Every WhatsRay feature, explained

Shared team inbox

Customers message your WhatsApp number as usual. Their chats arrive in a web inbox where each person on your team signs in with their own account and replies from the same business number.

How it works

1. Filter the list by All, Unread, Mine or Unassigned, or search by name and number.
2. Open a chat to see the full history, the contact’s details and who it is assigned to.
3. Reply with text, formatting (bold, italic, strikethrough, monospace) and emoji, exactly as WhatsApp shows it.
4. Mark chats as read or unread, and set each chat’s status as you work through it.

Good to know

• If someone else is viewing the same chat, the inbox tells you, so two people don’t reply at once.
• Save your place in a long list and jump back to it later.
• Read ticks show what was sent, delivered and read, and failed messages say why they failed.

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Chat assignment, by hand or by keyword

Assign a chat to a teammate from the inbox, or let a flow do it. A flow can route chats by keyword, so a customer who writes “price” goes to sales and one who writes “refund” goes to support.

How it works

1. In the inbox, pick a teammate in the chat’s Assigned to field.
2. Or build a flow: start it on keywords such as “price, order, delivery”, then add an Assign to Agent step.
3. Choose how the agent is picked: a specific person, round-robin (in turn) or fewest open chats.
4. Choose what happens if the chat already has an agent: keep them, or reassign.

Good to know

• The assigned agent is notified, and the chat shows who assigned it and why (for example “Customer replied: Sales”).
• Keywords can match when the message contains the word, starts with it, or is exactly it.
• When a teammate is removed, their chats go back to Unassigned.
• If a customer writes again to a chat marked Done, it goes back to the person who handled it (within 7 days).

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Labels, notes and chat status

Labels sort chats at a glance, notes keep context your customer never sees, and statuses show what still needs a reply.

How it works

1. Create labels with a name and colour, then add them to any chat.
2. Let flows label chats for you: a Label Conversation step can add or remove labels automatically.
3. Add internal notes to a chat for your team. Customers never see them.
4. Set the chat status (for example Open or Pending) so everyone knows what is waiting.

Good to know

• Labels belong to a WhatsApp number, so each number can have its own set.
• Deleting a label removes it from every chat that used it.

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Photos, documents, voice and location

Attach photos, videos, PDFs and Word files, voice notes and locations. Edit a photo before you send it, and share products from a catalogue linked to your WhatsApp account.

How it works

1. Drag files into the chat or paste an image from the clipboard.
2. Crop, draw on, blur or rotate a photo before sending, for example to hide an address.
3. Send up to 10 images at once.
4. Share a location from the map, or enter its coordinates.

Good to know

• Voice notes customers send can be played at a faster speed.
• Normal messages and files can be sent while the 24-hour reply window is open; after that, start again with a template.
• Photos, videos, voice notes and documents count towards your plan’s media storage. Settings › Storage shows what is used, and you can delete a past month’s media to free up space.

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Saved replies

Write your price list, delivery terms or bank details once. Anyone on your team can send it from any chat, so every customer gets the same, correct answer.

How it works

1. Create a saved reply with a short name and the message, using WhatsApp formatting.
2. Attach up to 20 files (photos, video, audio or documents, 10 MB each).
3. In a chat, open saved replies, search by name, and send.

Good to know

• Share a reply with the whole team or keep it to yourself.
• Limit a reply to the numbers it belongs to, or show it on all numbers.
• Files can go with the message as a caption, or one after another.

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Reply window, always visible

WhatsApp lets businesses send normal messages only within 24 hours of the customer’s last message. WhatsRay shows the time left on each chat, and when it closes, offers your approved templates to restart the conversation.

How it works

1. The countdown starts again every time the customer writes.
2. When it reaches zero, the chat asks you to send an approved template instead.
3. When the customer replies to your template, a new 24-hour window opens.

Good to know

• Chats that started from a Facebook or Instagram ad are marked, and show when Meta’s free ad window applies and when it ends.

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Team members and permissions

Stop sharing one phone or one password. Add staff as team members, choose which WhatsApp numbers they work on, and turn individual permissions on or off.

How it works

1. Add a team member with their name and email. We email them a username and a temporary password.
2. Pick the WhatsApp numbers they work on: they see chats, contacts and campaigns on those numbers only.
3. Start with Inbox only, give everything except managing the team, or choose permissions one by one.

Good to know

• Removing someone signs them out straight away, and their chats go back to Unassigned.
• The number of team members depends on your plan.

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Sinhala phonetic typing

Reply to Sinhala-speaking customers without a Sinhala keyboard. Switch it on in the message box and type the words as they sound.

How it works

1. Tap the “Sin” button in the message box.
2. Type the word phonetically in English letters.
3. It appears in Sinhala script, ready to send. Tap the button again to go back to English.

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Flow builder

A flow is a conversation you design once. It starts when a customer writes, sends the right messages, waits for their choice and hands the chat to a person when needed.

How it works

1. Start with a trigger: any message, or messages with certain keywords; new contacts, existing ones, or both.
2. Add messages: text, buttons, list menus, images, video, audio, documents, location, link buttons and templates.
3. Branch on the button or list option the customer picks, or with an If / else step: on business hours, the contact’s tags or their lists.
4. Finish with actions: assign an agent, label the chat, tag the contact, add them to a list, notify your team, ask for marketing opt-in, wait, start another flow, or end the conversation.

