> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.suptask.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://support.suptask.com/integrations-automations-and-workflows/whatsapp-to-slack-ticketing.md).

# WhatsApp-to-Slack Ticketing

WhatsApp messages and group chats as tickets into Slack with Suptask

***

{% hint style="warning" %}
The WhatsApp integration is a part of the Custom plan. Additional cost might apply.
{% endhint %}

### Overview

The WhatsApp integration lets your customers reach you on WhatsApp, while your team works the conversation as a normal Suptask ticket inside Slack.

When a customer messages your WhatsApp business number, Suptask creates a ticket. Your agents read and reply from the ticket thread in Slack, and the reply is delivered back to the customer in WhatsApp. The communication is **bi-directionally** synced between Slack and WhatsApp.

**WhatsApp group chats** are supported as well. You can keep a long-running group with a customer's team, and their requests become tickets your agents handle from Slack — while the group only sees one normal WhatsApp conversation.

{% hint style="info" %}
An admin sets up the connection in the Suptask Web App together with Suptask Integration Specialists (SIS).
{% endhint %}

***

### How it works

1. A customer sends a message to your WhatsApp business number, or to a group your business created.
2. Suptask creates a ticket in the connected Inbox and notifies your agents in Slack.
3. An agent replies in the ticket thread in Slack, like on any other Suptask ticket.
4. The reply is delivered back to the customer in WhatsApp, sent as your business identity.
5. Follow-up messages from the customer are added to the same ticket conversation.

Your customers never see Slack, and your agents never leave it.

***

### How tickets are created

There are two ways a WhatsApp message becomes a ticket. You can use them separately or together.

**Automatic creation**\
A new conversation is turned into a ticket automatically. This suits one-to-one chats, where each conversation is one request.

**Manual creation with the ticket emoji**\
A ticket is created by adding the **ticket emoji reaction** to a message. Only that message and the replies connected to it become part of the ticket.

{% hint style="info" %}
For group chats, we recommend manual creation. A group conversation runs continuously and covers many topics from many people. Creating tickets manually lets several tickets live side by side in the same group, instead of one long conversation turning into a single ticket.
{% endhint %}

***

### Working the ticket as an agent

A ticket created from WhatsApp behaves like any other Suptask ticket. You can assign it, set fields and statuses, apply automation rules, track it against your SLA, and follow it up in reports.

In the ticket thread in Slack you have both types of replies:

* **Internal comments** stay in Slack with your team, and are never delivered to WhatsApp.
* **Public replies** are delivered back to the WhatsApp conversation as your business identity.

{% content-ref url="/pages/FktVNYMhs2xmToLtfHk0" %}
[Responding to tickets](/working-with-tickets/for-agents-who-respond-and-manage-tickets/how-to-respond-and-manage-tickets.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

***

### How requesters reply from WhatsApp

Because several tickets can exist in the same WhatsApp conversation, Suptask needs to know which ticket a reply belongs to.

**Default behavior:** the requester replies by **quoting the ticket creation message** in the chat. The reply is then automatically directed into that ticket.

This is the recommended behavior for **group chats**, where multiple people and multiple open tickets share one conversation.

**Customized behavior:** the routing can be adapted to your setup. For a one-to-one chat, for example, you can let any reply within a set number of hours after the ticket was opened go into that ticket, without quoting.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Time-based routing isn't recommended for group chats. With several people writing in parallel, replies risk landing in the wrong ticket.
{% endhint %}

***

### WhatsApp group chats

Group chats let you keep one shared conversation with a customer's team over time, instead of separate one-to-one threads. Requests from the group become tickets, and your team answers from Slack as a single business identity.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Group chats require an Official Business Account (OBA) on Meta's side. This is a level beyond standard business verification. Confirm that you have it, or can get it, before planning around groups.
{% endhint %}

**How groups work:**

* **You create the group**, and people join through an invite link you send. You **cannot** add Suptask to a group the customer already created - groups are invite-only and business-created.
* Everyone messages as normal in the group. Your team reads and replies from Slack.
* A group can have multiple participants including the Suptask app.

#### Mirror a group to a Slack channel

A WhatsApp group can be mirrored into a Slack channel of your choice. The conversation from the group appears in that channel, and the tickets created from it are handled in the same place.

