WhatsApp Groups

Overview

WhatsApp Groups in CommBox enable businesses to manage multi-participant conversations directly within the platform, combining customers, agents, and internal stakeholders into a single shared thread.

This capability extends beyond traditional 1:1 messaging by supporting collaborative communication scenarios such as consultations, support cases, and group coordination. As a result, businesses can manage structured, multi-user conversations on WhatsApp, fully documented, controlled, and integrated within CommBox.

This guide outlines the invitation process and best practices for maximizing this feature.

Prerequisites

To use WhatsApp Groups, ensure the following requirements are met:

• Official Business Account (OBA) approved for group usage
• A properly configured Groups channel in CommBox
• Appropriate agent permissions
• Note that WhatsApp Coexistence does not work with Groups.

For more information, refer to:
https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/groups

Key Considerations

A. Unified Conversation Thread

All group interactions are centralized within a single conversation thread:

• All participant messages appear in real time in CommBox
• Agents can respond directly from the platform
• Full visibility of all interactions between participants
• Maintains structured communication without fragmentation

B. Group Creation & Management

CommBox allows agents to initiate and manage WhatsApp Groups directly from the platform:

• Create new WhatsApp Groups from within CommBox
• The creating agent is automatically assigned as the group admin
• Groups are limited to up to 8 participants (not including the agent)
• Internal participants, such as associated agents, can be added to the conversation
  

C. Permissions and Security

• Agents can generate a new invite link at any time by clicking Get New Invite Link from the 3-dot menu at the top.
  

  • Generating a new link automatically invalidates the previous one
  • Pending invitations sent via the old link will no longer be valid

• Group Admins can enable Auto-Approve, allowing invited participants to join without manual approval

• Non-admin agents must have the appropriate permissions enabled under the General settings section to work with groups
  

D. Groups Module

• The WhatsApp Groups module is automatically created from the existing WhatsApp Channels once Meta approves the associated WABA for group usage and a new group is created.
• Channel name keeps the original WhatsApp channel name with a “Groups” suffix added.
• A unique set of channel settings could be set for each WABA account.
• Up to 10,000 groups in any approved channel.
  

Key Organizational Benefits

Invitation Process

1. Select the group from the conversations listing. In the Groups pane, click Invite.
   

2. In the dialog box:

   • Enter the participant’s phone number
   • Select from existing customers if recognized
   • If not recognized, choose Add [phone number] as a new participant
   • Click Next
     

3. Select an invite template

   • Templates cannot be edited
   • Ensure templates include input fields if customization is required
     

4. To retrieve the invite link:

   • Click the three-dot menu at the top
   • Select Copy Invite Link
     

5. Paste the link into the template (if not already included), then click Invite Participants.
   

6. Once participants respond, the Group Admin can approve or reject each request.
   

Creating A Group

The agent who creates a group is automatically assigned as the Group Admin. This role may require additional permissions.

1. Navigate to Compose > WhatsApp and select Groups

   • Select a WhatsApp Channel
   • Enter a unique Group name
   • Enter a description about the group (optional)
   • Upload the group’s logo (optional)
   • Enable Auto-approve join requests (optional, disabled by default)
     Note: This setting automatically accepts new members and is permanent once saved.
     

2. Click Create group.

Managing Join Requests

After inviting participants, they must send a request to join the group.
As the Group Admin, you can approve or reject each request unless auto-approval is enabled.