flexinbox
WhatsApp CRM integration

How WhatsApp CRM integration
works

WhatsApp CRM integration is set up in three steps: you scan the QR code, connect your CRM and start writing. Every incoming message is matched to the right customer record by phone number, and your team replies from one panel, from its own number. There is no application to wait for.

Setup takes minutes  ·  No credit card required  ·  14 days free

FlexInbox inbox: the CRM record next to the conversation

Conversation on the left, the customer's CRM record on the right:
no second screen

Setup

Three steps, same day

You start without waiting for a Meta application. You connect your own number with a QR code, and if you want an official line we open that from the same panel.

01

Scan the QR code

Everyone on your team scans from their own phone: WhatsApp › Linked devices › QR code. The number does not change and the app on the phone keeps running.

02

Connect your CRM

You authorize Zoho, Bitrix24, HubSpot or GoHighLevel. Your users, your stage lists and your fields come from there, so you do not create users by hand.

03

Start writing

The incoming message opens in the panel with the CRM record beside it. You write the reply from the panel or from inside your CRM, and it reaches the customer from the same number.

Flow

What happens when a message arrives

Nobody runs a search to link the number, the record and the owner.

01 The customer writes From their own phone, to a number they know. The message reaches the panel within seconds.
02 The number is normalized The phone is converted to international format, so a country code difference does not lose the record.
03 The record is looked up in the CRM The number is searched in the CRM and the phone on the returned record is verified exactly. If there is no record, one is created according to the mode you choose.
04 The conversation opens with the record The record name, its owner and its stage sit above the conversation. The agent writes the reply from here.
Matching

Landing a message on the right record is not left to guesswork

Table matching users, panel accounts and connected lines

Who is on which line and in which role:
in one table

Record matching

The number is matched exactly

CRM searches can return similar numbers because of a country code or formatting difference. If the phone on the returned record is not exactly the number writing to you, it is not accepted: the note, the owner and the stage are never written to another customer's record.

Technical details
  • The phone is converted to E.164 format, and lookup and writing use the same format
  • In Zoho, Contacts are searched first and then Leads; in HubSpot, the phone and mobile fields are scanned
  • The record and the owner are resolved once on the first message, not asked of the CRM again on every message
  • If no record is found, the same number is not looked up again for a while, which protects your CRM API quota
  • The record creation mode for an unknown number is yours: create nothing, a Lead, a Contact, or a Contact + Deal
Reply path

The same conversation from both sides

If your team works inside the CRM all day, it does not need to switch to the panel. Wherever you write the reply, it reaches the customer from the same number and the conversation history looks the same on both sides.

From the panel

All lines in one list: filters, tags, assignment and reports are here.

From inside the CRM

A record tab in Bitrix24, a 'Message on WhatsApp' button in Zoho, a conversation card on the contact record in HubSpot.

From the phone

On a QR code line you can keep writing from your own phone, and the message also appears in the panel.

Limits

What to know before you start

Some of this comes from WhatsApp and CRM rules, some of it from a deliberate choice of ours.

A CRM is required. FlexInbox runs on top of a CRM. If you do not have a Zoho, Bitrix24, HubSpot or GoHighLevel account, we open one together during setup. There is no use without a CRM.

Open Channels are required in Bitrix24. The integration runs on the Open Channels feature of Bitrix24. That feature is part of your Bitrix24 plan and cannot be enabled by us.

Group conversations are not written to the CRM. WhatsApp groups appear in the panel and can be answered, but a group has no single customer record, so it is not recorded in the CRM.

Show all technical limitations

The 24-hour rule on the official line. If the customer has not written in the last 24 hours, you can reach them from the official line only with an approved template. A QR code line has no such window.

A QR code line is subject to WhatsApp rules. Sending bulk or unsolicited messages from a personal number can get the number restricted.

Setup time depends on the line. A QR code line connects within minutes. An official line depends on business verification and number approval by Meta.

FAQ

How WhatsApp CRM integration works: common questions

How does WhatsApp CRM integration work?

You connect your own number with a QR code, or you open a Meta-approved official line. The phone of the incoming message is looked up in the CRM, the returned record is verified exactly, and the conversation opens with that record name, owner and stage. You write the reply from the panel or from inside your CRM.

Do I have to change my number?

No. Your team keeps writing from the number it uses today. The app on the phone keeps running, and the panel is added as one more device linked to the number.

Is a WhatsApp Business API application required?

No. Your own number connected by QR code is enough. If you want a corporate line, we open a WhatsApp Business API line in the same panel, and both land in the same inbox.

What happens if there is no record?

You choose what happens for an unknown number: create nothing, create a Lead, create a Contact, or create a Contact + Deal. If it is off, the message still reaches the panel and no record is created in the CRM.

How long does setup take?

A QR-code line and the CRM connection take minutes. An official line depends on Meta's business verification and number approval; that timing is on Meta's side.

Everyone on my team has a separate number, does that work?

Yes. Each agent connects their own number with a QR code, and they all come together in the same panel. There is no per-person fee; the fee is based on the number of connected lines.

Scan the QR code today, start messaging today

The CRM connection and the first line take minutes. If an official line is needed, the application is subject to Meta's approval.

No credit card  ·  14 days free