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User-Initiated WhatsApp Calls

How to enable WhatsApp calls started by end users, route them through your inbound flow and IVR, and identify them in supervisor and reporting screens

Written by Mustafa Eroğlu

The WhatsApp Call Integration enables calls initiated directly by end users through WhatsApp to be delivered into the Call Center Studio platform, passing through the same workflows as standard inbound calls. This allows your team to handle customer calls not only via traditional phone lines or web-based channels but also through WhatsApp, integrated into your existing operations.

Prerequisites and limitations

  • The number must be registered and verified in WhatsApp Business Manager.

  • The business must have a messaging limit of at least 1,000 business-initiated conversations within 24 hours. Only in this case can the calling feature be used; numbers that do not meet this limit cannot use the call feature. This restriction is set by WhatsApp. You can check it on the following screen in the Facebook interface.

  • There is a limit of 1,000 concurrent calls set by Meta. When this limit is exceeded, users attempting to make a call receive a general error message.

Features

  • Automatic routing of WhatsApp-initiated calls into the Call Center Studio platform.

  • Full compatibility with standard call flows (IVR, queue management, agent assignment, etc.).

  • Support for call recording and detailed reporting.

  • Unified agent experience: WhatsApp calls are managed from the same interface as all other channels.

Benefits

  • Customer experience: Customers can reach your business directly through WhatsApp, making interactions quicker and more convenient.

  • Omnichannel operations: Operator calls, WhatsApp calls, and chat conversations are all managed within a single platform.

  • Efficiency: Agents do not need separate tools for different call types.

  • Comprehensive reporting: WhatsApp calls are included in your core contact center KPIs (response time, resolution time, call distribution, etc.).

General information

  • The call feature can be enabled for any number already configured with the WhatsApp chat channel on the platform.

  • Call activation is configured per number.

  • WhatsApp calls can be managed using your standard inbound call flow.

  • If you want to handle WhatsApp calls separately from operator calls, you can configure a control in the IVR flow to direct them through a dedicated process.

Setup

Activation steps

  1. Go to System Administrator > Chat > Chat Widget.

  2. For the WhatsApp widget with type 360Dialog Cloud, click Edit.

  1. Fill in the WA Business Number Channel ID (provided by your project manager), then save.

  1. In the chat widget, on the WhatsApp Call tab, enable both:

    • Enable WhatsApp Calls

    • Show the WhatsApp Call Icon

  1. Configure the SBC information (provided by your project manager).

  2. Save all definitions.

Inbound call handling

  • If the WhatsApp number you want to activate is already receiving operator calls, completing the Activation steps is sufficient.

  • If the WhatsApp number does not currently receive calls, follow the activation steps and then apply the additional configurations below.

Additional configurations

  1. Go to System Administrator > Call > IVR Menu and create a flow.

  2. Go to System Administrator > Call > Inbound Call, create a new rule, and assign the Welcome Menu you built for your WhatsApp number.

  3. Save the number with the country code, but without the "+" prefix.

End-user view

Once enabled, the call icon appears for end users on the WhatsApp channel.

Reporting

Supervisors, Quality Control teams, and Reporting users can easily distinguish WhatsApp calls from other call types.

Supervisor / Quality Control screens

  • In Supervisor/Quality Control > Call > Call Records and Advanced Call Records, the Call Channel column indicates whether the call originated from WhatsApp.

  • In Advanced Call Records, the Call Channels filter allows supervisors to filter specifically for WhatsApp calls.

Reporting screens

  • In Reporting > Call > Call Records Report, the WhatsApp Call column identifies whether the call was initiated via WhatsApp.

Assigning the same end user's call and chat to the same agent

When a WhatsApp call is received, the system routes the call to the agent who is currently handling an active WhatsApp chat session with the same end user. This enables the same agent to manage both the chat and the call with the same user seamlessly.

Usage scenario

The same end user can contact the business's WhatsApp line through both chat and call. If there is an active WhatsApp chat session between the user and an agent and the user initiates a WhatsApp call, the call is routed to the same agent.

This provides a unified customer experience and eliminates the need to transfer calls between agents.

IVR configuration

  • This functionality is provided by a dedicated step in the IVR flow.

  • This feature must be activated within the number-specific IVR configuration.

  • Go to System Administrator > Call > IVR and select the WhatsApp Catchup step.

Step settings

Field

Description

Step Name

The name of the step as it appears in the IVR flow.

Next Step if Control is True

If the call is a WhatsApp call, the end user has an active WhatsApp chat session, the chat is assigned to an agent, and both the chat and the call are associated with the same business number, the flow proceeds to the step defined here.

Next Step if Control is False

If any of the above conditions are not met, the call continues through the step defined in this field.

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