> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.dapta.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.dapta.ai/text-agents-first-sequence.md). # Go live on WhatsApp The whole path from an empty account to your first WhatsApp sequence: build the agent, connect your number, get a template approved, load your list, launch, and watch the agent answer the people who r You want your contacts to get a WhatsApp from you, and everyone who answers to be looked after straight away. This page takes you there in one go: by the end, your number is connected, Meta has approved your message, a sequence is sending it to your list, and the agent is already answering the people who reply. It follows the order that works. Each stage ends with something you can check, and links to the page that goes deeper when you need it. {% hint style="info" %} Stuck at any point: ****. {% endhint %} ## Where you are going | Stage | You finish with | | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **1. Build the agent** | An agent ready for the people who reply to you | | **2. Test and publish** | Answers you are happy with, live | | **3. Connect WhatsApp** | Your number connected, the agent assigned, and a real reply checked | | **4. Get your first message approved** | A template Meta has approved | | **5. Prepare your list** | A file of people who agreed to hear from you | | **6. Create the sequence** | Which number, which message, to whom, and when | | **7. Watch the replies** | Who received it, who answered, and the agent in the conversation | | **8. Keep it going** | A call for those who do not answer, and every lead in your CRM | ## Before you start * **The Facebook account that runs your business on Meta**, with full control of its business portfolio. If your company runs ads, you most likely have one. * **Your website or your Instagram Business profile.** Meta checks your business is real before it lets the number in. * **The phone with the number you will use.** It can be the number already on your WhatsApp Business app: the app keeps working on the phone, and your team can go on answering from it. * **A payment method on your Meta account.** Meta charges for delivering your messages on WhatsApp. * **A list of people who agreed to hear from you** on WhatsApp. {% hint style="info" %} If Meta has not verified your business yet, start that today in Meta Business Suite. Meta can take a few days to review it, and it is the step most often left too late. {% endhint %} *** ## 1. Build the agent A sequence sends your first message. The agent takes over from the moment someone answers. Build it for that moment. {% embed url="" %} {% file src="/files/BKq9WYl1Hp2uUIFyHx7K" %} **Step 1:** Go to **Text Agents → Agents**, click **New Agent** and choose **Create from scratch**. *** **Step 2:** In **Agent Context**, give it its job: * **Agent Name** — how it introduces itself when someone asks who they are talking to. * **Purpose** — the closest to what you want from the people you write to: confirmations, reminders, qualifying leads, scheduling meetings, sales or support. * **Important Instructions** — what it does, how it sounds, and what it never says. * **Language** — the language it writes in, or several. Write the instructions for the reply, not only for the first message. Tell it what your message was about, what should happen next (book, confirm, qualify, buy) and when to hand the conversation to a person. Someone who answers "Yes, tell me more" should get a next step, not a greeting. Click **Save and Continue**. *** **Step 3:** In **Company Context**, click **create new company context** and enter your **Company Name** and **Company Description**. Click **Save and Test**. {% hint style="warning" %} The step opens with one of your existing company contexts already selected. Editing its fields changes that context for every agent that uses it, so create a new one unless you mean to update it. {% endhint %} *** **Step 4:** Have a first conversation with it on the same screen, as a customer would. {% content-ref url="/pages/6ZYEbamUuGzBf8w8LKr3" %} [Create your first Text Agent in Dapta](/ai-text-agents/create-your-first-text-agent-in-dapta.md) {% endcontent-ref %} *** ## 2. Test it, then publish it Changes to a Text Agent are a draft until you publish them. Your customers only ever talk to the published version. **Step 1:** Open the agent, make your changes and click **Save Agent**. *** **Step 2:** Open the **Playground** and play the person who received your