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Torqueflow Help

Configure WhatsApp and Communication Settings

Summary

Section titled “Summary”

Torqueflow has two settings areas that control customer messaging. The WhatsApp Integration page connects your WhatsApp Business Account. The Communication Settings section configures default consent, auto-replies, channel preferences, and quick-pick message templates. This article covers both.

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”
  • You are signed in as an owner or user with the settings.whatsapp.manage and settings.communication.manage capabilities.
  • For WhatsApp connection, you need a Meta (Facebook) Business account with a WhatsApp Business phone number.

Part A: Connect WhatsApp Business Account

Section titled “Part A: Connect WhatsApp Business Account”

Steps

Section titled “Steps”
  1. Go to Settings > WhatsApp Integration.
  2. The page header reads “WhatsApp Integration” with subtitle “Connect your WhatsApp Business Account to send notifications to customers”.
  3. In the WhatsApp Business Account card, click Connect WhatsApp.
  4. You are redirected to a secure Facebook setup page (Meta Embedded Signup).
  5. Sign in to your Meta Business account and authorise Torqueflow.
  6. Select or create the WhatsApp Business phone number to use.
  7. Complete the Facebook flow. You are returned to Torqueflow automatically.
  8. The page now shows the Connection Status panel with your business phone number (partially masked), WABA ID, connection date, and sender status badge.

Connection status indicators

Section titled “Connection status indicators”
  • Online - green badge. WhatsApp is active and sending messages.
  • Registering - amber badge with spinner. WhatsApp sender registration is in progress. Click Refresh Status to check again.
  • Offline - amber badge. The sender is registered but not currently online.
  • Error - red badge. There is a problem with the connection.

Refresh sender status

Section titled “Refresh sender status”
  1. On the connection status panel, find the Sender Status row.
  2. Click the refresh icon button next to the status badge.
  3. The status refreshes from the WhatsApp service.

Disconnect WhatsApp

Section titled “Disconnect WhatsApp”
  1. On the connection status panel, click Disconnect WhatsApp (red button, bottom-right).
  2. A confirmation dialog appears: “Disconnect WhatsApp? This will disconnect your WhatsApp Business Account. Your customers will no longer receive WhatsApp notifications.”
  3. Click Disconnect to confirm, or Cancel to keep the connection.
  4. The page returns to the initial “Connect WhatsApp” state.

Part B: Communication Settings - Default Consent Preferences

Section titled “Part B: Communication Settings - Default Consent Preferences”

Steps

Section titled “Steps”
  1. Go to Settings > Communication. The page header reads “Communication Settings” with subtitle “Configure default consent preferences for new customers”.
  2. The Default Consent Preferences card has four toggle switches. Each controls a default for newly created customers:
ToggleLabelNotes
Work order updates”Default: Work order updates”Always enabled (switch is disabled). Covers appointment confirmations, status updates, completion notices.
Service and MOT reminders”Default: Service & MOT reminders”Proactive reminders for upcoming services and MOT expiry dates.
Offers and promotions”Default: Offers & promotions”Marketing messages. Disabled by default for GDPR compliance.
WhatsApp messages”Default: WhatsApp messages”Master switch for the WhatsApp channel.
  1. Toggle the switches to set your preferred defaults.
  2. Click Save Changes. The button is disabled until you change a value.
Section titled “How consent works”
  • New customers receive these default consent settings at creation. You can override per customer from their profile page.
  • Customer self-service - customers manage their own preferences via the portal. Changes are tracked for GDPR compliance.
  • Work order updates are always sent when a customer has an active work order, regardless of consent preference.
  • Audit trail - every consent change is logged with who, when, and how. This supports UK GDPR Subject Access Requests.

Part C: Communication Settings - Messaging Configuration

Section titled “Part C: Communication Settings - Messaging Configuration”

Steps

Section titled “Steps”
  1. Go to Settings > Communication and click the Messaging tab in the sub-navigation.
  2. The page header reads “Messaging Configuration” with subtitle “Configure auto-replies, channel preferences, and response targets”.

Card 1: Business Hours Messaging

Section titled “Card 1: Business Hours Messaging”
  1. A summary grid shows your current business hours for each day (from Scheduler Settings). Click the Edit in Scheduler Settings link to change them.
  2. Toggle Send auto-reply outside business hours on or off. When enabled:
    • An Auto-reply message text area appears (max 500 characters).
    • Use the placeholder {next_open_time} to insert the next opening time automatically.
    • The auto-reply sends at most once per closed period.

Card 2: Auto-Responses

Section titled “Card 2: Auto-Responses”
  1. Toggle Send instant acknowledgement for new messages on or off. When enabled:
    • An Acknowledgement message text area appears (max 500 characters).
    • Fires for new conversations or messages after a gap of more than 4 hours.
    • Does not fire if the auto-reply already sent.
  2. Toggle Enable unread message reminders on or off. When enabled:
    • A Reminder delay (hours) field appears (1-48). Staff receive a reminder after this many hours without a response.

Card 3: Channel and Targets

Section titled “Card 3: Channel and Targets”
  1. Set the Default outbound channel dropdown. Options: WhatsApp, SMS, Email. All messages also go to the customer portal. Fallback chain: WhatsApp, SMS, Email, Portal.
  2. Set Target response time (minutes) (5-480). Used for escalation alerts and analytics.
  3. Set Portal inactive threshold (days) (7-90). Days before a customer is considered inactive on the portal.

Card 4: Templates

Section titled “Card 4: Templates”
  1. Shows the count of active quick-pick templates. Click Manage Templates (or Create Templates if none exist) to go to the Quick Messages page.

Save

Section titled “Save”
  1. Click Save Changes at the bottom. The button is disabled until you change a value.

Part D: Communication Settings - Quick Messages

Section titled “Part D: Communication Settings - Quick Messages”

Steps

Section titled “Steps”
  1. Go to Settings > Communication and click the Quick Messages tab. This tab requires the messages.tier.manage capability.
  2. The page header reads “Quick Messages” with subtitle “Manage pre-written message shortcuts for your team”.
  3. Create, edit, reorder, or delete quick-pick message templates for staff to use when replying to customers.

Expected Outcome

Section titled “Expected Outcome”
  • WhatsApp Business Account is connected and showing an Online sender status.
  • Default consent preferences are set for new customers.
  • Auto-reply and acknowledgement messages are configured.
  • Outbound channel and response targets are defined.
  • Quick message templates are available for staff.

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Problem: “Facebook SDK Could Not Load” error when connecting WhatsApp. Cause: An ad blocker or browser extension is blocking the Facebook SDK script. Fix: Disable ad blockers for the Torqueflow page and refresh.

Problem: Sender status stays on “Registering” for a long time. Cause: WhatsApp sender registration can take several minutes. Fix: Click the refresh icon to check status. If it persists beyond 15 minutes, disconnect and reconnect.

Problem: The Quick Messages tab does not appear. Cause: Your role does not have the messages.tier.manage capability. Fix: Ask your administrator to assign a role with this capability.

Problem: “WhatsApp is not connected” error when trying to disconnect. Cause: WhatsApp was already disconnected or never connected. Fix: Refresh the page. If WhatsApp is needed, start the connection process again.

Permissions

Section titled “Permissions”
  • WhatsApp Integration page: requires settings.whatsapp.manage capability.
  • Communication Settings pages (Default Preferences, Messaging): requires settings.communication.manage capability.
  • Quick Messages tab: additionally requires messages.tier.manage capability.
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