Usage Guide

This page covers the day-to-day features of the WhatsApp Cloud API Chat & Marketing module — from real-time chat and marketing campaigns to bot automation and contact management.

WhatsApp Chat Interface

The built-in chat interface provides a familiar messaging experience directly inside Perfex CRM, allowing your staff to communicate with clients in real time.

Accessing the Chat

1. Click WhatsApp Chat in the Perfex CRM sidebar.
2. The chat panel displays your active conversations on the left and the message thread on the right.
3. Select a conversation to view the full message history and continue chatting.

Starting a New Conversation

1. Click the New Message button in the chat panel.
2. Search for a contact by name, phone number, or email.
3. Select the contact and compose your message.
4. Click Send.

info

WhatsApp's 24-hour messaging window applies: you can send free-form messages only within 24 hours of the customer's last message. Outside this window, you must use an approved message template to initiate a conversation.

Chat Features

• Attachments — send images, documents, audio, and video files
• Read receipts — see when messages are delivered and read
• Contact linking — conversations are automatically linked to the corresponding Perfex CRM customer or lead record
• Staff assignment — assign conversations to specific team members for follow-up

Campaigns

Marketing campaigns let you send bulk WhatsApp messages to targeted lists of contacts using approved message templates.

Creating a Campaign

1. Navigate to WhatsApp Module > Campaigns.
2. Click New Campaign.
3. Configure the campaign:
   • Campaign Name — a descriptive name for internal reference
   • Template — select an approved WhatsApp message template
   • Recipients — choose a contact group, or manually select individual contacts
   • Schedule — send immediately or schedule for a specific date and time
4. Review the campaign summary and click Launch.

warning

Only approved message templates can be used for campaigns. Ensure your templates have been submitted and approved by Meta before scheduling a campaign. Unapproved templates will result in delivery failures.

Monitoring Campaign Progress

After launching a campaign, track its progress on the campaigns dashboard:

• Sent — number of messages successfully delivered to WhatsApp
• Delivered — confirmed delivered to recipients' devices
• Read — messages opened by recipients
• Failed — messages that could not be delivered, with error details

Templates

WhatsApp message templates are pre-approved message formats required for initiating conversations outside the 24-hour window and for bulk campaigns.

Creating a Template

1. Go to WhatsApp Module > Templates.
2. Click New Template.
3. Fill in the template details:
   • Name — a unique template name (lowercase, underscores allowed, no spaces)
   • Category — Marketing, Utility, or Authentication
   • Language — select the template language
   • Header (optional) — text, image, video, or document
   • Body — the main message content with optional variable placeholders (e.g., {{1}}, {{2}})
   • Footer (optional) — a short footer text
   • Buttons (optional) — call-to-action or quick reply buttons
4. Click Submit for Approval.

tip

Template approval by Meta typically takes a few minutes to 24 hours. Monitor the template status in the Templates list — it will show as Pending, Approved, or Rejected.

Bots

The bot builder allows you to create automated reply flows that respond to incoming messages based on keywords, patterns, or events.

Creating a Bot

1. Navigate to WhatsApp Module > Bots.
2. Click New Bot.
3. Configure the bot:
   • Name — a descriptive bot name
   • Trigger — define what activates the bot (keyword match, message pattern, or event)
   • Response — compose the automated reply, including text, media, or template messages
   • Follow-up Actions — optionally chain multiple responses or actions (e.g., assign to staff, add tag, create task)
4. Click Save and Activate.

Bots run automatically and their interactions are logged in the WhatsApp Logs section for review and auditing.

Quick Replies

Quick replies are pre-saved message snippets that staff can insert with a single click during live chats, improving response time and consistency.

Managing Quick Replies

1. Go to WhatsApp Module > Quick Replies.
2. Click New Quick Reply.
3. Enter a shortcut (e.g., /greeting) and the message content.
4. Click Save.

During a chat, type the shortcut or click the quick reply button to insert the saved message instantly.

Bulk Contacts and Groups

Organize your WhatsApp contacts into groups for efficient campaign targeting and communication management.

Creating a Contact Group

1. Navigate to WhatsApp Module > Bulk Contacts & Groups.
2. Click New Group.
3. Enter a group name and optional description.
4. Add contacts to the group:
   • Manual selection — pick individual contacts from the list
   • Import — bulk import contacts from a CSV file
   • Filter-based — add contacts matching specific criteria (e.g., customer type, location, tag)
5. Click Save.

Using Groups

Groups serve as recipient lists throughout the module:

• Select a group as the target audience when creating a campaign
• Use groups to filter and manage your WhatsApp contact base
• Segment contacts for different messaging strategies (e.g., VIP customers, new leads, regional groups)

tip

Regularly update your contact groups to remove inactive or opted-out contacts. This helps maintain healthy delivery rates and compliance with WhatsApp Business policies.

What's Next?

• WhatsApp Logs — view and manage detailed records of all automated interactions, campaign deliveries, and bot responses