WhatsApp integration in Bookly enables you to send instant WhatsApp messages to clients and staff members about new and upcoming appointments.
To use this integration, you must have a Facebook Developer Account. We recommend you register and set up a Meta Business Account first.
Once registered, activate the WhatsApp Notifications feature in your Bookly Cloud account, configure the settings, and start sending customizable notifications for different scenarios.
Step 1: Set up the App on Facebook
1. Follow the steps at https://developers.facebook.com/docs/development/register to create a Facebook Developer Account. If you already have a developer account, log into it.
2. In the Facebook Developer account, enter the My Apps section.
Click the Create App button, select "Business" as the app type, and click Next.
Provide the necessary information: App name (e.g., “Bookly”) & App contact email. Then click Create App.
3. In the Add products to your app section, find WhatsApp and click Set up.
4. On the next screen, you must agree to the Facebook Terms for WhatsApp Business and the Meta Hosting Terms for Cloud API. Click Continue.
5. Then you’ll see a Getting started section that includes the data required to test the app – a Temporary access token, Phone number ID, and WhatsApp Business Account ID.
Under Step 1: Send and receive messages section, find To dropdown and click Manage phone number list. Add a phone number to receive test messages from WhatsApp.
You can use Step 2: Send messages with the API section to ensure that basic settings are correct.
Note
Temporary access token and Test number cannot be used in production. These are used for test purposes only. How to create a Permanent access token that will be used in Bookly settings is described below.
6. To start sending messages to any WhatsApp number, scroll down to Step 5: Add a phone number section and click on the Add phone number button.
6.1. You’ll see a popup window where you should add information about your business – Business name, Business Email, Business website or profile page, and Country. Click Next.
6.2. On the next screen, choose your timezone, category, and add business description. Click Next.
6.3. Then add a business phone number for WhatsApp. This is the number people will see when they chat with you.
Important: If your phone number is currently registered with WhatsApp Messenger or the WhatsApp Business App, you need to first delete it. See Migrate an Existing WhatsApp Number to a Business Account.
Select how you would like to receive your verification code and click Next to continue.
7. The phone number will appear in the From dropdown menu of the Send and receive messages section. Select this number to start sending messages to any recipients.
Step 2: Create Permanent access token
Temporary access token will expire in 24 hours. To create a Permanent access token, please follow the next steps.
1. Go to the Business Settings page (https://business.facebook.com/settings). Under the Users section on the left, select System users. Then click on the Add button on the page.
2. To continue, read and accept Facebook Non-discrimination policy.
3. Enter a name for the system user (e.g., “bookly”) and select “Admin” in the System user role dropdown.
4. You’ll see the Admin user you’ve just created. On the right, click on the Add Assets button.
5. In the popup window, select Apps in the left sidebar. Then select the app you created previously for WhatsApp integration, and enable Manage App under Full Control. Click Save Changes.
6. In the left sidebar, select WhatsApp accounts. Select your business app and then click on the Add People button.
7. In the popup that appears, select the system user you just created, and enable the Full Control option. Click Assign.
8. Go back to the System Users section. Click Generate new token.
9. Select your app and check whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management permissions in the list below. Click Generate token.
Important: Copy and save this token right away as it won’t be stored at Facebook. You will need it later for settings in Bookly.
Step 3: WhatsApp settings in Bookly & Notification Templates
You're almost ready to start sending messages from Bookly via WhatsApp.
1. Select your subscription plan and activate WhatsApp Notifications feature in your Bookly Cloud account.
2. Navigate to Bookly Cloud > WhatsApp Notifications > Settings. Enter Permanent access token, Phone number ID, and WhatsApp Business Account ID obtained from your Facebook Developer Account.
3. According to Facebook rules, you can't send arbitrary text messages through WhatsApp. First, you must create a template and verify it.
Go to WhatsApp Manager > Message Templates (https://business.facebook.com/wa/manage/message-templates/) and click on the Create template button.
4. Select Utility, set the name of your template, and select the language. Then click Continue.
WhatsApp message template contains 3 parts: Header, Body, and Footer. The header and footer are optional. The Header and Body can include variables – specific placeholders that can be replaced with some values. You can use these variables for linking with Bookly codes (in curly brackets {}). For example, {{1}} in WhatsApp can match the {client_name} code in Bookly.
Once you set up your template, click Submit to submit it for approval. Visit this page to learn more about the WhatsApp message template approval process.
5. In Bookly Cloud > Products > WhatsApp Notifications, click New notification. General notification settings are the same as for other types of notifications.
In the Message section, select a template you previously created in WhatsApp Manager, and Meta has approved that. You will see the content in the non-editable Header, Body, and Footer fields.
Under Variable, link WhatsApp variables with the Bookly codes. You can find all Bookly codes in the form below. After mapping all variables, save the notification.
Everything is ready to send messages via WhatsApp.