Good to know

• Delay / Wait until pauses a flow for a set time or until a date and time.
• If a step fails (for example a template was deleted), the chat shows a note explaining what went wrong.
• A chat in the middle of a flow isn’t interrupted by the AI bot or the away message.

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Keyword triggers and menus

Give each flow its own keywords. When a message matches, that flow runs: send a price list for “price”, a booking link for “book”, or route “complaint” straight to a manager.

How it works

1. Add keywords to a flow’s trigger, one at a time.
2. Choose how they match: the message contains the keyword, starts with it, or is exactly it.
3. Choose who it runs for: new contacts, existing contacts or everyone.

Good to know

• Button and list menus let customers choose instead of typing, and each choice can lead to its own steps.
• When a flow matches a message, it runs instead of the AI bot.

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AI bots

Tell the bot who you are, what you sell, your prices and policies, and what it must never say. Give it your web pages and documents. It replies on the numbers you choose and hands over to your team when it should.

How it works

1. Describe your business in a few sentences (and add your website) and let AI draft the bot for you to check, or write the instructions yourself.
2. Add knowledge: up to 10 web pages, and up to 20 files (PDF, Word, Excel or TXT, 10 MB each).
3. Add photos and files it can send, such as room photos or your menu: it sends them when customers ask to see something.
4. Choose the WhatsApp numbers it replies on.
5. Set when it hands over: the customer asks for a person, is upset, or uses words such as “refund” or “complaint”.

Good to know

• On hand-over the bot sends your hand-over message and stops replying in that chat, so a person can take over.
• When it has no answer, it sends your fallback message instead of guessing.
• Its replies can carry a short line telling customers they are talking to an AI.
• When a customer has to choose, it offers tap-to-answer buttons or a list (you can switch this off).
• You can take over any chat from the inbox at any time.
• Each AI reply uses 1 AI credit. Your plan includes credits every month, and you can buy more under Subscription › AI credits; bought credits never expire.

From the Scale plan Compare plans

Welcome message

Sent once, the first time someone messages one of your numbers: your opening hours, what you can help with, or a menu of buttons.

How it works

1. Create one welcome message for each WhatsApp number.
2. Write the greeting, for example your opening hours or what you can help with.
3. Flows and the AI bot take over from the customer’s next message.

Good to know

• If you are closed when a new contact writes, the away message is sent instead.

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Business hours and away message

Your hours tell WhatsRay when you are open. Outside them, the away message answers for you, and flows can check them to behave differently after hours.

How it works

1. Set hours for each day, or mark it Closed.
2. Use split hours for a lunch break (9:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00), or hours that run past midnight.
3. Write the away message and choose how often a customer can receive it.

Good to know

• A chat that is in the middle of a flow isn’t interrupted by the away message.
• Flows can use an If / else step: “Within business hours”.

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Team alerts for hot leads

Add a Notify Team step to any flow. When a customer reaches it, for example by tapping “Talk to sales”, the people you choose are told right away with the customer’s details.

How it works

1. Add a Notify Team step where the lead becomes important.
2. Send the alert by email, as a WhatsApp template to your team’s phones, or both.
3. Add an internal note so the team knows what to do.

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WhatsApp forms

WhatsApp forms (Meta calls them Flows) are screens with fields, drop-downs and dates that open inside the chat. Customers fill them in without leaving WhatsApp, and their answers come back to you.

How it works

1. Build and publish the form in WhatsApp Manager › Flows.
2. Send it from a flow with the Send Form step, or put a Form button on a template.
3. The customer taps the button, fills in the form and submits it.
4. The submitted answers appear in the chat.

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Message templates

WhatsApp requires a template whenever your business sends the first message, or the reply window has closed. Create them in WhatsRay and they go to Meta for review.

How it works

1. Choose the category: marketing, utility (orders, payments, appointments) or authentication (one-time codes).
2. Write the message with variables such as the customer’s name, and give an example for each.
3. Add an image, video or document, and buttons: quick replies, links, a phone number or a form.
4. Submit. Meta usually reviews it within 24 hours.

Good to know

• Carousel templates show 2 to 10 swipeable cards, each with its own image and buttons.
• Authentication templates send login codes and can expire after the number of minutes you set.
• Meta confirms the final category when it approves the template, and charges by category.
• Approved and rejected templates can be edited; Meta reviews the change again.

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Campaigns

Pick a template and an audience, personalise it, check it, send yourself a test, then send or schedule it. The report shows what was sent, delivered, read and failed.

How it works

1. Choose the audience: contacts in WhatsRay, contact lists or tags, or a CSV or Excel file.
2. Fill the template’s variables with tags such as first name. Extra columns in your file (such as “Amount due”) become tags too.
3. Review it: duplicates are sent once, opted-out contacts are left out, and blank values are flagged.
4. Send a test to your own number, then send now or schedule a date and time.

