## Getting Started with WhatsApp Business API

Connect your WhatsApp Business number to AutoChat in just 3 simple steps.

### Step 1: Go to Settings → Integrations

Log in to your AutoChat dashboard and navigate to **Settings** in the left sidebar. Click on **Integrations**.

### Step 2: Click "Connect WhatsApp"

You'll see a list of available integrations. Click the **Connect WhatsApp** button. You'll need to have a WhatsApp Business account ready.

### Step 3: Scan QR Code

A QR code will appear on screen. Open WhatsApp on your phone, go to **Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device**, and scan the QR code.

### Common Issues

- **QR code expired?** Click "Refresh" to generate a new one
- **Number already linked?** Unlink from other devices first
- **Connection drops?** Ensure stable internet on both devices

Once connected, you'll see a green checkmark next to WhatsApp in your Integrations page. Messages will start flowing into your AutoChat inbox immediately.

How to Connect WhatsApp Business API

## Auto-Replies Configuration

AutoChat's auto-reply feature lets you respond to customers instantly, even when you're away.

### Creating Your First Auto-Reply

1. Go to **Automation → Auto-Replies** in your dashboard
2. Click **Create New Rule**
3. Set your trigger conditions:
   - **Keyword match**: Respond when a message contains specific words
   - **First message**: Greet new conversations automatically
   - **Outside hours**: Reply when your team is offline

### Template Variables

Use these variables in your auto-reply messages:
- `{{customer_name}}` — Customer's WhatsApp name
- `{{business_name}}` — Your business name
- `{{agent_name}}` — Assigned agent's name

### Best Practices

- Keep auto-replies short and helpful
- Always include a way to reach a human agent
- Set different replies for business hours vs. after hours
- Test your auto-replies before going live

### Example Auto-Reply

> Hi {{customer_name}}! 👋 Thanks for reaching out to {{business_name}}. We typically respond within 5 minutes during business hours (9 AM - 6 PM IST). How can we help you today?

Setting Up Auto-Replies in AutoChat

## AutoChat Flow Builder

Create powerful chatbots without writing any code using our visual flow builder.

### Getting Started

1. Navigate to **Automation → Flow Builder**
2. Click **Create New Flow**
3. Choose a template or start from scratch

### Flow Components

- **Trigger**: What starts the flow (keyword, button click, new conversation)
- **Message**: Send a text, image, or document
- **Question**: Ask the customer and capture their response
- **Condition**: Branch the flow based on responses
- **Action**: Tag conversation, assign agent, or call an API
- **Delay**: Wait before sending the next message

### Tips for Great Chatbots

- Start with a clear greeting
- Offer numbered menu options (1, 2, 3)
- Always provide an option to talk to a human
- Keep the flow under 5 steps for best completion rates
- Test with real users before deploying

Building Chatbots with AutoChat Flow Builder

## AutoChat Pricing Plans

AutoChat offers flexible pricing for businesses of all sizes.

### Plans

| Feature | Free | Pro (₹999/mo) | Business (₹2,499/mo) |
|---------|------|----------------|----------------------|
| Monthly conversations | 100 | 2,000 | Unlimited |
| Team members | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Auto-replies | Basic | Advanced | Advanced |
| Flow Builder | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Analytics | Basic | Full | Full + Export |
| WhatsApp API | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |

### WhatsApp API Conversation Charges

Meta charges per 24-hour conversation window:
- **Marketing**: ₹0.76 per conversation
- **Utility**: ₹0.30 per conversation
- **Service**: Free (first 1,000/month)

### How Billing Works

1. AutoChat subscription is billed monthly
2. WhatsApp API charges are separate (billed by Meta via BSP)
3. You can upgrade/downgrade anytime
4. No long-term contracts required

### Payment Methods

We accept UPI, credit/debit cards, net banking, and international cards.

AutoChat Pricing & WhatsApp API Costs

## Billing Frequently Asked Questions

### Where can I find my invoices?

Go to **Settings → Billing → Invoice History**. You can download PDF invoices for any billing period.

### How do I update my payment method?

Navigate to **Settings → Billing → Payment Method** and click **Update**. You can switch between UPI, cards, and net banking.

### Can I get a refund?

We offer a 7-day refund policy for new subscriptions. Contact support@autochat.in within 7 days of your first payment.

