--- title: "WhatsApp messages" slug: "omnichannel-workspace-whatsapp-interactions" description: "Use the WhatsApp channel to exchange messages with WhatsApp users who have opted in to receive messages from your organization." tags: ["Agent", "omnichannel workspace", "WhatsApp"] updated: 2025-10-31T10:06:34Z published: 2025-10-31T10:06:34Z canonical: "docs.voiso.com/omnichannel-workspace-whatsapp-interactions" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.voiso.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # WhatsApp interactions **Who should read this article**: Agents Use the WhatsApp channel to exchange messages with WhatsApp users who have opted in to receive messages from your organization. ## Introduction If the WhatsApp channel is assigned to you in the Omnichannel Workspace, you can receive WhatsApp interactions from contacts in your **Inbox** and reply to them. You might also be permitted to send Business-initiated messages to contacts. ### Business-initiated messages Your Voiso user account might be set up to let you initiate conversations with contacts. WhatsApp must approve the content of unsolicited messages from organizations. Your administrator creates templates and submits them to WhatsApp for approval. You may only initiate outbound message sessions using these templates. The Omnichannel Workspace enables you to select from pre-approved message templates when you initiate a WhatsApp conversation. The **Initiated** tab displays a list of the messages that you initiated with a contact, with the most recently initiated at the top. When a contact responds to one of your initiated messages, the conversation is moved to the **Active** tab. ## WhatsApp interactions You handle WhatsApp interactions using your **Inbox**. ![Omnichannel Workspace WhatsApp Channel Overview](https://cdn.document360.io/44ae307a-3737-4fbf-98e0-9b888deb90dc/Images/Documentation/Omnichannel%20Workspace%20WhatsApp%20Channel%20Overview.png) The following table describes the features of WhatsApp messages. | # | Feature | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Inbox icon | Click the **Inbox** icon to view and handle your WhatsApp interactions. WhatsApp interactions have the WhatsApp icon next to the contact ID or number, and your messages in the transcript are green. | | 2 | Status menu | Use the [Status menu](/v1/docs/agent-panel-getting-started#status-menu) to set your availability status. | | 3 | Active | Your active and recently completed interactions. Click an interaction to view the transcript and send messages. | | 4 | Initiated | Interactions you initiated, but the contact has not yet responded to. | | 5 | New interaction button | Click to initiate a new interaction and send an interaction template to a contact. | | 6 | Agent Panel | The **[Agent Panel](/v1/docs/agent-panel)**. Click the double arrow to expand it to handle voice calls. | | 7 | Archive button | Click to complete an interaction and assign a [wrap-up code](/v1/docs/agent-getting-started-omnichannel-workspace#wrapup-codes). | | 8 | The **Phone call** and **Forward** buttons | Click **Phone Call** to make a voice call to the contact. Click **Forward** to redirect the interaction to a different agent or queue. | | 9 | Message transcript area | Refer to [Message transcript area](/v1/docs/omnichannel-workspace-whatsapp-interactions#message-transcript-area) below for details about the transcript, contact information, and contact location features. | | 10 | Message composition area | Use the [Message composition area](/v1/docs/agent-getting-started-omnichannel-workspace#message-composition-area) to write and send messages, send standard response message templates, and attach files. You can format text as plain, bold, or italic. | ### Message transcript area This area contains a transcript of active and recently completed interactions. Contact messages are on the left, and your messages are on the right. System messages and notifications are displayed in the center of the transcript. WhatsApp interactions might include [contact information](/v1/docs/omnichannel-workspace-whatsapp-interactions#whatsapp-interactions-contact-information) and [location information](/v1/docs/omnichannel-workspace-whatsapp-interactions#whatsapp-interactions-contact-location) shared by contacts during the interaction. #### Service Level timers The following [Service Level timers](/v1/docs/agent-getting-started-omnichannel-workspace#service-level-timers) are displayed above the transcript: - Time to first response - Time to resolution - Time to reply #### WhatsApp interactions contact information In the chat transcript, click **View information** to display the Information panel which includes the following fields: - **Name** (formatted as first name and last name) - **Phone number(s)** (this can be clicked or copied) - **Email address(es)** - **Address(es)** #### WhatsApp interactions contact location In the chat transcript, click the location message to display the contact’s current location in Google Maps in a new browser tab. ## User-initiated messages No restrictions exist on the number of WhatsApp messages a contact may send to your organization. WhatsApp users may initiate an interaction with your organization by sending a message to your organization's WhatsApp number. When a WhatsApp interaction is directed to you, a notification is displayed on your workspace. Click **Answer** to add the interaction to your **Inbox**. ![Omnichannel Workspace Inbound WhatsApp Interaction Notification](https://cdn.document360.io/44ae307a-3737-4fbf-98e0-9b888deb90dc/Images/Documentation/Omnichannel%20Workspace%20Inbound%20WhatsApp%20Interaction%20Notification.png) When you reply to a contact's WhatsApp message, you may send as many non-template messages as necessary within 24-hours. If the contact does not respond