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WhatsApp Business API channel

Run the same knowledge-grounded Lira agent inside WhatsApp: inbound customer messages become Lira conversations, the AI answers from your knowledge base, and escalations open tickets routed to your team — with per-channel analytics.

Plan requirement

The WhatsApp Business API channel is included in the Scale and Enterprise plans. On other plans the section shows what you'd set up; upgrade to Scale from Settings → Subscription (Scale is self-serve — pick it and pay through Paddle Checkout). Meta's per-conversation fees are billed by Meta on top of your Lira plan.

While your workspace is in sandbox, you can configure and dry-run the channel regardless of plan — but real Meta sends always require a live workspace on Scale or above, because they accrue Meta fees.

How the ownership works​

You own the sender identity; Lira operates the channel. Your business owns the Meta Business Portfolio, the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA), the phone number, and the display name your customers see — and pays Meta's WhatsApp fees. Lira securely stores the credentials you provide (encrypted; never shown back in the dashboard), receives the webhooks, runs the AI, and handles ticketing, escalation, and analytics.

Before you start: Meta-side setup​

Complete these in Meta Business Manager (the in-app checklist under Settings → Support → Channels → WhatsApp mirrors this list):

  1. Meta Business Portfolio — create or confirm your Business Manager account.
  2. WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) — create or connect one; note the WABA ID.
  3. Phone number — add and verify the number customers will message. A number already registered in the WhatsApp app must be migrated first.
  4. Business verification & display name — complete Meta business verification and submit your display name for review.
  5. Meta app + system-user access token — create a Meta developer app with WhatsApp enabled and generate a system-user token with the whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management permissions, granted to your WABA and phone number.
  6. Message templates — create and submit outbound templates (support acknowledgement, ticket updates, human handoff, resolution, CSAT). Templates are required for messages outside WhatsApp's 24-hour customer-service window.

Configuring the channel in Lira​

In Settings → Support → Channels → WhatsApp:

  1. Enter your WABA ID, Phone Number ID (the Cloud API ID, not the visible number), display number, and display name.
  2. Paste the access token, app secret, and a webhook verify token (generate any strong string). These are write-only: Lira stores them encrypted and shows only a "configured" badge afterward.
  3. Copy the webhook callback URL shown in the tab into your Meta app's WhatsApp webhook configuration, using your verify token, and subscribe to the messages webhook field.
  4. Add your approved template names to the allowlist, and set opt-out keywords.
  5. Turn on the rollout toggles in order as you test:
    • Channel enabled — Lira accepts and verifies your webhooks.
    • Ingest conversations — inbound messages create Lira conversations.
    • AI auto-replies — the agent answers from your knowledge base (outbound stays in dry-run).
    • Real Meta sends — replies actually deliver to customers. Leave off until sandbox testing passes.

Safety behavior​

WhatsApp conversations run the same guardrails as web chat and email: PII redaction before any AI processing, knowledge-grounded answers only, low-confidence escalation, financial-advice refusal (where enabled), and complaint escalation into SLA-tracked tickets. Duplicate webhook deliveries are processed once.

Analytics​

The WhatsApp tab shows a 30-day summary (inbound messages, auto-replies, outbound sends, failures, escalations, duplicates) and recent channel events. WhatsApp conversations count toward your plan's monthly conversation volume; Meta's fees are tracked separately.