This is ideal for long-lived groups with a partner or customer where support happens daily or weekly:

* Your team follows the full conversation, not only the messages that became tickets.
* Anyone in the channel can spot a request and turn it into a ticket.
* The history stays searchable in Slack, together with the tickets.

#### Pin tickets in the group

Suptask can automatically pin tickets that are created in the group, so participants easily find the ticket they need to reply to.

{% hint style="warning" %}
WhatsApp allows a maximum of 3 pinned messages per group. Older pins are replaced as new tickets are pinned.
{% endhint %}

#### Group limits set by Meta

Meta comes with a number of limitations that are good to be aware of, when it comes to Group chats.

| Limit               | Detail                                              |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| **Participants**    | 7 maximum, Suptask + members                        |
| **Joining**         | Invite link only - you can't join an existing group |
| **Supported types** | Text, media and templates.                          |

***

### What you need from Meta

WhatsApp is provided by Meta, and the requirements below are set by Meta — not by Suptask. You will need admin access to your company's Meta Business account.

| Requirement                   | Notes                                                              |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Meta Business account**     | Your company's Business portfolio on business.facebook.com         |
| **WhatsApp Business Account** | Created during setup. Holds your number and message templates      |
| **A dedicated phone number**  | Must not already be active on WhatsApp — see below                 |
| **Business verification**     | Verify your business with Meta. Start this first, it isn't instant |
| **An admin to authorize**     | Someone with admin rights on the Meta Business account             |
| **A display name**            | The name customers see. Meta reviews and approves it               |
| **Message templates**         | Only needed to message a customer after the 24-hour window closes  |

Two things commonly cause delays:

* **The phone number.** Use a number that isn't already registered on WhatsApp. A number already in use must be deleted from WhatsApp first, or kept through Meta's **Coexistence** feature, which lets you use the WhatsApp Business app and the API on the same number. Note that Coexistence numbers **cannot use group chats**. Once registered, the number can still be used for regular calls and texts, but not in the consumer WhatsApp app.
* **Business verification.** It affects how many people you are allowed to message, and it isn't instant. Start it before anything else.

***

### Set up the WhatsApp Integration

Reach out to [Suptask Support](/getting-started/contact-support.md) to get started with your WhatsApp integration. We normally start with a discovery meeting to plan out the set up together, with a defined onboarding process all together.

***

### Costs

WhatsApp messaging is billed by Meta directly to **your own Meta account**. Suptask never resells or marks up WhatsApp messaging, so you keep full visibility and control of your spend.

***

### Before you connect: checklist

* \[ ] Meta Business account with admin access
* \[ ] Dedicated phone number ready, cleared of any existing WhatsApp account
* \[ ] Business verification underway
* \[ ] Display name chosen
* \[ ] Official Business Account confirmed - *if you plan to use group chats*
* \[ ] Billing set up on your Meta account
* \[ ] At least one message template prepared, if you need to follow up after 24 hours

***

### Troubleshooting

* **No ticket is created from a message** - confirm that WhatsApp is enabled on the Inbox, that the phone number is connected to that Inbox, and whether the Inbox uses automatic or manual ticket creation.
* **A reply landed in the wrong ticket** - the requester replied without quoting the ticket creation message. Ask them to quote the ticket message, or review your reply routing settings.
* **A reply isn't delivered** - the 24-hour window has likely closed. Reach the customer with an approved template instead.
* **A ticket isn't pinned in the group** - WhatsApp allows only 3 pinned messages per group, so the oldest pin is replaced.
* **A message arrives as "unsupported message"** - the message type isn't supported in group chats, for example a reaction or a location.
* **Group creation isn't available** - confirm that your business has Official Business Account status, and that your number isn't a Coexistence number.
* **The connection stopped working** - access may have been revoked in the Meta Business account. Reconnect the WhatsApp source on the Inbox.

***

### Official Meta references

WhatsApp Platform requirements and pricing are set by Meta and can change. Always confirm against Meta's official documentation:

* [Get started with the WhatsApp Business Platform](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/get-started)
* [Business phone numbers](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/business-phone-numbers/phone-numbers)
* [Official Business Accounts](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/official-business-accounts)

***

### Need help?

Reach out to [Suptask Support](https://claude.ai/getting-started/contact-support.md) and our team will help you connect WhatsApp.