Stop bouncing between WhatsApp Business and your support tools. Smartsupp's WhatsApp integration delivers every WhatsApp message into the same inbox as your live chat and Messenger threads — and you reply right from there. This article walks you through the setup, the WhatsApp Business prerequisites, and the 24-hour reply rule that comes from WhatsApp itself.
We've broken the article into a few sections:
WhatsApp integration overview
When a customer sends a message to your WhatsApp Business number, Smartsupp picks it up and shows the conversation alongside your live chat and Facebook threads — marked with a small green WhatsApp icon so you always know the source.
Key things to know before you start:
Available in all Smartsupp packages — setup takes just a few minutes.
Conversations from WhatsApp count toward your overall conversation volume (visible at the top of the Dashboard or in the Usage center).
Each WhatsApp thread is marked with a green icon so it's easy to spot among other channels.
You must reply within 24 hours — that's a WhatsApp policy, not a Smartsupp limit.
Tip: WhatsApp is one of three multichannel options in Smartsupp. You can also connect Email and Facebook Messenger in the same way.
Requirements
WhatsApp's API is only open to verified WhatsApp Business accounts — that's the single hard requirement before you start the setup.
Required: A verified WhatsApp Business account. If you don't have one yet, complete WhatsApp's verification flow first — Meta usually needs a business document and a phone number that isn't already used in personal WhatsApp.
Connect WhatsApp to Smartsupp
Make sure you're signed in to your Smartsupp dashboard, then follow the four steps below. The connection runs through Meta's secure OAuth flow, so you don't enter your WhatsApp credentials into Smartsupp.
Step 1. Open Settings → Integrations, find WhatsApp in the list, and click Connect.
Step 2. On the WhatsApp integration tab, click Connect with WhatsApp. A new window opens — confirm that you want to link your WhatsApp Business account to Smartsupp.
Step 3. Walk through Meta's authorization screens — pick the WhatsApp Business account, select the phone number you want to connect, and grant the requested permissions.
Step 4. Once you're back in Smartsupp, you'll see the details of the connected WhatsApp account — number, business name, and a green "Connected" status. Send a test message to that number and watch it land in your Smartsupp inbox.
Note: Authorization runs entirely on Meta's side — your WhatsApp credentials are never visible to or stored by Smartsupp.
Reply to WhatsApp conversations
WhatsApp conversations behave just like regular Smartsupp chats — type your reply, hit send, done. The only visual difference is the green WhatsApp icon next to each conversation and message.
A few WhatsApp-side restrictions to keep in mind:
24-hour reply window — after the customer's last message, you have 24 hours to reply from Smartsupp. Past that, the channel closes and you'll need to reply from WhatsApp Business directly.
Conversation volume — every WhatsApp thread counts toward your usage cap, just like website chat.
Limited visitor info — WhatsApp only exposes the customer's display name; we can't pull email, location, or browsing data like with website chat.
What's next?
Facebook integration — connect Facebook Messenger so Page DMs land in your Smartsupp inbox.
Email integration — connect any Gmail, Seznam, or IMAP inbox to your Smartsupp dashboard.
Inbox categories — keep WhatsApp, Facebook, email, and chat organized as conversations grow.
Agent personal settings — set up your display name and signature for replies across all channels.
💡 Need more help? Contact our support team — we're happy to assist!