This guide explains how to configure your AI Employee to send information and notifications via WhatsApp instead of SMS. By installing an additional ManyChat template and enabling a specific project attribute, you can route informational messages through your connected WhatsApp Business number.
Use cases
This configuration is recommended for regions or scenarios where SMS is less effective than WhatsApp:
European markets: Use this for countries like Spain where SMS delivery can be problematic or strictly regulated.
Middle East: Use this for the UAE and Arab Emirates, where users strongly prefer WhatsApp over SMS for business communication.
Asian markets: Use this for regions where WhatsApp is the primary platform for all messaging interactions.
Prerequisites
ManyChat Pro account or higher.
Connected Whatsapp Business number.
Configured ManyChat integration with the WhatsApp template (see this guide).
❗❗ IMPORTANT
You must connect your WhatsApp Business number in ManyChat before enabling this feature.
If you have not connected a WhatsApp number, follow the official ManyChat guides:
Install the WhatsApp template
To send informational messages (replacing standard SMS functionality), you must install a secondary template in addition to the standard Newo.ai ManyChat template discussed in this article.
Log in to your ManyChat account.
Open the Newo.ai WhatsApp Information Template.
Click Install.
Select the ManyChat account where your AI Employee is connected.
Click Install Now to confirm.
Enable the WhatsApp attribute
Once the template is installed, you must update your project attributes to switch the messaging channel from SMS to WhatsApp.
Navigate to the Attributes page in the Builder.
Toggle Show Hidden and locate the
project_attributes_setting_manychat_use_whatsapp_to_send_informationattribute.Set the attribute value to
true.Click Save and Publish All.
🚨 WARNING
Deactivating this attribute will not automatically reactivate SMS sending or rewrite the instructions back to their original state. If you decide to stop using WhatsApp for information delivery, you must manually revert the instructions and configurations.
Create an outbound message template
WhatsApp requires the first outbound message to use a Meta-approved template.
In ManyChat, go to Settings.
Under Channels, click WhatsApp.
Select the Message Templates tab.
Click on the Initial greeting template.
Edit the Message field with your desired text (e.g., "Please confirm receipt of the messages.")
Configure Reply Button options (e.g., "Ok").
Click Save to apply changes.
Here's how this looks for users when the agent sends this example initial greeting:
The user can click "Ok" to confirm receipt and continue the conversation.
Current constraints
Keep the following in mind when deciding whether to switch SMS capabilities to WhatsApp:
Manual Setup: Each customer requires an individual ManyChat/WhatsApp configuration.
Scaling: Cannot fully replace SMS at scale yet.
Template Requirement: First message must use the approved template.
Verification Delay: Meta Business Verification can take days.
No Auto-Detection: Cannot automatically check if the user has WhatsApp.
One-Way Activation: Deactivating WhatsApp doesn't automatically restore SMS functionality.