WhatsApp Business Calling

WhatsApp Business Calling

Connect your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) to Finn so users can place voice calls to your business directly inside WhatsApp — answered by a Finn agent, billed per minute like any other call.

WhatsApp Business Calling (Meta's voice-over-WhatsApp surface, launched 2024) sits on top of the Cloud API. From the user's side it's a tap on the call button inside your business chat. From your side it's a normal Finn inbound call.

What you get

• Inbound voice from any WhatsApp user worldwide
• No new number to provision — uses your existing WABA phone-number ID
• Finn agent answers with the same prompt, voice, and workflow as your regular inbound
• Recording + transcript + analytics identical to PSTN inbound
• Lower per-minute cost than international PSTN inbound in many regions

Prerequisites

Before you can connect:

1. A verified Meta Business Account with the WhatsApp Business Platform enabled
2. A WABA phone number in good standing (not the consumer WhatsApp app — the Cloud API number)
3. Business verification approved by Meta (required for calling)
4. A Finn org on Pro or higher (Starter doesn't include WhatsApp calling)
5. The Calling API capability explicitly enabled in your WABA — Meta gates this. Request access in Meta Business → WhatsApp Manager → API Settings → Calling

Setup (5 steps)

1. Enable Calling in WABA

In Meta Business Suite → WhatsApp Manager → Phone Numbers → [your number] → Settings → Calling:

• Toggle Enable inbound calling to On
• Set Default action to Forward to API
• Save

2. Generate a permanent system-user access token

In Meta Business → Business Settings → System Users:

• Create a system user (or reuse one)
• Generate a token with scopes: whatsapp_business_management, whatsapp_business_messaging
• Treat the token like a password — never commit, rotate quarterly

3. Connect inside Finn

Dashboard → Settings → Integrations → WhatsApp → Connect.

Paste:

• phone_number_id (from WhatsApp Manager)
• waba_id (the WhatsApp Business Account ID)
• System-user access token

Finn validates the token by hitting /v18.0/{phone_number_id} and reports the status inline.

4. Bind a Finn agent

In the same screen, choose which Finn answers WhatsApp calls. You can:

• Pin one agent for all WhatsApp inbound — simplest
• Route dynamically via the inbound webhook — different agents per caller, country, or campaign tag

5. Test

Send any test message in WhatsApp to your WABA number from a personal account, then tap the call button. The Finn agent should answer in 2–3 seconds.

If the call drops immediately, the calling capability isn't fully approved — check Meta's calling-enablement banner in WhatsApp Manager.

Behavior compared to PSTN inbound

Caller identification

The inbound webhook payload includes WhatsApp-specific fields:

{
  "session_id": "ws_2H4abc",
  "channel": "whatsapp",
  "from": {
    "wa_id": "919876543210",
    "display_name": "Priya M",
    "profile_pic_url": "https://..."
  },
  "to_phone_number_id": "104382715924563",
  "started_at": "2026-05-22T14:30:00Z"
}

wa_id is the caller's WhatsApp identifier (typically their phone number in E.164 minus the +). Use it as the lookup key against your CRM the same way you'd use caller_id for PSTN.

Pricing

WhatsApp inbound is billed on the same Finn AI-credit model as PSTN inbound:

• Picked-up call: pulse-billed by the minute, 1-min minimum
• No carrier surcharge — Meta handles the network leg
• No per-call setup fee

See Wallet & AI Credits for the full pulse-billing formula.

Limitations

• Inbound only (Meta restriction as of 2026). You can't dial WhatsApp users from Finn.
• One Finn per phone-number ID at a time — though dynamic routing via the inbound webhook lets you switch agents per call.
• Voicemail not yet supported — missed calls drop without a message.
• Region availability varies — Meta is still rolling Calling out by country. Check WhatsApp Manager → API Settings for your status.

Compliance

• Recording disclosure — the same rules apply as PSTN. India, EU, parts of the US require disclosing the call is recorded. Configure Finn's welcome message to include the disclosure.
• Consent — by tapping the call button in WhatsApp, the user has initiated the call — express consent is implicit for that session. You still need separate consent to call them back via PSTN.
• Data residency — Meta processes the audio in their region. If your org has strict residency requirements, evaluate before enabling.

FAQ

Q: Can my existing Finn agent answer WhatsApp calls without changes? A: Yes. The agent prompt, voice, and workflow are the same. Just bind it in the WhatsApp integration screen.

Q: Do WhatsApp callers see they're talking to AI? A: Your Finn's identity is whatever you configured (e.g. "Aria from Smile Dental"). If asked directly, the agent should disclose AI status — same compliance rule as PSTN.

Q: Can I route WhatsApp calls to a human agent? A: Yes — Finn's warm-transfer mechanism works the same way. Transferred call lands on a configured PSTN number.

Q: How does this differ from WhatsApp click-to-call links? A: Click-to-call opens the user's phone dialer with a PSTN number. WhatsApp Business Calling stays inside the WhatsApp app and rides Meta's voice infra — different surface entirely.

Troubleshooting

Related

• Phone Numbers →
• Inbound Webhooks →
• Post-call Webhooks →
• Compliance →
• Wallet & AI Credits →