Using WhatsApp for GymSales

In this article:

• About the WhatsApp Integration
• Setting up WhatsApp in GymSales
• Explaining Active Conversations
• Working with Templates
• Sending Direct WhatsApp Messages to your Leads
• Setting up Automated Items
• Tracking WhatsApp Message Activity
• WhatsApp Errors

About the WhatsApp Integration

We’re very excited to announce ABC GymSales' new integration with WhatsApp, providing you another channel for engaging and communicating with your future and current members. With ABC GymSales + WhatsApp you can:

• Automate WhatsApp messaging throughout the sales cycle and save time with WhatsApp message Templates.
• Send and receive direct WhatsApp messages through ABC GymSales instead of personal devices for transparency and centralized visibility to the communication happening with your leads and members.
• Track the results of WhatsApp campaigns.
• Ensure you’re in compliance with WhatsApp’s terms of service for Businesses messaging consumers.

Setting up WhatsApp in GymSales

To set up WhatsApp in GymSales, please note the following:

1. WhatsApp must be enabled for your account by a GymSales admin, and a setup process is involved.
2. To use WhatsApp with ABC GymSales, you’ll need a few things:
   • A phone number that can be used for WhatsApp. You can use an existing number (Bring Your Own Number, aka BYON), or you can purchase a new one. If you choose to use your own number, it will be moved over to ABC GymSales and will no longer be able to be used for WhatsApp on mobile.
   • A Facebook Business Manager account.
   • Business verification on Facebook Business Manager.
   • Templates that you wish to use in WhatsApp.
   • If you already have a WhatsApp business account, we’ll need additional information to work with our partner team to move this account.

For a detailed, step-by-step article on setting up WhatsApp, see here: (Link to external dedicated article on the topic).

Explaining Active Conversations

Meta has established rules for businesses that wish to send WhatsApp messages to consumers. These rules are based on whether or not the business is engaged in an Active Conversation with the individual consumer. A WhatsApp conversation is considered active when the consumer sends an inbound message or replies to the business. The conversation remains active for 24 hours with each reply extending the duration of the session.

With an understanding of these rules, we have designed the GymSales WhatsApp integration to put guardrails around message use cases, which help to prevent failed messages and ensure high delivery rates.

The following are Meta’s rules for sending WhatsApp messages to consumers.

• Businesses can only begin conversations with a consumer using a Template message that has been reviewed and approved by Meta.
• Sending a Template does not create an Active Conversation. Only if the consumer replies to the business, the conversation is considered Active. The business will only be allowed to send approved Template messages unless and until the lead replies.
• During Active Conversations, the business can send freeform messages. That is, the business is not required to use Templates during this session and can send whatever content they like.
• Inbound messages from an inactive consumer to the business also kicks off an Active Conversation.
• Active Conversations are sustained by receiving replies from the consumer. Each time the consumer replies to the business, the session is extended 24 hours.
• If 24 hours pass without a reply from the consumer to the business, the conversation will become Inactive. In order to message the lead again, the business is required to send an approved Template.

Working with Templates

Only approved Templates can be used to send WhatsApp messages to leads and members that are not in an Active Conversation session. And only approved Templates can be used to send Automated Items and Bulk WhatsApp.

When working with Templates, please note the following:

• When creating or editing WhatsApp Templates in GymSales, please notify your GymSales representative or [email protected] to make the necessary corresponding changes and submit for approval by Meta on your behalf.
• In the Template settings, only check This Template is Twilio approved once GymSales has confirmed that the edits have been submitted and approved by Meta. If you check this box before the Template is actually approved by Meta, GymSales will allow you to use the Template, but ultimately all attempted messages will fail until the template is truly approved by Meta.

• When editing an approved template, the following warning is displayed: Warning: this is a Twilio-approved template: Please make these same edits in Twilio to prevent messages from failing. An example of the warning message is shown below.

Sending Direct WhatsApp Messages to your Leads

Sending WhatsApp messages to an individual is quick and easy! If you are familiar with sending Email or SMS in GymSales, sending a WhatsApp is very similar.

• On the Client Profile you can send a WhatsApp message by clicking (1) WhatsApp inline with the person’s mobile phone number, or (2) by clicking the Action menu > Send WhatsApp.

• If the person is not in an Active Conversation session, you must use a Meta-approved Template to message the lead. You may not edit the Template before sending.

• If the lead is in an Active Conversation session, you will see Active next to the mobile phone.

• As long as the conversation is Active, you can either send a Template or type a freeform message. You can also use a Template and make edits if desired before sending the message.

  Note: Meta allows a maximum of 1024 characters per WhatsApp message; anything longer than this will fail to send, so GymSales keeps track for you and will disable typing once this character limit is reached.

Setting up Automated Items

When creating or editing an Automated Item from Company Settings or the Admin Panel, you can select Send WhatsApp as the messaging Kind. WhatsApp messaging is supported for all sale types and can be triggered for re-engaged leads.

As shown in the image below, if you (1) select Send WhatsApp, you must also (2) select a Template Id. This is to ensure that the Automated Item adheres to the 24-hour messaging session rules for WhatsApp messages in which businesses can only initiate conversations with a Meta-approved Template. Please note that the (3) Template Description is not editable—this is also by design to ensure compliance with Meta's messaging session rules. Other than requiring a Template Id, it works the same as any other Automated Item.

For more information, see Setting up Automated Items.

Tracking WhatsApp Message Activity

Reporting and tracking of WhatsApp activity is available in several areas of GymSales.

• Newsfeed > Activity: Shows the total number of outbound WhatsApp messages sent from your club during the given date range.

• Client Profile: Shows the total number of WhatsApp messages sent/received to/from an individual lead or member of your club.

• User Statistics Report: Shows the total number of outbound WhatsApp messages sent by each user at your club during a given date range.

• Bulk WhatsApp Report: Shows data from Bulk WhatsApp campaigns sent during a given date range. Includes campaign details and message statuses, opt-outs, sales won in the following 30 days, and appointments booked in the following 30 days.

WhatsApp Errors

To help you understand why a message has failed and what action you can take to remedy the problem, GymSales logs Notes on the Client Profile History and Newsfeed which include information about the reason for failure and what you can do. Here is an example note.

Possible reasons a message can fail are listed in the following table.