Are you looking to integrate WhatsApp to Salesforce? Then you’re at the right place. In this blog, we’ll cover what Salesforce WhatsApp integration is, why integrate Salesforce with WhatsApp and its requirements. We’ll also look at how to integrate Salesforce with WhatsApp on respond.io and the use cases.
What is Salesforce WhatsApp Integration?
Salesforce WhatsApp integration is the process of connecting WhatsApp Business API (also known as the WhatsApp Business Platform) with Salesforce. It allows businesses to message contacts while maintaining a centralized database for sales, support and marketing activities, ensuring that all contact information is always kept up-to-date across platforms.
Next, let’s look at the benefits of integrating Salesforce and WhatsApp.
Why Integrate Salesforce with WhatsApp?
“Integrating Salesforce with WhatsApp allows agents to access all customer information at the click of a button. Then, agents don’t have to constantly switch between platforms to retrieve and view this information,” said Zheng Yang, Senior Technical Product Manager at respond.io.
A Harvard Business Review study showed that workers spend four hours every week switching between platforms. By integrating both WhatsApp and Salesforce, this clears up a ton of time workers spend on unproductive tasks.
Keeping all customer information available in one place also gives agents the proper context when messaging customers, making the experience seamless. This consolidated view can help agents give faster responses, which is crucial when 82% of customers expect an immediate response to a marketing or sales question.
Additionally, the integration can allow for advanced automation capabilities such as lead qualification, contact routing and assignment, and AI Agents.
If you’re convinced with the benefits of integrating Salesforce and WhatsApp, let’s look at the requirements.
Requirements for Integrating Salesforce with WhatsApp
Take note of a few things before setting up Salesforce WhatsApp integration.
You need a WhatsApp API account.
Salesforce users should also have admin access to configure the necessary integrations.
Businesses also have the option of connecting Salesforce and WhatsApp to a business messaging platform, such as respond.io, a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider (BSP). It acts as a bridge between Salesforce and WhatsApp, enabling message routing, automation, and seamless data retrieval.
Before you can integrate Salesforce and WhatsApp, let’s look at the types of integrations available.
Types of Salesforce WhatsApp Integration
Businesses have two options to integrate WhatsApp and Salesforce. Each type of integration offers distinct advantages and limitations depending on a company’s needs, existing tools, and messaging goals.
Here’s a detailed look at the two types of Salesforce WhatsApp integrations, including how they work, their pros and cons, and which option is best for different business use cases.
Direct WhatsApp Integration in Salesforce
This type of integration allows businesses to connect or create a WhatsApp Business Account directly within the Salesforce CRM. It involves setting up WhatsApp as a native communication channel in Salesforce, which means that agents can manage conversations directly from Salesforce without needing an external platform.
Here’s the pros and cons of directly integrating WhatsApp in Salesforce.
Pros | Cons |
|---|
Single platform for customer and CRM interactions | Limited messaging capabilities compared to dedicated messaging platforms |
Automation using Salesforce tools | Limited to WhatsApp, Facebook, SMS and voice call only |
Easy reporting and analytics of messages and customer information like lifecycle movement | Complex pricing structure that requires clarification from Salesforce sales representative |
Direct integration is best for businesses that already rely heavily on Salesforce for CRM and customer communication or teams with existing Salesforce expertise who can manage and configure the integration.
Integrating WhatsApp and Salesforce via a Third-Party Platform
This type of integration involves using a third-party messaging platform (such as respond.io) that connects both Salesforce and WhatsApp. The third-party platform acts as an intermediary, synchronizing data between Salesforce and WhatsApp while providing additional messaging features.
Here’s the pros and cons of directly integrating WhatsApp and Salesforce in a business messaging platform.
Pros | Cons |
|---|
Advanced messaging capabilities including AI agents and no-code automation | Customer data could be potentially desynchronized |
Omnichannel messaging capabilities | Additional costs involved in subscribing to a messaging platform |
Designed to send and receive messages at scale | Potentially more complex setup |
Platforms are optimized and built around sending messages | |
This type of integration is ideal for businesses that want to engage customers across multiple messaging platforms at scale.
Next, let’s look at how to set up WhatsApp integration in Salesforce.
