approved by Twilio
Step 1
Login into your Twilio account. In your Twilio dashboard, click on the ‘#’ sign to open the Phone Numbers section, then Buy a Number.
You can also port a number into Twilio following their usual process, or use an existing Twilio number you’ve already purchased.
Step 2
If you are purchasing a new number, choose ‘ANY’ for capabilities, and complete the checkout process to select your number.
If you already have a Twilio number, skip this step.
Step 3
Click on the chat bubble icon in the left sidebar to open the Programmable SMS section, then on WhatsApp. In the expanded WhatsApp section, click on Senders.
Step 4
Click the red circle with the plus sign. In the popup menu, choose the Twilio number you want to enable for WhatsApp and fill in the rest of the fields.
Step 5
Click Submit Request and start the WhatsApp approval process. This can take several business days to complete.
Step 6
When you have a Twilio number approved for WhatsApp, we can proceed to the next step.
Second: Configure webhooks in Twilio
Step 1
In your Twilio dashboard, click the ‘#’ sign to open the Phone Numbers section. Then click on Active Numbers, find your WhatsApp number in the list, and click on it to open the settings for that number.
Step 2
Scroll down to the Messaging section.
Copy this URL:
“https://propagate.at/backyard/webhooks/whatsapp/reply”
and paste it to “When a message comes in” section.
Step 3
Click on the chat bubble icon in the left sidebar to open the Programmable SMS section, then on Senders in the WhatsApp section. Click on your WhatsApp number to open its settings.
Step 4
Make sure that the dropdown menu for ‘when a message comes in’ is set to Webhooks. Paste the same copied webhook URL from above into the input field for ‘When messages come in’.
Scroll to the bottom & make sure you click Save.
Step 5
Because this feature is still in Beta with Twilio, refresh your page to ensure the webhook URL is present. If it is not displayed, repeat steps 3 and 4 until you see the webhook URL after saving and refreshing the page.
Third: Connect to propagate.at
Step 1
Open propagate.at dashboard > Integrations, in the WhatsApp box, in the “Twilio WhatsApp Number” field, put the WhatsApp phone number as approved by Twilio. Make sure the number is in the correct format and includes the ISD code. You can copy-paste the WhatsApp Number you see as approved on Twilio.
Step 2
Now you need Twilio Account Credentials. The Account SID and Auth token are found in your Twilio Console Dashboard. To navigate there in your Twilio account, click on the house icon in the upper left corner of your Twilio sidebar.
Copy them and paste them into the propagate.at WhatsApp Integration box.
Step 3
After filling your credentials on propagate.at, click “Integrate with WhatsApp”. If you followed all these processes correctly, and if your credentials were correct, you will get a success message which looks like this.
There you go! You did it! Your WhatsApp is now successfully set up!
Well, you are not ready yet, there are still some things you need to do and you should know.
You should know about creating messages templates and getting them approved on Twilio & the 24-hour reply window.
For every campaign you create, the message you send needs to comply with a particular message template approved by Twilio.
Restrictions when using WhatsApp API
You should know about creating messages templates and getting them approved on Twilio & the 24-hour reply window.
For every campaign you create, the message you send needs to comply with a particular message template approved by Twilio.
You can create your own message templates. After they get approved, you can send campaigns and WhatsApp messages only according to those templates. If you send something outside of those particular message templates, the campaign will fail.
Create WhatsApp Message Templates using Twilio
Using Twilio Sidebar, choose “Programmable Messaging”, click “Senders”, then click “WhatsApp Templates”.
Add your message template there. Make sure the templates get approval from Twilio before you use these templates in propagate.at campaign.
FAQ
Coming soon…
More questions?
Feel free to contact our support team at hey@propagate.at, and we will get back to you ASAP. You can also use the live chat widget on our website for live support.
This article will be updated often as Twilio changes its policies and UI.
