Adding the WhatsApp Business Messaging Channel

Adding the WhatsApp Channel using Infobip Application

Note: To complete this procedure, you must already have an Infobip account. This is one of the messaging providers for enabling WhatsApp Business Messaging on the Kore Platform.

To configure Infobip, follow these steps:

1. Login to the Infobip developer portal.
2. On the left navigation menu, click the Channels and Numbers option and select the WhatsApp channel on the Channel Essentials panel.
3. To configure a new number for the Infobip and WhatsApp messaging platforms’ integration, follow one of the steps given below:

a. Scan the QR code under Overview > Connect on the WhatsApp page on the Infobip portal using the camera or QR scanner on your mobile device.

b. Follow the instructions for steps 2 and 3 shown in the image below.



c. Alternatively, add the number shown on the screen of the Infobip sender to your WhatsApp contacts.



Note: The mobile number should have the country code preceded by a plus (+) sign to activate the Infobip and WhatsApp connections.

4. Once the number is associated, select the Senders tab to view or edit the numbers for WhatsApp messaging.
5. Click the ellipses icon under Action and select Edit Configuration.



6. On the Edit Configuration page, click the edit icon, add the URL for incoming messages (copy the Webhook URL from the Kore Platform under Deploy > Channels > WhatsApp Business Messaging > Configurations tab) and click Back.



7. Next, to add Infobip’s Base URL, follow these steps:

a. On the Kore.ai Platform, click the Virtual Assistants tab, and select the published virtual assistant to add the WhatsApp Business Message channel.



b. Under Deploy > Channels, click WhatsApp Business Messaging.

c. On the WhatsApp Business Messaging panel, click the Configurations tab and provide inputs for the following fields:

i. Messaging Partner – Select Infobip from the dropdown list.

ii. Phone Number – Copy and paste the number displayed on the Infobip portal for your account under the Connect section (please refer to step 3). The Platform now supports adding multiple phone numbers on the WhatsApp Messaging Channel for the same Virtual Assistant. The Virtual Assistant responds to only the source number from which it receives the message rather than a common phone number. Learn more.

iii. Base URL: Copy the Base URL from this page. This URL will be used on Kore.ai to send the messages when the Whatsapp Business Messaging channel is enabled.



iv. Username and Password: The username and password of the Infobip account holder. Infobip’s API requires authentication and uses the basic authorization for sending and receiving messages over the API with these values.

v. Webhook URL: Copy the webhook URL provided in the configuration tab and update the same on the Infobip developer portal for Infobip to send the received messages from the subscriber (WhatsApp Business Messaging).



d. Select “Yes” to enable the WhatsApp Business Messaging channel.

e. Click Save to complete the integration setup.

Note: If you’re using the development sandbox on Infobip, once the channel is enabled and published, you will need to send messages in the format “[Keyword on infobip] (User input)” For example, “Kore Hi.”

Viewing WhatsApp Message Logs on Infobip

Once you’ve sent a message to Infobip using the Whatsapp Business Messaging channel, you can track the text, Virtual Assistant responses, delivery status, and errors (if any) on your Infobip account under Channels and Numbers > Channel Essentials > WhatsApp > Overview > View Logs.

Messaging Templates

WhatsApp for business communications supports the following messaging types for the Infobip channel:

• Templates: Formatted, non-editable, and pre-registered messages approved by WhatsApp.
• Free-Form texts: Free-flowing text messages.

The Kore.ai XO Platform now supports public APIs for WhatsApp templates on the Infobip channel. These templates can be used during virtual assistant conversations to structure the messages exchanged. Since global UI/rich template formats are not supported, the bot designer should register the required templates with Infobip and get them approved.

The Platform automatically decides the payload to be sent to the channels after parsing Advanced Messages (JS) that include one of the following:

• String: A free-form text message template is used if the JS result is a string.
• Object: A message template is used if the JS result is an object.

Additional Information

• To learn more about creating and managing templates, please refer to this link.
• To know more about various message types and the structure of templates, please refer to this link.
• To learn more about sending template messages, please refer to this link.

Adding the WhatsApp Channel Using GupShup Application

The Platform supports integration with GupShup to enable WhatsApp business as a channel. In this integration, the platform provides a Webhook URL to be called by GupShup during a conversation to enable events and exchange messages.

NOTE: To enable WhatsApp Messaging on this channel, you must have a GupShup enterprise account.