### What happens if my payment fails?

You'll receive an email notification. Your account stays active for 7 days while we retry payment. After 7 days, your account will be downgraded to the Free plan.

### Do you offer annual billing?

Yes! Annual billing saves you 20%. Go to **Settings → Billing → Switch to Annual**.

### How do I cancel my subscription?

Go to **Settings → Billing → Cancel Subscription**. You'll retain access until the end of your current billing period.

Billing FAQ — Invoices, Refunds & Payments

## Common Connection Issues & Fixes

### Error 403 — Access Denied

**Cause**: Your WhatsApp Business API token has expired.

**Fix**:
1. Go to **Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp**
2. Click **Reconnect**
3. Generate a new token from Meta Business Suite
4. Paste the new token and save

### Error 429 — Rate Limited

**Cause**: Too many messages sent in a short period.

**Fix**:
- Wait 15 minutes before retrying
- Check your sending queue in **Messages → Queue**
- Consider upgrading your plan for higher limits

### Messages Not Delivering

**Check these things**:
1. Is your WhatsApp number verified? (Green checkmark in Meta Business Suite)
2. Is the customer's number valid and on WhatsApp?
3. Is your message template approved? (For template messages)
4. Have you exceeded your daily sending limit?

### Connection Keeps Dropping

- Ensure your server has a stable internet connection
- Check if your API webhook URL is accessible
- Verify SSL certificate is valid and not expired
- Check Meta's status page for outages: https://metastatus.com

Troubleshooting WhatsApp Connection Errors

## Message Status Guide

AutoChat shows real-time delivery status for every message.

### Status Icons

- ⏳ **Pending** — Message is in the sending queue
- ✓ **Sent** — Delivered to WhatsApp servers
- ✓✓ **Delivered** — Reached the customer's phone
- ✓✓ (blue) **Read** — Customer has opened the message
- ❌ **Failed** — Message could not be sent

### Why Messages Fail

1. **Invalid number** — The phone number is not on WhatsApp
2. **Template rejected** — Your message template wasn't approved by Meta
3. **24-hour window closed** — You can only send free-form messages within 24 hours of the customer's last message
4. **Rate limited** — You've exceeded sending limits

### Checking Status in Bulk

Go to **Messages → Reports** to see delivery statistics across all conversations. Filter by date, status, and template to identify patterns.

### Improving Delivery Rates

- Use approved templates for initiating conversations
- Keep your contact list clean and updated
- Respond to customers within the 24-hour window
- Monitor your quality rating in Meta Business Suite

Understanding Message Delivery Status

## Contact Management

AutoChat organizes all your WhatsApp contacts in one place.

### Viewing Contacts

Go to **Contacts** in the sidebar to see all customers who have messaged you.

Each contact shows:
- Name and phone number
- Tags and labels
- Last conversation date
- Total messages exchanged

### Adding Tags

Tags help you segment customers:
1. Open a contact profile
2. Click **Add Tag**
3. Choose an existing tag or create a new one

Popular tags: `VIP`, `New Customer`, `Support`, `Sales Lead`

### Importing Contacts

1. Go to **Contacts → Import**
2. Upload a CSV file with columns: `name`, `phone`, `email`, `tags`
3. Map your columns and click **Import**

**Note**: You can only send template messages to imported contacts. Free-form messages require the customer to message you first.

### Exporting Contacts

Go to **Contacts → Export** to download your contact list as CSV. Available on Pro and Business plans.

Managing Contacts & Customer Profiles

## Managing Your Team

Invite team members and control what they can access.

### Adding Team Members

1. Go to **Settings → Team**
2. Click **Invite Member**
3. Enter their email address
4. Select a role
5. Click **Send Invite**

### Available Roles

| Role | Permissions |
|------|------------|
| **Owner** | Full access — billing, settings, team management |
| **Admin** | Everything except billing and account deletion |
| **Agent** | View and reply to conversations, manage contacts |
| **Viewer** | Read-only access to conversations and analytics |

### Conversation Assignment

Assign conversations to specific agents:
- **Auto-assign**: Round-robin distribution among online agents
- **Manual assign**: Click the assign button in any conversation
- **Department routing**: Route by keyword to specific teams

### Team Limits by Plan

- **Free**: 1 member
- **Pro**: Up to 3 members
- **Business**: Up to 10 members

Need more seats? Contact sales@autochat.in for custom plans.

