Route a WhatsApp number to a chat widget connected to Microsoft Teams, and incoming WhatsApp messages arrive in your Teams channel. Agents reply from Teams and the customer gets the answer on WhatsApp. For a product overview, see WhatsApp for Microsoft Teams.
Prerequisites
- WhatsApp connected to Social Intents (see Setting Up WhatsApp Business).
- A chat widget connected to Microsoft Teams (see Connect to Microsoft Teams).
Routing WhatsApp to Teams
Select the Widget
Go to Settings > Channels and expand WhatsApp. Under WhatsApp numbers, choose the widget connected to Teams from the dropdown beside your number, then click Save channel settings.
Check the Teams Channel
Open Chat Widgets > your widget > Settings and confirm Route chats to Team points at the right team and channel.
Choose How Conversations Appear
In Settings > Channels > Microsoft Teams settings, under WhatsApp conversations in Teams, choose a layout (explained below) and save.
Test
Send a WhatsApp message to your business number from another phone. It should appear in your Teams channel within seconds.
Post per Conversation or Thread per Contact
| Layout | How it works |
|---|---|
| New post for each conversation (default) | Every WhatsApp conversation starts a new post in the channel with a Join button. An agent clicks Join and replies in that post. |
| One thread per WhatsApp contact | Each contact keeps one permanent thread, so their whole history stays together. |
With One thread per WhatsApp contact:
- A contact's first conversation posts in your Teams channel as usual. When an agent clicks Join, that post becomes the contact's thread.
- When the contact writes again, the new conversation continues in the same thread. No Join is needed; the first agent to reply takes it.
- Reply in the thread with @Live Chat to message the contact on WhatsApp at any time, even after the conversation has ended. Outside WhatsApp's 24-hour window, your re-engage template is sent instead of the reply.
Teammates who replied in a thread are notified when that contact writes again. Website chats, and escalations routed to other channels, still start a new post.
What Agents See
The post shows the customer's phone number, a WhatsApp label and their message. If the customer is replying to a broadcast, a one-time line shows which broadcast and what it said. If Show agent name on WhatsApp replies is on in the WhatsApp settings, customers see the agent's display name with each reply.
Escalation Routing
You can send WhatsApp conversations to different Teams channels by topic. Create Escalate Chat to Human actions in AI Actions and point each route at a channel, for example sales questions to #sales and billing to #billing. The AI agent works out the topic first. See Escalation Routing.
AI Agent
If the widget has an AI agent enabled, it answers WhatsApp messages first using your training and AI actions. When the customer asks for a person or an escalation rule fires, the conversation is handed to your Teams channel with the full history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can WhatsApp go to a different Teams channel than website chats?
Yes. Create a separate widget routed to a different channel, then choose that widget for the number in Settings > Channels > WhatsApp.
Do agents need WhatsApp installed?
No. Agents answer entirely from Microsoft Teams. They don't need a WhatsApp account or the app.
Can I message a WhatsApp contact from Teams after the chat ended?
Yes, with One thread per WhatsApp contact. Reply in the contact's thread with @Live Chat. If more than 24 hours have passed since their last message, the re-engage template is sent.