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Documentation

Everything you need to set up your WhatsApp AI assistant — a knowledge-grounded assistant, CRM, campaigns, and a visual chatbot builder.

This guide covers everything you need to set up and run your WhatsApp AI assistant — from a quick start to each feature in detail. Use the menu on the left to jump around.


Quick start

From zero to a live WhatsApp AI assistant in five steps.

Create your account

Sign up, pick the template closest to your business (Sales, Booking, Leads, Support, or Capture). It sets up sensible defaults you can change later.

Teach the AI your business

Go to Knowledge and add your information — upload documents (PDF, Word, Excel), add a website URL, paste Q&A pairs, or add structured records. This is what the AI answers from.

Add your AI key

In AI Setup, connect an AI provider (OpenAI, Azure, Gemini, Groq, or NVIDIA). Your data is embedded and becomes searchable automatically.

Connect WhatsApp

In WhatsApp, add your WhatsApp Business number using the Cloud API details and set the webhook. Test with a message.

Go live

Build a chatbot flow or let the always-on AI answer. Watch conversations land in your Inbox and take over any chat when needed.


Core concepts

The knowledge-grounded assistant

Unlike a scripted bot, the assistant answers from your actual content using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). When a customer asks something, the system searches your knowledge, finds the most relevant pieces, and uses them to write an accurate, on-brand reply — instead of making things up.

Workspaces

A single account can run several isolated workspaces — each with its own WhatsApp number, data, chatbots, contacts and personality. Think "Customer Support" vs "Internal HR" vs "Online Store", all under one login. Everything you do belongs to the workspace you're currently in.

Multi-tenant & white-label

The platform is multi-tenant: each business (tenant) is fully isolated from every other. Platform admins run one installation and onboard many tenants under their own brand.


Workspaces

Open Workspaces from the Account section. Create one per part of your business that needs its own number, data and bots.

Switch workspaces from the menu at the top of the sidebar. Your plan sets how many you can create.

Knowledge & AI data

The Knowledge page is where you teach the AI. Everything you add here is chunked, embedded, and searched together as one brain for the current workspace.

Ingestion types

Scanned PDFsIf a PDF is a scanned image with no selectable text, it can't be read without OCR — the page will tell you. Re-save it as a text PDF or paste the content as a Q&A.

AI setup

In AI Setup, choose your provider and paste your API key. Supported: OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Google Gemini, Groq, and NVIDIA. You bring your own key, so you control cost and model choice.

Two things use AI: chat (writing replies) and embeddings (making your data searchable). Once a key is set, your knowledge embeds automatically; the Dashboard shows a live "learning" status until everything is searchable.

Data & fields

My Data holds structured records. Fields defines their shape — add fields, mark which are searchable (fed to the AI) and which show in chat. Import brings in a CSV or Excel in bulk.

Connectors

Connectors pull data in from other systems and keep it in sync:

Connectors marked "keep in sync" re-pull on a schedule and re-embed new data automatically.

Connecting WhatsApp

In WhatsApp, add a number using your Meta WhatsApp Cloud API details: phone number ID, WABA ID, access token, and a verify token you choose. Set the shown webhook URL in your Meta app. You can add multiple numbers — each is assigned to the workspace you're in.

Bring your own WhatsApp APIYou connect your own WhatsApp Business (Cloud API) number. Message costs are billed by Meta directly to you, based on their per-message pricing.

Team inbox

The Inbox is a full WhatsApp workspace: media messages, delivery ticks, unread counts, and filters. The AI answers automatically, but you can Pause AI and take over any conversation, then hand it back. A 24-hour-window banner reminds you when a template is required to re-open a chat.

Chatbots (flows)

Chatbots is a visual, drag-and-drop flow builder. Drag steps onto the canvas and connect them to design automated conversations — no code.

Step types

Anything captured (an answer, an AI reply, an API response) is reusable anywhere with {{variable}} syntax. Set a flow Live to activate it; it only runs on its own workspace's number.

Templates

Templates syncs your approved WhatsApp message templates from Meta and lets you submit new ones for approval. Templates are required to message a customer outside the 24-hour service window (for marketing and utility messages).

Campaigns

Campaigns sends an approved template to a segment of your opted-in contacts. Sending is paced to respect WhatsApp limits, and you get live delivery/read counts as the broadcast goes out.

Contacts & CRM

Contacts is your CRM: every person who messages is saved, with names learned automatically, tags, notes, and opt-in status. Segments (by tag, opt-in) power your campaigns. Contacts are per-workspace, so the same phone can be a customer in one and an employee in another.


Branding & white-label

Make the assistant look like your own product. On the Branding page you can set a brand name and support email; on higher plans you can also upload a logo, set an accent colour, map a custom domain, and remove the "Powered by" label from every chat box.

What each plan unlocks

Mapping a custom domain

Enter your domain on the Branding page, then add a CNAME record at your DNS provider pointing your subdomain to the platform domain shown there. Once DNS propagates and it's verified, your branded chat goes live on your domain. Until your plan removes it, every chat box shows "Powered by" the platform's product name.


Use cases by industry

The same platform serves very different businesses. A few proven patterns:

🛍️ E-commerce & D2C

Abandoned-cart recovery, COD confirmation, order & delivery updates, product recommendations, and repeat-purchase reminders. Sync your catalog via the WooCommerce or Shopify connector so the AI answers product questions accurately.

🏠 Real estate

Reply to every enquiry instantly, qualify budget/location/intent with a flow, then assign hot leads to an agent. Speed matters — fast replies stop leads going cold.

✈️ Travel & visa

Answer package and visa questions from your uploaded documents, collect traveller documents, send itineraries, payment reminders and status updates — all in one thread.

🏥 Healthcare & clinics

Appointment booking and reminders to cut no-shows, follow-ups, and general FAQ handling. Keep sensitive clinical detail out of plain messages — use it for scheduling and info.

🎓 Education & coaching

Answer admission and course enquiries 24/7, send fee and class reminders, and support students from your own material.

🏢 Internal & HR

A private workspace for staff — policy answers, leave requests, IT helpdesk — on a separate number, fully isolated from customer-facing data.

💼 Agencies & resellers

Run the platform under your own brand, onboard clients, set their plans, and let each manage their own WhatsApp AI while you manage the platform.

FAQ

Do I need my own WhatsApp API?

Yes — you connect your own WhatsApp Business (Cloud API) number. Message costs are billed by Meta directly to you.

Which AI providers are supported?

OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Google Gemini, Groq, and NVIDIA. You bring your own key.

Can the AI read my documents?

Yes — upload PDF, Word, Excel, TXT, CSV or Markdown on the Knowledge page. Text-based files work best; scanned image PDFs need OCR first.

Can one account run multiple businesses or departments?

Yes — that's what Workspaces are for. Each has its own number, data, bots and personality, with a shared AI key.

Does it work on shared hosting?

Yes — it's built in plain PHP + MySQL with no heavy dependencies, so it runs on standard hosting like Hostinger.

© 2026 Zappa. Built for WhatsApp-first businesses.
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