Business WhatsApp connection
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1. Introduction
The «Business WhatsApp Connection» section describes how to connect WhatsApp Business to the Leeloo.AI platform via the Twilio service. Once integrated, WhatsApp becomes one of the communication channels with leads and customers — both for incoming conversations and for template-based outreach.
The WhatsApp channel belongs to the Engage → Manage stages of the customer lifecycle: it lets you receive lead inquiries, run conversations on the network, and send proactive messages to users (subject to template approval). The integration requires a Twilio account upgraded to a paid tier and a Facebook Business account.
From this guide you will learn:
how to register a Twilio account and upgrade it;
how to connect your phone number to WhatsApp via Twilio;
how to connect Twilio to Leeloo.AI;
how to enable the buttons feature (Messaging Service);
how to work with WhatsApp limitations and message templates.
2. Key terms
Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Twilio | A cloud communications service through which Leeloo.AI connects to the WhatsApp Business API. |
Account SID / Auth Token | Credentials for the Twilio account, entered when configuring the integration on the platform. |
WhatsApp Sender | A phone number connected to WhatsApp Business via Twilio and verified through Facebook. |
Messaging Service SID | The identifier of a Twilio Messaging Service that enables sending messages with buttons. |
Template | A pre-approved message text verified by WhatsApp. Required for proactive outreach outside the 24-hour window. |
24-hour window | The period during which you can freely message a user after their last incoming message. After it expires — templates only. |
3. Prerequisites
Before starting the connection, make sure you have:
a SIM card that can receive SMS and that is not yet registered in WhatsApp Business;
a Twilio account (see registration steps in section 4);
a Facebook account — opened in an adjacent browser tab, used to verify the number on the WhatsApp side.
Important: smart broadcasting via WhatsApp is not recommended. If the same message is sent to many recipients in a short period of time, there is a risk of the number being blocked. WhatsApp does not publish clear criteria for blocking — it is decided case by case (spam complaints, frequency of unanswered messages, etc.). There are no explicit restrictions on external links, but communication should be conducted on an interactive basis: incoming message from the client → outgoing from the platform.
We recommend reviewing Twilio's WhatsApp rules:
4. Registering a Twilio account
Step 1. Follow the link: https://www.twilio.com/try-twilio
Step 2. Fill in all registration details.
Step 3. After registration, from the Dashboard page, go to the account details page.
Step 4. To connect WhatsApp via Twilio, you need to upgrade your Twilio account. Click the «Upgrade» button.
Step 5. On the next page, fill in the requested information.
Step 6. Fill in your card details. The minimum top-up amount required for the upgrade is 20 USD.
Step 7. After payment, proceed to connecting your number to Twilio (section 5).
5. Connecting your number to Twilio
Step 1. In Twilio, go to Senders → WhatsApp Senders and click the «Get Started» button.
Step 2. Select «My Own Phone Number», enter the phone number that is not yet registered with WhatsApp in the corresponding field, and click «Continue».
Step 3. Click «Continue with Facebook».
Step 4. Select the desired Facebook account and click «Continue as…».
Step 5. Follow the instructions from Facebook and fill in the required business-profile data — the following screens appear in sequence:
Once setup is complete, you will receive confirmation that the number has been connected:
6. Connecting Twilio to Leeloo.AI
Step 1. Go to your Twilio account settings and copy the Account SID and Auth Token.
Step 2. Go to the platform: https://app.leeloo.ai/settings/integrations/messengers
Settings → Messengers → New connection. Select a new WhatsApp connection.
Step 3. Fill in the integration details:
Account SID — into the «Account» field;
Auth Token — into the «Token» field;
Phone — your phone number connected to Twilio WhatsApp.
Click «Join» to add the connection.
Step 4. Return to Twilio, open Senders → WhatsApp Senders, and click «Edit» next to your phone number.
Step 5. In the «Webhook URL for Incoming Message» field, enter: https://app.leeloo.ai/twillio-whatsapp/receive/YOUR_ID. You can copy the ID on the Leeloo platform in your already connected WhatsApp connection by clicking the «Copy id» button.
Step 6. After making the changes, click «Update WhatsApp Sender».
This completes the connection process. You can now add WhatsApp as another communication channel on your LGT.
7. Enabling the buttons feature (Messaging Service)
To enable the functionality of sending buttons to leads, you need to configure a Twilio Messaging Service and obtain a Messaging Service SID.
Step 1. Go to Messaging → Services → Create Messaging Service.
Step 2. Give the service any name and fill in the fields as shown in the screenshot below.
Step 3. On the next step, click «Add Senders».
Step 4. Select the «WhatsApp Number» option.
Step 5. Select the desired phone number and proceed to the next step.
Step 6. Select the «Send a Webhook» option.
Step 7. Copy the webhook from Leeloo.AI and paste it into the «Request URL» field.
Step 8. On the final step, click «Complete Messaging Service Setup», then «View My Messaging Service».
Step 9. Go to Messaging → WhatsApp Senders.
Step 10. Find your number and click «Edit Sender».
Step 11. In the «Endpoint Configuration» menu, select «Use Messaging Service» and choose the service name you created.
Step 12. Click «Update WhatsApp Sender» at the bottom.
Step 13. Go to Messaging → Services, copy the SID, and paste it into the corresponding field on Leeloo.AI.
Step 14. Click the «Reconnect» button on Leeloo.AI.
Step 15. Done! Verify that you can send buttons to leads:
8. WhatsApp limitations and message templates
WhatsApp Messenger allows you to send messages to users only within a 24-hour window. After 24 hours from the user's last message, you will not be able to communicate with them directly. To send proactive messages outside this window, you need to create message templates and submit them for verification. Only after approval can you freely send the verified content.
A notification like the one in the screenshot above will appear in your Twilio account after your business account has been verified. By clicking «Create Template», you can create templates and submit them for review. Templates are required so that you can send messages to leads when they do not respond to your bot within 24 hours.
Facebook's instructions for creating templates: https://developers.facebook.com/docs/whatsapp/message-templates/creation/
In our case, business-account confirmation took 2 days. However, the exact time may vary — for clarification, contact the integration service (Twilio).
To use WhatsApp successfully, please review the service's recommendations in detail: https://www.whatsapp.com/policies/commerce-policy/
Please note that Leeloo.AI has no relation to Twilio/WhatsApp requirements and does not influence the approval of your application or the verification of your WhatsApp business profile. The Leeloo.AI platform only provides the ability to integrate with Twilio/WhatsApp, so please follow all instructions from Twilio/WhatsApp on their websites and in any emails you receive requesting additional information.
For technical questions regarding the connection of your already verified WhatsApp business profile, please contact the Leeloo.AI technical support chat.
8.1. Step-by-step guide to creating WhatsApp templates in Twilio
To send proactive messages to your audience outside the 24-hour window, you need to have your message template approved.
To submit a template for approval, follow the step-by-step instructions below:
Step 1. Log in to the Twilio admin panel.
Step 2. Go to Messaging → Senders → WhatsApp Templates.
Step 3. Click the «New Message Template» button.
Step 4. Fill in the corresponding fields.
Template name — any name for the template in English.
Template category:
Marketing — any marketing broadcasts;
Authentication — transactional messages (2FA, code verification);
Utility — system messages.
Step 5. Click the «Send for WhatsApp Approval» button.
Step 6. Wait for the «Approved» confirmation status.
Once your text template has been approved in Twilio, you can send the text directly from Leeloo.AI.
9. Related guides
Guide | Purpose |
|---|---|
Connecting other messengers to the Leeloo.AI platform. |