The WhatsApp CRM on the official Cloud API
Inbox, AI agents, automation and broadcasts in one platform — built on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, not a third-party bridge. Start on a QR code with your existing number and graduate to the verified Cloud API when you scale.
- Official WhatsApp Cloud API and QR — both in one inbox, no third-party BSP
- Shared team inbox with assignment, collision detection and full history
- AI agents reply 24/7 in your brand voice, then hand off to the right person
- Broadcasts paced per number with delivery, read and failure tracking
- One thread per contact across WhatsApp, email, SMS and website chat
What is WhatsApp CRM?
WhatsApp CRM is a customer-relationship management platform built specifically for the WhatsApp Business API. It lets a team manage every customer conversation through a shared inbox, automate replies and follow-ups with AI and workflows, send broadcast campaigns, and track leads and deals — all on WhatsApp's official Cloud API infrastructure.
In practice, a WhatsApp CRM replaces the single phone that one person guards with a platform a whole team can run: sales, support and marketing share one number, nothing gets lost, and every message is tied to a contact record. FOXAF is a WhatsApp-first CRM that puts the inbox, AI agents, automation, campaigns and a real contact-and-pipeline database in a single place.
Built on the official WhatsApp Cloud API — not middleware
Most WhatsApp CRM tools are a reseller (BSP) layer bolted onto the API, with a separate CRM behind it. FOXAF talks to Meta's official Cloud API directly and ships the CRM in the same platform — fewer moving parts, faster setup, lower cost.
| FOXAF — official Cloud API | Middleware / BSP tools | On-premise API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connection to Meta | Direct official Cloud API + QR | Reseller layer on the API | Self-hosted servers |
| Built-in CRM | Yes — inbox, contacts, pipeline | Usually a separate CRM | None — you build it |
| Setup time | ~15 min (Embedded Signup) | Hours to days | Weeks + DevOps |
| Maintenance | Fully hosted by FOXAF | Vendor-hosted | Your ops team |
| Cost model | Flat plan, no per-seat | Per-seat + markup on messages | Infra + engineering |
Prefer to see it head-to-head against a specific platform? Read the FOXAF comparison or the deep-dive on the WhatsApp Business API.
Everything a WhatsApp CRM should do
Six capabilities cover most of what teams run on WhatsApp — each links to its full deep-dive.
Shared team inbox
Your whole team works one WhatsApp number together — conversation assignment, collision detection, internal notes and full history per contact.
AI chatbots & automation
Claude or GPT agents answer first replies 24/7, qualify leads and follow your guardrails, then hand off to the right teammate. Build no-code workflows around them.
Broadcasts & campaigns
Personalised bulk messages with segmentation and approved templates, paced per number with per-recipient delivery, read and failure tracking.
Omnichannel inbox
WhatsApp, email, SMS and website live chat in one unified inbox — one thread per contact, so nothing lives in a silo.
Lead & contact management
A real contact database with tags, custom fields, pipelines and lead scoring — plus built-in lead generation to find new WhatsApp contacts.
Analytics & reporting
Real-time dashboards for team performance, campaign delivery and conversation funnels — see what's converting and where replies stall.
From a two-person team to a multi-branch brand
The same WhatsApp CRM scales from a solo founder answering DMs to an enterprise routing thousands of conversations a day.
- One number, whole team
- Support, sales & marketing in one inbox
- AI covers you after hours
- Assignment rules & departments
- Omnichannel + automation at scale
- Approved templates & tier warm-up
- REST API, webhooks & custom workflows
- Per-user roles, 2FA & audit trail
- Multiple numbers and workspaces
Built for these verticals
Order updates, abandoned-cart recovery and support on WhatsApp.
Qualify buyers, book viewings and follow up leads that go cold on email.
Delivery status, proof-of-delivery and RTO reduction over WhatsApp.
Run WhatsApp for many clients from one platform, cleanly separated.
Why customers answer WhatsApp — and ignore email
A traditional CRM logs email and phone. The problem is that customers have largely stopped opening one and answering the other.
WhatsApp reaches an opted-in audience on a channel they already use for family and friends, which is why messages get read in minutes rather than buried. Scale figures are from Meta; open-rate figures are widely reported industry benchmarks — WhatsApp goes only to contacts who agreed to receive it, which is part of why it reads so much higher than a broadcast email list.
| WhatsApp CRM | Traditional CRM (email/phone) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where customers are | On WhatsApp already | Inbox they skim once a day |
| Response speed | Minutes | Hours to days |
| Conversation history | One rich thread | Scattered across emails & call notes |
| Rich media & payments | Native in the chat | Attachments & separate links |
| Automation | AI + templates in-thread | Sequences the customer ignores |
QR or Cloud API — both in FOXAF
Most teams start with QR for instant setup and graduate to the official Cloud API once they're ready to scale. FOXAF supports both running side-by-side.
WhatsApp QR
For your personal or WhatsApp Business number — no Meta approval needed.
WhatsApp Cloud API
The official Meta Business path with verified sender + approved templates.
Need both? Run a QR session for personal conversations and Cloud API for broadcasts — FOXAF threads them into one inbox per contact.
A WhatsApp number that answers itself
Point a Claude or GPT AI agent at your WhatsApp channel and visitors get answers in seconds — at 2am or 2pm. The AI follows your tone and guardrails, pauses the instant you reply so a human can take over, and won't invent pricing or policy.
