Integrating WhatsApp with Business Central can greatly improve business operations and boost customer engagement. It allows users to seamlessly send and receive messages from multiple users at a large scale, enabling consistent real-time communication.
Here are some key benefits:
- Instant Communication: You can send real-time updates to customers about their orders, shipments, and other important notifications.
- Customer Support: Provide personalized customer support through WhatsApp, allowing customers to reach out with queries and receive quick responses.
- Marketing Campaigns: Send targeted promotions, offers, and reminders directly to customers’ WhatsApp, increasing engagement and sales.
- Automated Messages: Use automated workflows to send messages for routine tasks like appointment reminders, payment confirmations, and more.
- Feedback Collection: Easily collect customer feedback through WhatsApp, helping you improve your services and products.
There are many 3rd party WhatsApp API service providers available in the market that offer APIs for integration like
- Twilio
- Pipedream
- Tripearltech
- n8n
WhatsApp integration will be done in this blog using a Twilio service provider. Here’s a detailed step-by-step guide on how to set up WhatsApp integration using AL (Application Language) in Business Central.
- To get started, the first step is to create an account on Twilio.
- To proceed, we require a Twilio account. Please sign up at Twilio to get started.
- Next, log in using the email address you registered with.
- After obtaining the Account ID and Auth Token from your Twilio account, proceed to configure your application or integrate Twilio services as needed.
- To verify caller IDs, click on the “Verified Caller IDs” section in your Twilio account dashboard. This allows you to manage and authenticate the caller IDs you intend to use with Twilio services.
- To add a new caller ID in Twilio, log into your account, navigate to “Verified Caller IDs,” and follow the prompts to verify and add the new phone number.
- To send a WhatsApp message, click on the option within Twilio’s interface dedicated to WhatsApp messaging.
- To activate your Twilio Sandbox, navigate to the “Sandbox” section in your Twilio account and follow the provided activation instructions.
- Next, obtain your Twilio WhatsApp number to continue with the setup process.
To connect to the Twilio Sandbox, follow these steps:
1. Log in to your Twilio account.
2. Navigate to the Twilio Sandbox for WhatsApp.
3. Follow the instructions to connect and configure your sandbox environment.
- Create a table in Dynamics 365 Business Central to store Twilio credentials and WhatsApp settings for integration purposes.
- Design a page in Dynamics 365 Business Central to configure WhatsApp settings and test message sending for Twilio integration.
Deploy and test your integration:
•To publish the extension in your Business Central environment, first open the “WhatsApp Integration Setup” page and input your Twilio credentials along with your phone numbers.
• Click to the “Send Test Message” button to validate the integration by sending test messages.
- Additionally, users can track sent message logs through the Twilio portal, as shown in the picture below.
If you’re curious about how we can assist you in reaching your goals, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our dedicated team is ready to provide support every step of the way.
Let’s turn your vision into reality together!
