WhatsApp FAQs

Is WhatsApp free for Gorgias customers?

Yes, WhatsApp is free for Gorgias customers - WhatsApp tickets will be handled like all other helpdesk billable tickets and count toward the same total.

Usage costs are incurred through WhatsApp, but Gorgias is paying for them right now. As we add new features, we will reassess this decision. If we do decide to pass these costs off to our customers, we will provide ample warning.

Can I use the same phone number on multiple WhatsApp tools?

No - you can't have one number on the native WhatsApp app/another tool and in Gorgias simultaneously as WhatsApp only allows a number to be on a single WhatsApp account. If your number is integrated with WhatsApp via Gorgias, you can only use that number in Gorgias.

If your number is being used on the WhatsApp Business app, you'd need to remove it from the account that it's being used on before you'd be able to integrate it with Gorgias.

Can I integrate a phone number that I've used for a different WhatsApp Business account?

Yes - depending on what WhatsApp tool your number is hosted on, you can use one of three methods to migrate, but you'll lose all previous conversation history and groups you might have joined on your old WhatsApp Business Account.

WhatsApp/WhatsApp Business App

To integrate a phone number used on the mobile or desktop app, you must delete the number from the account using the following steps:

1. Open the WhatsApp app/WhatsApp Business app.

2. Navigate to Settings -> Account.

3. Select Delete My Account.

4. Follow the steps described to delete your WhatsApp account.

It may take up to 3 minutes for the disconnected number to become available and, once the number has become available, you can undergo the standard WhatsApp onboarding.

3rd-party WhatsApp integration (Zendesk's WhatsApp integration, 360dialog, Twilio, etc.)

For numbers that have been used in different 3rd-party WhatsApp integrations, we suggest migrating your existing account through our WhatsApp migration wizard.

Migrating your account will ensure that you retain the following information from your old account:

Display name
Quality rating
Messaging limits
Official Business Account status
Any high-quality messaging templates previously approved by WhatsApp

The following information will not be migrated:

Messaging and Chat history
Low quality, rejected, or pending Message Templates

To migrate your existing phone number, visit the WhatsApp integration page in Gorgias and select the Migrate From Another Provider button which will open a Migration Wizard to guide you step-by-step through the migration process.

You can also integrate WhatsApp phone numbers on a 3rd-party platform by deleting them from your WhatsApp Business Manager profile, though you'll lose all associated WhatsApp Templates, your Verification Tick (if you have one), and your quality rating/messaging limits.

What's the 24-hour conversation window?

WhatsApp allows you to answer customers with custom messages (without WhatsApp Message Templates) within a 24-hour response window from the last message sent by the customer. Every new message sent from the customer restarts this 24-hour window and you can reply within that 24-hour period.

When the response window expires, you can re-engage with the customer only through WhatsApp Message Templates - this is a limitation on Meta's side reflected in Gorgias.

There's a workaround you can use to engage with your customers after they reach out via WhatsApp, and it's to create an Auto-reply Rule that will target these messages:

The Rule won't extend the conversation window directly, but it has a higher chance to keep the conversation window open by inviting your customers to send new messages. Also, the Tickets would have to be updated manually, which can be done with Bulk Actions, in order for the Rule to trigger.

Can I send and receive voice messages via WhatsApp in Gorgias?

You'll be able to receive voice messages in Gorgias, but the only way to send a voice message is to attach an audio file in the ticket - there's no option to record it directly from the ticket and your customers will have to download it so they can listen to it.

What kind of files or media can I send via WhatsApp in Gorgias?

Since WhatsApp itself doesn't support sending GIFs and supports animated WEBP files instead, we allow the sending of WEBP files via WhatsApp.

Here's a list of the currently supported file types:

.webp files must not be heavier than 500KB for animated images and 100KB for static ones.
.webp files must have dimensions of 512x512 pixels, regardless the their type (static/animated).
Audio/mp4
Audio/mpeg
Audio/amr
Audio/ogg
Audio/opus
Application/vnd.ms-powerpoint
Application/msword
Application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
Application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation
Application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet
Application/pdf
Application/vnd.ms-excel
Text/plain
Image/jpeg
Image/png
Image/webp
Video/mp4
Video/3gpp

Sending the text and the attachment (or inline image) in the same message isn't possible - if the reply/Macro has been sent via a Rule, it'll show as complete in the Gorgias ticket, but the recipient will only receive the textual part of the message.

Can I make and receive calls from WhatsApp in Gorgias?

Not at the moment.

Can I respond to WhatsApp Tickets from the Gorgias Mobile App?