- 24/7 first response
Instant answers — even when your team is asleep.
- Won't make things up
Guardrailed so it never invents pricing or policy.
- Suggest or send
Draft for review, or send automatically — your call per agent.
- Smart hand-off
When it hands off, it routes to the right department and the least-busy agent.
The Cloud-API machinery, made simple
Everything the official WhatsApp Business API throws at you — templates, approvals, messaging tiers — handled inside FOXAF and wired into your workflows.
Template console
Submit WhatsApp templates to Meta and watch their approval status in one place. Preview exactly what the recipient sees — header image and tap-to-reply buttons and all — then fire that template straight from a workflow, a campaign or the inbox.
Messaging-tier warm-up
New Cloud-API numbers start on a lower Meta messaging tier. FOXAF shows your current tier and warms it up automatically — 1K to 10K and beyond per 24h — as you keep delivery healthy. No spreadsheets, no guessing how many you're allowed to send today.
Workflows that send WhatsApp
Trigger an approved template automatically when a pipeline stage moves or a booking changes — order confirmed, appointment tomorrow, payment due. The workflow fills the template variables and sends, no human in the loop.
Pacing you control
Set messages-per-batch and a gap floor per number; FOXAF paces the send automatically and tracks delivery, read and failure for every recipient. Pace a big blast under your tier and it spreads safely instead of tripping Meta's limits.
Live on WhatsApp in about 15 minutes
No BSP paperwork, no DevOps. Sign up, connect your number and you're chatting from FOXAF.
- 1Start your free trial
Create a workspace in a minute — no credit card required.
- 2Connect WhatsApp
Scan the QR with your existing number, or run Meta Embedded Signup for the official Cloud API.
- 3Set up the team inbox
Invite agents, set assignment rules and roles so the right person handles each chat.
- 4Turn on AI & workflows
Point an AI agent at the channel and build automations for follow-ups and templates.
- 5Launch your first broadcast
Build an audience, pick an approved template and send — paced safely under your tier.
Switching from another tool? The migration guide moves your templates, contacts and automations across.
WhatsApp CRM questions, answered
What is WhatsApp CRM software?+
WhatsApp CRM software is a customer-relationship platform built around the WhatsApp Business API. It centralises every customer conversation in a shared inbox, automates replies and follow-ups with AI and workflows, sends broadcast campaigns, and tracks each contact and deal — so a whole team can run sales and support from WhatsApp instead of one phone.
How much does WhatsApp CRM cost with FOXAF?+
FOXAF starts with a 14-day free trial — no credit card. Paid plans scale by workspace size, contacts and channels rather than per-agent seat fees, so small teams stay affordable. See the current tiers on the pricing page.
What's the difference between the WhatsApp Business App and the WhatsApp Business API?+
The WhatsApp Business App is a free phone app for one person on one number. The WhatsApp Business API (Cloud API) is the official platform for teams and software: multiple agents on one number, approved templates, broadcasts, automation and a verified green-tick profile. FOXAF connects both — scan a QR to start, or run Meta Embedded Signup for the Cloud API.
Can multiple team members use the same WhatsApp number in FOXAF?+
Yes. The shared team inbox lets your whole team work one WhatsApp number together, with conversation assignment, collision detection so two people never reply at once, internal notes and per-user roles — no forwarding screenshots or sharing a phone.
Does FOXAF integrate with Shopify, Zapier and other tools?+
FOXAF exposes a REST API, inbound and outbound webhooks, and a webhook step inside its workflow builder — so you can connect it to Shopify, Zapier, your storefront or your own backend, and trigger WhatsApp messages from any event.
How long does WhatsApp CRM setup take?+
QR connection takes a few minutes — scan a code with your existing number and you are live. The official Cloud API is roughly 15 minutes through Meta Embedded Signup inside FOXAF: pick your number and WhatsApp Business Account and your inbox, templates and campaigns are ready.
Is FOXAF WhatsApp CRM secure and privacy-compliant?+
WhatsApp conversations run on Meta’s end-to-end-encrypted network, and FOXAF adds the controls data-privacy rules expect: encrypted credentials, per-workspace data isolation, per-user roles and 2FA, audited access, and automatic opt-out/unsubscribe handling. See the security page for the full picture.
Can I migrate from respond.io, WATI or another WhatsApp CRM?+
Yes. Disconnect your current tool, then scan the FOXAF QR code or run Embedded Signup and start chatting from the FOXAF inbox immediately — Cloud API numbers keep the same number. The migration guide walks through moving templates, contacts and automations.
How does WhatsApp's free 24-hour service window work?+
WhatsApp provides a free 24-hour customer service window that opens whenever a customer messages your business first. During this window, you can send unlimited service messages (responses, follow-ups, support) at no charge — you only pay for business-initiated template messages sent outside this window. The window resets each time the customer sends a message, meaning active conversations with engaged customers generate minimal WhatsApp fees. This pricing structure favors businesses with high customer engagement and quick response times. FOXAF's inbox shows the window timer for each conversation so your team knows when responses are free vs when a template message fee applies.
Run your WhatsApp CRM in one platform
Inbox, AI, automation and broadcasts on the official Cloud API. Scan a QR or run Embedded Signup — you're live before your coffee's cold.