to your messages within 24 hours of their first message, you are not allowed to send additional messages unless you use a [message template](/v1/docs/omnichannel-workspace-whatsapp-interactions#message-templates). After the 24-hour restriction period, you may only send message templates to contacts. ![Omnichannel Workspace WhatsApp Channel Reply To Message](https://cdn.document360.io/44ae307a-3737-4fbf-98e0-9b888deb90dc/Images/Documentation/Omnichannel%20Workspace%20WhatsApp%20Channel%20Reply%20To%20Message.png) You can reply to contact-initiated messages by writing text (1), selecting a standard response message template (2), and including attachments (3). ![Omnichannel Workspace Message Composition Area](https://cdn.document360.io/44ae307a-3737-4fbf-98e0-9b888deb90dc/Images/Documentation/Omnichannel%20Workspace%20Message%20Composition%20Area.png) WhatsApp supports the following attachment file types: - Photos (.jpg, .png, .gif, .bmp, and .webp) - Videos (.mp4, .avi, .mkv, .wmv, and .mov) - PDFs - Word documents (.docx) - Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx) - PowerPoint presentations (.pptx) - Audio files (.mp3, .aac, .wav, and .ogg) - WhatsApp Contact information - WhatsApp Contact location Write your message in the message composition area (1), format the text with bold and italic styles (4), then click **Send** (5) or press **Return** to send your message. WhatsApp enables contacts to attach certain file types to send to you. You can view attachments sent by your contact by clicking the **Download** icon on the attachment message. Open the file on your desktop. ![Omnichannel Workspace Downloading An Attachment Edit](https://cdn.document360.io/44ae307a-3737-4fbf-98e0-9b888deb90dc/Images/Documentation/Omnichannel%20Workspace%20Downloading%20An%20Attachment%20Edit.gif) To complete a message, click **Archive**. From the **Select a wrap-up code** panel, click a wrap-up code, then click **Assign**. ![Omnichannel Workspace Archiving An Interaction](https://cdn.document360.io/44ae307a-3737-4fbf-98e0-9b888deb90dc/Images/Documentation/Omnichannel%20Workspace%20Archiving%20An%20Interaction.gif) ### Message templates WhatsApp has strict rules about organizations sending messages to their users. If a contact initiated an interaction with you, but more than 24 hours have elapsed since their last message to you, you may not send a free text message to the contact. To restart the conversation, you may send only pre-approved message templates. Refer to [Contact center initiated messages](/v1/docs/omnichannel-workspace-whatsapp-interactions#contact-center-initiated-messages). ### Phone call WhatsApp interactions are always associated with a phone number. While handling a WhatsApp interaction, you can click **Phone Call** to start a voice call with the WhatsApp user. ### Forward to a queue To forward the interaction to a queue for another agent to accept, click **Forward** then click **Queue** to make the **Queue** tab active. Use the **Search** field to find the queue. Click a queue name to forward the interaction instantly. ![Omnichannel%20Workspace%20Forward%20Interaction%20to%20Queue](https://cdn.document360.io/44ae307a-3737-4fbf-98e0-9b888deb90dc/Images/Documentation/Omnichannel%20Workspace%20Forward%20Interaction%20to%20Queue.gif) ### Forward to an agent To forward the interaction to another agent to accept, click **Forward** then click **Agent** to make the **Agent** tab active. Use the **Search** field to find the agent. Click an agent name to forward the interaction instantly. If the agent declines the interaction, it is returned to you with an error message. Use the **Capacity** bar next to the agent names to determine which agents have enough capacity to handle another interaction: - If an agent is handling less than 80% of their interaction capacity, the capacity bar is blue. - If an agent is not handling any interactions, the capacity bar is grey. - If an agent is handling more than 80% of their interaction capacity, the capacity bar is red. ![Omnichannel%20Workspace%20Forward%20Interaction%20to%20Agent%20Masked](https://cdn.document360.io/44ae307a-3737-4fbf-98e0-9b888deb90dc/Images/Documentation/Omnichannel%20Workspace%20Forward%20Interaction%20to%20Agent%20Masked.gif) ## Business-initiated messages According to WhatsApp rules, organizations cannot send unsolicited WhatsApp messages to their users unless the message is a pre-approved template. Your contact center administrator prepares the templates and makes them available to you. After you send a WhatsApp message template, the contact has 24 hours to respond, or the interaction will be archived automatically in 24 hours. To keep the interaction active, send another message template to the contact. To send a WhatsApp message template to a contact, follow these steps: 1. Click the **Send template button** to display the **Send message** panel. 2. Select **WhatsApp** from the **Channel** menu. 3. Select a WhatsApp channel from the **From** menu. 4. Enter the WhatsApp phone number of the contact in the **To** field. 5. Select a message template from the **Message template** menu. 6. Click **Send**. The interaction is added to the **Initiated** tab. The interaction status is **Initiated**. 7. When the contact responds, the interaction moves to the **Active** tab. You can now send non-template messages to the contact until 24 hours after their last reply. 8. Click **Archive** to complete the interaction. 9. Select a wrap-up code and click **Assign**. ![Omnichannel Workspace Sending A Message Template Masked](https://cdn.document360.io/44ae307a-3737-4fbf-98e0-9b888deb90dc/Images/Documentation/Omnichannel%20Workspace%20Sending%20A%20Message%20Template%20Masked.gif) ## Related - [Omnichannel Workspace](/agent-guide-omnichannel-workspace.md) - [Outbound calls](/agent-panel-outbound-calls.md)