message. Reply "Yes, interested". Ask "Who is this?". Ask for a price, then for a person. Write "Stop". Start a new conversation after every change you make. *** **Step 3:** When the answers are right, click **Publish**. {% hint style="success" %} **Move on when** every reply you tried leads to the next step you want, and "Stop" is respected. {% endhint %} {% content-ref url="/pages/6oDVCzyHD3gYg9lsWKDJ" %} [Playground: Testing your Text AI Agents](/ai-text-agents/setting-up-your-text-agent/playground-testing-your-text-ai-agents.md) {% endcontent-ref %} *** ## 3. Connect your WhatsApp number This is where your agent stops being a demo. It takes a few minutes: one screen in Dapta, then Meta's own window. {% embed url="" %} {% file src="/files/IJSTCRpZkJoLUaineey4" %} **Step 1:** Go to **Text Agents → Channels**, and on **WhatsApp** click **View Connections**. *** **Step 2:** **WhatsApp numbers** shows the three steps ahead: **Connect with Meta**, **Choose your agent** and **Test it**. Check **What you'll need**: admin access to your business on Meta, and a number that can receive an SMS or a call, or the number you already use on the WhatsApp Business app. Allow pop-ups for `app.dapta.ai`. *** **Step 3:** Click **Continue with Meta**. Meta's window opens: sign in with Facebook, pick your business portfolio, and then: * **Connect a WhatsApp Business app** if the number is on the app. You scan a QR code with the phone, and the app keeps working. * **Create a WhatsApp Business account** if the number is not on WhatsApp yet. You receive a verification code on the phone. Keep the Dapta tab open meanwhile: it shows **Connecting your number** until the line is **Ready to use**. Add a payment method in Meta when it asks: Meta charges for delivering your messages, and without one your agent can't reply. *** **Step 4:** Choose the Text Agent that answers on the line. A connected line answers nobody until an agent is assigned to it. *** **Step 5:** Test it for real. From a different phone, send a message to your number. Find the conversation in **Text Agents → Inbox** and confirm the agent's answer reaches that phone. Bought a number from Dapta? Click **Book a session with Dapta** and the team connects it with you. {% hint style="info" %} Dapta charges for the agent, in credits. Meta charges for delivering the messages, to the payment method on your own Meta account. Nothing is charged twice. {% endhint %} {% content-ref url="/pages/8yBxnycfBbLwmHztlM7I" %} [Prepare your Meta account](/ai-text-agents/channels/prepare-your-meta-account.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/anfdTczN1uZyNz5LkS0L" %} [Connect your Agent with WhatsApp](/ai-text-agents/channels/connect-your-agent-with-whatsapp.md) {% endcontent-ref %} *** ## 4. Get your first message approved On WhatsApp, you can reply freely for 24 hours after someone writes to you. To write first, which is what a sequence does, the message has to be a **template**: a message you write in advance and Meta approves. **Choose the category with one question:** would the person be surprised to receive it? | | Category | For example | | ------------------------------------------------ | ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **No**, they are expecting it | **Utility** | An appointment confirmation, a reminder, an order update | | **Yes**, you are reaching out to create business | **Marketing** | An offer, a launch, an invitation, "we have not heard from you in a while" | {% embed url="" %} {% file src="/files/RaGVM3JeTlVBwWoY2Efd" %} **Step 1:** Go to **Text Agents → Templates** and click **New**. *** **Step 2:** Give it a **Template name** in your own words (Dapta handles the format), the **Language** you will write it in, the **Standard** type and the **Category**. *** **Step 3:** In **Text**, write the message the way you would write to one customer. Type `/` to insert a custom field, such as the name or the appointment date, always with words before and after it. Every custom field needs a realistic example. Never a real customer's data. *** **Step 4:** Click **Buttons** to add quick replies. A tap counts as a reply: it opens the conversation, and your agent takes it from there. On a Marketing template, add a way out, such as a **Stop promotions** button. *** **Step 5:** Check the preview, confirm the **WhatsApp line** it is for, and click **Submit for approval**. Meta's review usually takes from a few minutes to 24 hours. **Sync status** in the templates list brings in the latest