Connecting the WhatsApp channel (Twilio)

The WhatsApp channel turns WhatsApp conversations into tickets in your shared inbox. It is included in the Scale plan and available as a $29/month add-on from the Pro plan (not available on Starter). All prices are net.

## How it works EspressoDesk uses a bring-your-own Twilio account model. You keep full ownership of the WhatsApp sender number and pay Meta conversation fees directly to Twilio. EspressoDesk never resells messaging.

## Step by step

1. In your Twilio console, activate a WhatsApp sender: the sandbox number for testing, or your own approved WhatsApp Business number for production.
2. In EspressoDesk go to Settings > Integrations > WhatsApp.
3. Enter the sender number in international format (for example +14155238886), your Account SID and your Auth Token, then press Connect. We verify the credentials with Twilio before saving them; the token is stored encrypted.
4. Copy the inbound webhook URL shown after connecting and paste it in Twilio under Messaging > your WhatsApp sender > When a message comes in, method HTTP POST.

## What happens next

• Every inbound WhatsApp message creates (or reopens) a ticket with channel WhatsApp, using the customer phone number as the identifier.
• Tickets follow your normal routing rules, including round-robin assignment.
• Agent replies from the ticket view are delivered back through your Twilio sender automatically.

## Important notes

• Keep the webhook URL secret: it identifies your workspace.
• Meta only allows free-form replies within the 24-hour customer service window; outside it you must use an approved template in Twilio.
• If the connection shows an error, re-check the Account SID/Auth Token pair and that the sender number is active in Twilio.