The important steps in completing this channel enablement are as follows:

1. Create a GupShup Application.
2. Configure the Channel Enablement.

• 2(a). Create a WABA (WhatsApp Business Account).
• 2(b). Set up the WABA Parameters on the Platform.
• 2(c). Configure the Callback URL/Webhook URL.

3. Secure the Integration.

Step 1: Create a GupShup Application

The first step in the WhatsApp Messaging Channel integration is to create a GupShup application, To create an app, follow the steps below:

1. Log in to the GupShup portal and navigate to the Dashboard → Whatsapp section.



2. Click the + Create App button.



3. On the Create App screen, click Access API to select the app type.



4. Provide a unique name for the application and click Submit.



5. For Step 2: Onboard your Users, click Next.



Step 2: Configure the Channel Enablement

To send messages to your GupShup users on the WhatsApp Business Messaging Channel, follow the steps below:

Step 2(a): Create a new WhatsApp Business Account

Once you have created a GupShup app, you need to create a WABA to set up the integration with a number. To create a WABA, follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to the WhatsApp Dashboard on your GupShup Developer Console.
2. Click the Go Live button of the desired app in the list.



3. On the Let’s Get Started window, select the New Number option under Managed onboarding with Gupshup.
4. Click Proceed.



5. Enter your details to set up your WhatsApp Business account and click Next.
6. Follow all the instructions on the screen to Setup the WhatsApp Account, Get WhatsApp Approvals, and Complete Verification.
7. Once the account is verified with your Facebook Business ID, the WABA ID, Mobile number, and Password are displayed.

Step 2(b): Set up the WABA Parameters on the Platform

To integrate your GupShup service using the WBM channel to the Kore.ai XO Platform, follow the steps below:

1. Copy the Mobile number, WABA ID, and the Password from the GupShup WhatsApp Dashboard.
2. On the Kore.ai Bot Builder, navigate to Deploy > Channels > WhatsApp Business Messaging (under Enterprise Channels).
3. Click the Configurations tab on the WhatsApp Business Messaging window.
4. Select GupShup from the dropdown list for Messaging Partner.
5. Paste the copied values for Mobile number, WABA ID, and in the respective input fields.



Step 2(c): Configure the Callback URL/Webhook URL

To link to your bot on the Kore.ai Platform to receive inbound messages/events, you must configure the Callback/Webhook URL on your GupShup WhatsApp Dashboard.
To set up the Callback URL, follow the steps below:

1. On the Kore.ai Bot Builder, navigate to Deploy > Channels > WhatsApp Business Messaging (under Enterprise Channels).
2. Click the Configurations tab on the WhatsApp Business Messaging window.
3. Click Copy to copy the Webhook URL.

Note: Please ensure you have selected GupShup for the Messaging Partner field.



4. Navigate to your GupShup WhatsApp Dashboard.
5. Click the Settings icon for your app of type Access API.



6. On the Settings page, scroll down to the Test Access API and set callback URL section.
7. Click the Callback URL / Link your Bot tab.
8. Turn on the toggle switch and paste the Webhook URL you copied from the Bot Builder in the Enter your Callback URL input field.



9. Click Set.

Please refer to this link for more information on setting up the Callback/Webhook URL on the Gupshup Dashboard.Note: Please get in touch with the Gupshup customer support team to help configure the Kore.ai webhook URL on GupShup and enable inbound messages to the bot.

10. Once the callback is set successfully on the Kore.ai XO Platform WhatsApp Business Messaging window, follow the steps below:
• (Optional) Enable the Associate an App option, if required, and follow the configuration steps.
• Select YES for the Enable Channel option.
• Click Save.

Step 3: Secure the Integration

The Webhook URL used on the WhatsApp Business Messaging Channel for GupShup is a public URL that may cause security vulnerabilities. The Kore.ai XO Platform enforces an authentication mechanism by securing the webhook URL and associating it with a Kore.ai App. The Associate an App feature is used for this purpose.

This feature is available under Deploy > Channels > WhatsApp Business Messaging > Configurations.



How it Works

When Associate an App is enabled, the following happens:

1. The URL is called by GupShup (the Callback URL you configure under Settings) where the channel passes the authorization token as the header information.
2. The Platform checks for the JWT Token of the associated app in the Header and accepts the Webhook API call(s).
3. However, if the Token is missing, the Platform rejects the incoming API call(s) and responds with an error code.

Once you enable Associate an App, you must manually select an app and configure it for the GupShup app (by clicking Copy and pasting the Client ID and Client Secret (shown above) from the Kore.ai XO Platform).