decision. Two templates that work: | Category | Body | Quick replies | | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | **Utility** | Hi {{contact\_name}}, this is Acme Corp. We are confirming your appointment on {{appointment\_date}}. Will you be able to make it? | **Yes, I will be there** · **I need to change it** | | **Marketing** | Hi {{contact\_name}}, your favourite {{product}} is back in stock. Would you like us to hold one for you until Friday? | **Yes, hold it** · **Stop promotions** | If Meta rejects it, read the reason on the template, fix it and submit it again. Already have approved templates in your Meta account? **Import from Meta** brings them in. {% content-ref url="/pages/mLlFi104TPasFu4fCFKM" %} [Which template type do you need](/ai-text-agents/channels/template-types.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/LT6vPXywEfXjmz1MwdWI" %} [WhatsApp message templates](/ai-text-agents/channels/message-templates.md) {% endcontent-ref %} *** ## 5. Prepare your list | Column | What goes in it | | ------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Phone number** | Required. International format: `+573001234567`. Store the column as text so the spreadsheet keeps the `+`. | | **Name** | Recommended, for a personal greeting. | | **One column per template variable** | Every variable in your template needs a value on every row. A blank one has to be fixed first. | | **Anything the agent should know** | Optional: their plan, their appointment, their last order. The agent uses it when the person replies. | * **CSV** or **XLSX**, up to 5 MB, column names in the first row, one person per row. * **Only people who agreed to hear from you.** Importing a number does not override an opt-out or a block, and messaging people who never asked is the fastest way to damage your number. * **Start with a small first batch**, with yourself in it. A newly connected number starts with a small daily sending allowance that grows as it builds a good history, so a short first list fits the way WhatsApp works. {% content-ref url="/pages/4oiyZkkE9rKFGkEdzUXA" %} [Importing contacts](/ai-text-agents/campaigns/importing-contacts.md) {% endcontent-ref %} *** ## 6. Create the sequence Go to **Sequences → Text Sequences** and click **Create sequence**. The wizard has four steps. {% embed url="" %} {% file src="/files/SWdTDve4OJ9EnJvjVmOg" %} **Step 1: Create your sequence.** Give it a **Sequence Name**, an optional objective, choose your WhatsApp line under **Channel** and your approved **Template**. Leave the template strategy on **Single template**; an A/B test can come later. Click **Save and continue**. If the wizard asks you to connect a channel or create an approved template first, go back to stage 3 or 4: a sequence needs both. *** **Step 2: Schedule your sequence.** Choose the start date and the **time zone of your contacts**, then the days and hours when messages may go out. The end date is optional. Leave it empty and the sequence stays open: when it runs out of contacts it waits for new ones instead of finishing. {% hint style="warning" %} If the start time is already inside your sending hours, the sequence starts as soon as you click **Finish**. Want a moment to review first? Set the start a little later. {% endhint %} *** **Step 3: Add your contacts.** Choose **Upload a file** and select your list. You can also connect a **Google Sheet**, a **Webhook** or a **HubSpot** list, and new contacts reach the sequence on their own. *** **Step 4: Variables mapping.** Map the phone number, then every variable in your template, and check the preview on a few rows, including one with missing data. Optionally map extra columns as conversation context for the agent. Click **Finish**. {% content-ref url="/pages/Ayz3ASh8k4aWF2GmoE9O" %} [Create a sequence](/ai-text-agents/campaigns/create-a-campaign.md) {% endcontent-ref %} *** ## 7. Watch the replies come in This is the moment you came for. * **The sequence's Conversations tab** shows every contact: whether the message was delivered and, if it was not sent, why. * **Text Agents → Inbox** is where the replies land, with the agent already answering. The **Awaiting first reply** filter lists the people you wrote to who have not answered yet. You or your team can take over any conversation and return it to the agent when you are done. * **The sequence's Metrics tab** shows the results of that sequence. A delivered message is not an answer: look at both. What the status means in the first days: | Status | What it means | | --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Running** | Sending to the contacts who are ready. | | **Waiting for schedule** | Before the start, or outside your sending hours. It carries on by itself. | | **Waiting for contacts** | Everyone so far has been processed. New contacts wake it up. | | **Waiting for daily limit** | Today's allowance for your number is used up. It carries on tomorrow. Normal on a new number. | | **Paused** | Dapta stopped sending to protect your number, or you paused it. Read the reason, fix it, and resume. | {% hint style="success" %} A pause is the product protecting your number, not a failure. Dapta watches your number's quality while a sequence runs and holds sending back before a problem turns into a restriction from Meta. {% endhint %} {% content-ref url="/pages/uRpzLaOCmIdzifXeO9xO" %} [Managing your sequence](/ai-text-agents/campaigns/managing-your-campaign.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/Yd8Dr1GnzSTVXV8kBdd6" %} [Inbox](/ai-text-agents/inbox.md) {% endcontent-ref %} *** ## 8. Keep it going Your first sequence is live. These are the next things most teams add. **Call the people who do not answer.** In the sequence's **Settings**, turn on **Call unanswered contacts**, choose how many hours to wait (1 to 24) and the **Voice agent** that calls, and save. Calls respect your sequence's hours and end date. [Go live with calls](/voice-agents-first-sequence.md) shows how to build that voice agent. {% content-ref url="/pages/3IUmiIqvNy2PCTCUH36g" %} [Call fallback](/ai-text-agents/campaigns/call-fallback.md) {% endcontent-ref %} **Put every conversation in your CRM.** Post-conversation analysis pulls what you need out of each chat, and CRM Pipeline Sync moves each lead to the right stage. {% content-ref url="/pages/QiBD0YGHKHLiRZFh5VxB" %} [CRM Pipeline Sync](/ai-text-agents/setting-up-your-text-agent/crm-pipeline-sync.md) {% endcontent-ref %} **Bring back the conversations that go quiet.** In the agent's **Settings**, **Follow-ups** write again, on their own, to people who stop answering mid-conversation. {% content-ref url="/pages/UTZwUa601OoA7hZESXMb" %} [Follow-ups](/ai-text-agents/setting-up-your-text-agent/follow-ups.md) {% endcontent-ref %} *** ## If your first sequence is not sending | What you see | What to check | | ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | The wizard asks you to connect a channel | Your WhatsApp line is not connected yet. See stage 3. | | The wizard asks for an approved template | Your template is still in review or was rejected. Open it and click **Sync status**. | | **Waiting for schedule** for a long time | The start date, the sending hours, and whether the time zone is your contacts'. | | Messages are delivered, but nobody gets an answer | An agent is assigned to the line, the agent is published, and no one on your team has taken the conversation over in Inbox. | | Messages stop suddenly | The number's statuses in **WhatsApp numbers**. A banner saying **Agent replies are blocked: add a payment method** means the WhatsApp Business account needs a payment method. Otherwise, check the messaging limit in your Meta account. | ## What it costs | | Cost | | ----------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | | Each answer the agent writes | 40 credits | | A message someone on your team sends from Inbox | 10 credits | | Messages your contacts send you | Free | | Delivering the messages on WhatsApp | Charged by Meta to your own Meta account, not in credits | {% content-ref url="/pages/4UzZiIFvS8tHwW343c2h" %} [WhatsApp billing](/ai-text-agents/channels/whatsapp-billing-and-meta-charges.md) {% endcontent-ref %} {% content-ref url="/pages/cHXA4BU2fpSMhGrSJi53" %} [Go live with calls](/voice-agents-first-sequence.md) {% endcontent-ref %} --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the following URL with the `ask` and `goal` query parameters: ``` GET https://docs.dapta.ai/text-agents-first-sequence.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is what the user is ultimately trying to achieve, the reason they need the answer. Sharing it helps GitBook give you a better, more relevant answer. A goal is most helpful when it describes the outcome the user wants rather than restating the question. For example, with `ask=how do I create an API token`, a goal like `automate deployments from our CI pipeline` lets GitBook tailor the answer to that use case. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.