Good to know

• Retry failed messages from the report with one click.
• Download all recipients and their status as an Excel file.
• Meta charges per delivered message by template category: marketing costs more than utility.

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Marketing opt-in, STOP and START

WhatsApp requires customers’ permission for marketing. WhatsRay records who agreed, and anyone who replies STOP is opted out of campaigns straight away.

How it works

1. Ask in a flow: the Opt-in step sends your question with two buttons and saves the answer on the contact.
2. A customer who replies STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE is opted out and told how to come back.
3. Replying START or SUBSCRIBE opts them back in.
4. Campaigns always leave out opted-out contacts, and can also leave out those who were never asked.

Good to know

• Only a message that is just the keyword counts, so “please stop sending the wrong size” isn’t an opt-out.
• Fewer blocks and reports keep your quality rating up, and with it your sending limits.

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Contacts, lists and tags

Contacts are saved as people message you, or you can add and import them. Group them into lists and tags, and store extra details in your own fields.

How it works

1. Import a CSV or Excel file (first name, last name, country code, mobile), using the sample file, and tag everyone in it or add them to lists as you import.
2. Add contacts to lists, such as “Wholesale”, and tags, such as “VIP” or “Kandy”.
3. Let flows tag contacts for you: a Tag Contact step adds or removes tags as customers chat, ready for your next campaign.
4. Tick contacts to tag them or label their chats in one go, or select everyone matching a filter.
5. Store extra details in custom fields, such as a customer number or birthday.
6. Export your contacts: we email a download link when the file is ready.

Good to know

• Customers who use a WhatsApp username instead of showing their number still appear, with the number hidden.
• Deleting a contact can keep or delete their chats; you choose.
• Block a contact from their chat if you need to.

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Short links and QR codes

Put them on your website, ads, social posts, flyers and shop counter. Customers tap or scan, and a chat opens with your message ready to send.

How it works

1. Choose a word people remember, such as “sale” or “book-now” (3 to 40 letters, numbers or dashes).
2. Pick the number and write the message the customer will send, for example “Hi! I saw your ad”.
3. Copy the link or download the QR code.

Good to know

• The link can’t be changed once created, because it may already be printed.

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Website chat button

Add a floating button to your site with your business name and a greeting. Visitors type a message and it opens in WhatsApp, so you keep the conversation on their phone.

How it works

1. Set the number, the title, the greeting and the message typed in for the visitor.
2. Copy the code and paste it before the closing </body> tag. WordPress and Google Tag Manager work too.
3. Edit the button in WhatsRay at any time; your website updates within a few minutes.

Good to know

• The code never changes, so you only add it to your site once.

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List menus and link buttons

A list message shows one button that opens a menu, such as Pricing, Delivery or Talk to sales. A link button message opens your booking page, payment link or catalogue, without pasting a long URL.

How it works

1. Build a list with sections and up to 10 rows, each with a short title and description.
2. Create link buttons with your text, an optional image and the web address.
3. Send them from the inbox, or use them in flows so each option leads to its own reply.

Good to know

• Editing a list or link updates every flow that uses it.

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Leads from Facebook and Instagram ads

When someone taps your Click-to-WhatsApp ad, the chat is labelled as an ad lead. Reply within 24 hours and Meta makes your messages to that customer free for up to 7 days.

How it works

1. Run a Click-to-WhatsApp ad in Meta Ads Manager to your connected number.
2. The chat arrives in the inbox with an ad-lead banner showing the post it came from.
3. Reply quickly, and use a welcome message or AI bot to answer instantly, even at night.

Good to know

• The chat shows when the free window is open and when it ends.

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Connect your WhatsApp numbers

Connect through Meta’s official sign-up window. A number you use in the WhatsApp Business app keeps working in the app, and its chats show in WhatsRay too.

How it works

1. Choose: a number you use in the WhatsApp Business app, or a new number that isn’t on WhatsApp.
2. Sign in with Facebook as an admin of your business in Meta Business Suite.
3. Create a 6-digit PIN that protects the number.
4. Check the number says Working, then send yourself a test message.

Good to know

• Meta needs a card on your WhatsApp account to pay its message charges.
• If Meta needs the number reconnected, its card says so and Reconnect fixes it.
• Removing a number from WhatsRay releases it so it can be used in the regular app again.

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Meta cost estimator

Meta charges per message, by type and the customer’s country. The WhatsApp Pricing page in your dashboard shows the current rates and estimates your monthly cost.

How it works

1. Pick the country your customers are in.
2. Enter roughly how many marketing, utility, authentication and service messages you send.
3. See the estimated total, including the 1,000 free service messages each number gets every month.

Good to know

• Messages inside a free ad window are free, so leave them out.
• You pay these charges to Meta directly, separate from your WhatsRay plan. WhatsRay adds no mark-up.

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Ask WhatsRay AI

Not sure where a setting is, or why a message didn’t send? Ask in your own words and get step-by-step answers about every part of WhatsRay.

How it works

1. Open Ask WhatsRay AI from the Help menu.
2. Type a question, or pick a common one such as “Why is my message not sending?”.
3. Attach a screenshot if something on screen is confusing.

Good to know

• If you still need help, open a support ticket from the same screen.

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