Setting Up WhatsApp in Garage Hive

Setting Up WhatsApp in Garage Hive

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Note: WhatsApp messaging in Garage Hive uses the WhatsApp Business Platform. Your garage gets its own WhatsApp Business account, connected to Garage Hive through Garage Link. Messages are sent from your own business number, and your customers reply in the normal WhatsApp app on their phone.
WhatsApp lets you send customer notifications — such as booking confirmations and reminders — through WhatsApp instead of SMS, and lets customers reply to you. Replies appear in the same chat area in Garage Hive that you already use for Web Chat.
Setting up WhatsApp has two parts:
    Onboarding — connecting your business to Meta and verifying your phone number.
    Setup in Business Central — enabling WhatsApp and choosing which notifications go out over WhatsApp. You do this yourself once your message templates have been approved.
There is a waiting period between the two parts while Meta approves your message templates.
Before You Start
You will need:
  • A phone number for WhatsApp. Most garages use their existing landline. The number must not already be registered to another WhatsApp account.
  • Access to your phone system. During onboarding you will need to change how calls to that number are answered, for a few minutes only.
  • A Meta Business Portfolio. Most businesses already have one — it is the account their Facebook page is linked to. If you do not have one, you can create one during onboarding. Check using this link if you have created a Business Portfolio:  https://business.facebook.com/ .
Important: Even if your business already has a WhatsApp Business account, we recommend creating a new WhatsApp account for Garage Hive. An existing account may already be connected to another system, and one account cannot be connected to two systems at once.

Onboarding Your WhatsApp Business Account

Step 1: Open the Onboarding Page
The Garage Hive team will send you an onboarding link. Open it, and you will see a short form asking about your business.
Fill in:
  • Profile About: Your business name.
  • Business address: enter the address of your garage (Optional).
  • Website: enter the website of your garage (Optional).
  • Business Description: Description of your garage and any other information you need to share with Garage Hive (Optional).
Select Continue with Facebook when you are done. This takes you into Meta's setup window.
Step 2: Choose Your Meta Business Portfolio
Meta asks which Business Portfolio you want to connect Garage Hive to. You can:
  • Use an existing portfolio — this is the usual choice. Most garages already have a portfolio holding their Facebook page.
  • Create a new portfolio — do this if you do not have one yet.
Then choose the WhatsApp account. As noted above, choose create a new WhatsApp account even if you already have one.
Select Next.
Step 3: Enter Business Information
Enter your business information, that is the business name, category for your business, country, website and time zone, then select Next.
Step 4: Add Your WhatsApp Phone Number
Select Add a new number, choose your country, and enter the number you want to use for WhatsApp. Most garages use their landline. Enter the WhatsApp business display name for your garage. The display name is what your customers see when your WhatsApp message arrives on their phone.
Choose to verify your phone number by phone call, then select Next.
If the phone number is registered to an existing WhatsApp account, you will get an error at this point and you have to disconnect the number from the existing account and re-enter the number.
Step 5: Verify the Number by Phone Call
Meta verifies the number by placing an automated call to it, where you get a code to enter so as to verify your phone numer.
Important: Meta's automated call cannot get through a phone menu (IVR). Before you start this step, temporarily change your phone system so calls to this number ring a handset directly. Change it back once the number has been verified.
Select Next.
Review the details you have shared with the Garage Hive API, then select confirm.
Meta now sends the verified number back to Business Central automatically.
Step 6: Wait for Template Approval
WhatsApp does not let a business start a conversation with free text. Every message your garage sends first must use a message template that Meta has approved in advance.
Once your Meta account is connected, a set of default message templates is created in your account and submitted to Meta for approval. Your account is activated once every template has been approved.
  • Approval can take up to 24 hours .
  • You cannot send anything until your templates are approved.
  • There is nothing for you to do during this wait.
We will email you when your templates are approved and your account is live. Once you get that email, continue with the section below.

Setting Up WhatsApp in Business Central

Important: Do this after your templates are approved.
Step 1: Enable WhatsApp in Garage Link Setup
    In the top right corner, select the search icon, enter Garagelink Setup and select the related link.
    Scroll down to the Web Chat FastTab and set the Chat Enabled slider to On. Web Chat must be enabled for WhatsApp to work.
    Scroll to the WhatsApp FastTab, select the Sender Number (This number appears in the list automatically — it was sent to Business Central by Meta during onboarding) and set the WhatsApp Enabled slider to On.
    Close the GarageLink Setup page.
Step 2: Choose Which Notifications Use WhatsApp
    In the top right corner, select the search icon, enter Customer Notifications and select the related link.
    Open the notification you want to send over WhatsApp — for example, Booking Confirmation .
    Make sure the Enabled slider is set to off. You cannot change the settings while a notification is active.
    In the WhatsApp settings, select the template you want this notification to use. Only approved templates appear in the list.
    Turn the WhatsApp slider on.
    Set the Enabled slider back to on.
Repeat for each notification you want to move to WhatsApp.

Getting Messages from WhatsApp

Customer replies arrive in the chat tile on your Role Centre, alongside your Web Chat conversations. Select the tile under the Chat section to see all active conversations.

When You Can and Cannot Type Freely

WhatsApp limits when a business can send a normal, free-typed message. This is a WhatsApp rule, not a Garage Hive one.
Each conversation has a window. While the window is open, you type replies normally. When it closes, the message box greys out and you must select an approved template to start the conversation again.
How long the window lasts:
  • If the customer messages you first, the window is open for 72 hours from their first message.
  • If you message the customer first, the window opens for 24 hours once they reply.
  • Every new message from the customer extends the window by another 24 hours.
  • Your own messages do not extend the window.
In practice, as long as a customer is actively replying, you can keep typing normally. The window only closes after they have gone quiet.


Troubleshooting

My templates are still pending after 24 hours.
Approval times are set by Meta. If it has been noticeably longer than 24 hours, contact Garage Hive support.
The Meta setup window will not let me continue.
Meta's onboarding can stall for a number of reasons, most commonly when your business is already connected to another messaging system. Do not keep retrying. Contact Garage Hive support and we will work through it with you.
The verification call never came through, or went to a menu.
Meta's automated call cannot get past an IVR. Check that your phone system is temporarily routing that number straight to a handset, then request verification again.
My customers received both a text and a WhatsApp.
Both sliders are on for that notification. Open the notification in Customer Notifications, set Enabled to off, turn the SMS slider off, then set Enabled back on.
I cannot type in the chat box.
The conversation window has closed, which happens once the customer has stopped replying. Select an approved template from the list to reopen the conversation. After the customer replies, you can type freely again.
My number is already registered to WhatsApp.
A number can only be tied to one WhatsApp Business account. Please use a different number. If you do not have another number available, you can purchase one from Garage Hive.


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