Overview
⚠️ WhatsApp Integration is a premium feature add to Element451. To learn more about adding the feature and pricing, contact our customer support team.
With the addition of WhatsApp, you can seamlessly communicate with students via another conversational channel. The addition of WhatsApp will be highly beneficial for institutions communicating with international students.
Important Notes
You must use a Meta-approved WhatsApp Business account.
In addition to Element451's annual fee, Meta charges a nominal fee per conversation window; inquire with Meta for specifics.
WhatsApp can only be used for 1:1 conversations; it cannot be used for Campaigns.
Settings
Approved Templates by WhatsApp
As a result of WhatsApp's strict guidelines and regulations regarding outbound messaging to protect users from spam, you are required to use a pre-approved template for outbound messages. This ensures that your messages comply with WhatsApp’s policies, reducing the risk of being marked as spam or banned.
Important: To create a new outbound message using the WhatsApp channel, you must use a pre-approved template.
Before you can use a template in Element451, you need to submit it for review and approval by the Meta team. This is done to ensure that the content is of high quality and to prevent spam.
Saved Replies
To add, edit, and delete saved replies, navigate to Engagement > Conversations > Settings > WhatsApp.
24-Hour Messaging Window
As mentioned above, when you need to send a message to a student using WhatsApp outside a 24-hour session, you must use an approved template.
If a student sends you a message via WhatsApp, whether it’s a reply to one of your outbound messages or they have initiated communication themselves, you have a 24-hour window (also known as a 24-hour session) to reply to that student without using a template.
The 24-hour window clock begins at the time of the last inbound message you receive from the student.
If you have already opened a 24-hour window using a specific template category, using a template from a different category will open up a separate 24-hour window.
Threading
WhatsApp messages will be in one continuous thread, similar to SMS.
After 24 hours, conversations are automatically closed.
To reopen a conversation after the 24-hour period has ended:
You must use a template to send an outbound message, or
The student must initiate a new conversation
To prevent spam, only inbound messages from known senders will be directed to Conversations, creating a new thread.
Starting a New WhatsApp Conversation
Navigate to Engagement > Conversations > All Conversations.
Click the New Conversation button in the top right corner.
Select the channel - WhatsApp.
Complete the fields:
From Number: If your institution has multiple outbound phone numbers, select the number from which you want to send the message.
Recipient: Search to find the intended recipient. The search results will only display users with validated mobile numbers.
Participants: Add one or more internal participants to loop others into the conversation. Participants receive email notifications for all responses by a student. You are automatically added as the first participant when you create a new conversation.
Assignee: If you want to assign the conversation to an individual participant or Team, this can also be completed on this screen. A conversation can only have one assignee.
Pre-Approved Templates: Select your pre-approved message template.
Joining an Existing WhatsApp Conversation
Navigate to Engagement > Conversations > All Conversations.
Locate and select the message you wish to join.
Click Join Conversation at the bottom.
Automating with Rules
You can tag, assign, automatically reply, close conversations, and more by using Conversation Rules. To learn more about configuring Conversation Rules, click here.
BoltAI
BoltBot: AI-Powered ChatBot
BoltBot can be enabled to reply to new inbound messages. For more information about BoltBot, click here.
Copilot: AI-Powered Writing Assistant
Copilot for Conversations is an AI-powered tool to assist you with automated and customized responses. It can generate replies based on message context or user prompts. Copilot simplifies drafting by improving writing, fixing spelling and grammar, shortening text, expanding details, changing tone, and translating. It also summarizes conversations into shareable notes. Copilot saves you time by automating repetitive communication tasks. For more information on Copilot for Conversations, click here.