Setting Up WhatsApp Integration in Salesforce
In this section, we’ll cover how you can directly integrate WhatsApp in Salesforce.
1. Go to Setup → Messaging Settings → Click New Channel → Start → Select WhatsApp (Enhanced) → Next.|
2. Accept the terms and conditions → Click Next → Connect to WhatsApp.
3. Enter your Facebook login credentials → Follow the prompts to create or select a Meta Business Account and WhatsApp Business Account.
4. Verify your WhatsApp Business phone number by text or voice call.
5. After setup confirmation, click Finish.
If you’re using WhatsApp in another platform, you can also connect Salesforce to it. In the next section, we’ll see how you can integrate Salesforce and WhatsApp in respond.io, an AI-powered customer conversation management platform.
Integrate Salesforce and WhatsApp in Respond.io in 5 Steps
If you have existing Salesforce and WhatsApp accounts, you can integrate them into respond.io to manage all your conversations and view customer information.
1. Go to Workspace settings > Integrations.
2. Find Salesforce and select Manage.
3. Click Connect Salesforce.
4. A new tab will open. Sign in to your Salesforce account and authorize respond.io.
5. Once connected, you’ll see a confirmation message with your Salesforce account details.
If you don’t have an existing WhatsApp API account and want to integrate it into respond.io, get in touch with our Sales Team to get one.
To sync contact information from respond.io to Salesforce, you will need to use Zapier or Make.
So, now that you’ve connected Salesforce and WhatsApp API to respond.io, what can you use it for? We’ll look at that next.
Use Cases: How Businesses Can Use Salesforce WhatsApp Integration on Respond.io
Integrating a CRM like Salesforce into WhatsApp unlocks many opportunities for businesses. Broadly, businesses can focus on three use cases for this integration.
Let’s explore them.
Marketing and Lead Generation
Marketing teams can utilize WhatsApp click-to-chat (CTC) ads to run lead generation campaigns. When leads contact you, a Workflow automation can run to save this lead’s information. You can also capture leads through WhatsApp QR codes in your physical store as well as WhatsApp links in your website and social media profiles.
Additionally, WhatsApp broadcast can be used to retarget cold leads. On respond.io, you can schedule these broadcasts as a part of your marketing strategy and execution.
Sales and Engagement
Sales teams can use automated follow-ups to nurture leads or as appointment booking reminders. The information in Salesforce will give agents the right context when crafting personalized messages for these prospects.
If your agents are using the WhatsApp Business Calling API, now available in Beta on respond.io, to reach out to customers, the ability to pull up their information without switching platforms is very useful. Agents can stay focused on the call while getting the right context to close a sale.
Furthermore, agents and their managers can also use the Contact Lifecycle, a lead management tool, to track where customers are along the customer lifecycle. When customers are moved to the next stage of the lifecycle, the information can be updated in Salesforce automatically using Zapier or Make.
The information retrieved from the Salesforce integration will allow agents to access their information quickly, while chatting with leads, address their inquiries, and guide them toward conversion using personalized responses and relevant offers.
Customer Support
By accessing a customer’s messaging history and other records like support tickets, agents can respond faster and resolve inquiries in a shorter time frame. This gives agents context to respond more accurately and avoid asking customers to repeat information.
Furthermore, managers can use the Reports Module to gain additional insight into how effectively conversations are being handled by agents. They can review the first response and resolution times to gauge the overall quality of customer conversations.
Get Started with Salesforce WhatsApp Integration on Respond.io
Whether you want to market, sell or provide support to customers, respond.io has all the tools businesses need. Enhance your communication strategy can easily integrate Salesforce with WhatsApp using respond.io. To get started, reach out to us or start a free trial today.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I sync contacts from respond.io to Salesforce?
Currently, you can’t sync contacts to Salesforce through the native integration. However, you can sync contacts using Zapier or Make.
2. Do I need technical expertise to set up the integration?
While some configuration is required, respond.io provides an intuitive interface and guides to help businesses set up the integration easily.
3. Is the integration compliant with WhatsApp policies?
Yes. However, you will still need to comply with WhatsApp’s Messaging Policy.
Further Reading
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