Team Members & Roles

## AutoChat REST API

Integrate AutoChat programmatically using our REST API.

### Authentication

All API requests require an API key in the header:

```
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
```

Generate your API key at **Settings → API → Generate Key**.

### Base URL

```
https://api.autochat.in/v1
```

### Core Endpoints

| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|--------|----------|-------------|
| GET | /conversations | List all conversations |
| GET | /conversations/:id | Get single conversation |
| POST | /messages/send | Send a message |
| GET | /contacts | List contacts |
| POST | /contacts | Create a contact |
| GET | /analytics/summary | Get analytics overview |

### Sending a Message

```json
POST /v1/messages/send
{
  "to": "+919876543210",
  "type": "text",
  "text": { "body": "Hello from the API!" }
}
```

### Rate Limits

- **Free**: 10 requests/minute
- **Pro**: 100 requests/minute
- **Business**: 500 requests/minute

### SDKs

We provide official SDKs for Node.js, Python, and PHP. Install via npm/pip/composer.

Getting Started with AutoChat REST API

## Webhooks Configuration

Receive real-time notifications when events happen in AutoChat.

### Setting Up

1. Go to **Settings → API → Webhooks**
2. Enter your webhook URL (must be HTTPS)
3. Select events to subscribe to
4. Click **Save & Verify**

### Available Events

| Event | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `message.received` | New message from customer |
| `message.sent` | Message sent to customer |
| `message.delivered` | Message delivered |
| `message.read` | Message read by customer |
| `conversation.created` | New conversation started |
| `conversation.closed` | Conversation marked closed |
| `contact.created` | New contact added |

### Webhook Payload

```json
{
  "event": "message.received",
  "timestamp": "2026-03-15T10:30:00Z",
  "data": {
    "message_id": "msg_abc123",
    "conversation_id": "conv_xyz789",
    "from": "+919876543210",
    "text": "Hi, I need help",
    "type": "text"
  }
}
```

### Security

All webhooks include an `X-AutoChat-Signature` header. Verify it using your webhook secret to ensure requests are authentic.

### Retry Policy

Failed deliveries are retried 3 times with exponential backoff (1min, 5min, 30min).

Setting Up Webhooks

## Shopify Integration

Connect your Shopify store to AutoChat and automate order notifications, abandoned cart reminders, and customer support via WhatsApp.

### Setup

1. Go to **Integrations → Shopify**
2. Enter your Shopify store URL (e.g., `mystore.myshopify.com`)
3. Click **Connect** — you'll be redirected to Shopify to authorize
4. Select permissions and click **Install**

### What You Get

- **Order notifications**: Automatically send order confirmation, shipping updates, and delivery notifications via WhatsApp
- **Abandoned cart recovery**: Send reminders to customers who left items in their cart
- **Customer lookup**: See order history directly in AutoChat when chatting with a customer
- **Quick replies**: Pre-built templates for order status, refund requests, and shipping inquiries

### Automation Templates

We provide ready-to-use flow templates:
- Order confirmation with tracking link
- Shipping update notification
- Abandoned cart reminder (sent after 1 hour)
- Review request (sent 3 days after delivery)

### Requirements

- Shopify Basic plan or higher
- AutoChat Pro plan or higher
- Approved WhatsApp message templates

Integrating AutoChat with Shopify

## Zapier Integration

Connect AutoChat to 5,000+ apps using Zapier — no coding required.

### Getting Started

1. Sign up or log in to [Zapier](https://zapier.com)
2. Search for **AutoChat** in the app directory
3. Connect your AutoChat account using your API key
4. Create your first Zap!

### Popular Zaps

- **Google Sheets + AutoChat**: Log all conversations to a spreadsheet
- **HubSpot + AutoChat**: Create CRM contacts from WhatsApp messages
- **Slack + AutoChat**: Get notified in Slack when you receive a new message
- **Mailchimp + AutoChat**: Add WhatsApp contacts to email lists
- **Calendly + AutoChat**: Send WhatsApp reminders for booked appointments

### Available Triggers

- New message received
- New conversation created
- Conversation closed
- New contact added
- Tag added to contact

### Available Actions

- Send a WhatsApp message
- Create or update a contact
- Add a tag to contact
- Assign conversation to agent

### Limits

Zapier triggers check every 2 minutes on free plans, or instantly with Zapier Premium. AutoChat does not limit Zapier connections.

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