Integrations 4 min read 28 September 2026 By Fred

Connect WhatsApp Business to Xcellerate OPS: turn messages into tickets

Turn customers' WhatsApp messages into tickets and reply from the ticket, from your own business number. Connect in one click or set it up manually.

Connect WhatsApp Business to Xcellerate OPS and customer messages to your business number become tickets, or land on the customer's open ticket. Technicians reply from the ticket, and the reply goes out from the same number. This guide is for admins at MSPs and service businesses who want WhatsApp in the same inbox as email.

TL;DR

Connect in one click with Automatic configuration, or manually with your own Meta app.

Incoming text messages become tickets in real time; replies go out as plain text from your business number.

Text messages only, and WhatsApp's 24-hour reply window applies.

Before you start

You are a workspace admin in OPS.
Automatic: a Meta (Facebook) login that can create or select a WhatsApp Business Account, and a phone number you can use with the WhatsApp Cloud API. Meta sets its own requirements for the number.
Manual: a Meta app of type "Business" with the WhatsApp product, a verified business phone number (or Meta's test number) and a permanent system-user access token with whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management.

Open Settings → Customer channels → WhatsApp.

The WhatsApp page before anything is connected: the enable switch, fields for phone number ID, access token, app ID and app secret, the webhook callback URL (blurred) and the setup steps box.

Method A: Automatic configuration (one click)

In the Automatic configuration panel, click Connect WhatsApp.
In Meta's popup, pick or create your WhatsApp Business Account and claim the number. Finish the popup in one go.
OPS completes the connection straight away: token, number registration and webhook are handled for you. The page reloads with "Connected automatically — no token or webhook to maintain." and the channel is enabled.
Send a WhatsApp message to the number and check that a ticket appears.

Method B: Manual setup with your own Meta app

1. Prepare the Meta app

Follow the guide on the page: create the app, add the number, note the Phone number ID, create a permanent token and copy the App secret. The App ID is optional; with it, OPS can renew expiring tokens automatically.

2. Enter the values in OPS

Fill in Phone number ID, Access token, App secret and, if you like, App ID and Business phone (display). Click Save. On the first save, OPS generates a Verify token.

3. Set up the webhook in Meta

In Meta → WhatsApp → Configuration, paste the Callback URL and Verify token shown in OPS, and subscribe to messages. The Callback URL follows this pattern: https://<your-workspace-host>/api/webhooks/whatsapp/<workspace-id>

4. Test and enable

Click Test connection; you should see "Connected to WhatsApp number …". Switch on Enable WhatsApp channel and save.

What happens after you connect

Incoming text messages arrive in real time. OPS matches the sender to a contact by phone number and adds the message to that contact's latest open ticket. Otherwise it creates a new ticket "WhatsApp: " with WhatsApp as the channel. Unknown senders can be registered as contacts automatically; spam rules apply.
The ticket composer shows a WhatsApp button for contacts with a phone number. Replies go out as plain text, up to 4,000 characters. With Prepend the technician's name to outgoing messages, the technician's name goes in front.
Tokens from automatic configuration and permanent system-user tokens do not expire. Manual tokens with an expiry date are renewed daily once they are within 14 days of expiring, if App ID and App secret are saved.

Good to know

Only text messages are imported. Photos, voice notes and documents are ignored.
The 24-hour window: more than 24 hours after the customer's last message, Meta only delivers approved templates. OPS does not send templates, so a late reply can fail.
One WhatsApp number per workspace.
Incoming messages must be signed by Meta. Without a valid App secret, OPS accepts nothing. Tokens and secrets are never shown again in the interface.

Troubleshooting

"WhatsApp refused the request: " during automatic setup: often the number is already registered elsewhere. Sort it out in Meta, then try again.
"WhatsApp automatic setup is not available on this platform." Use the manual method instead.
"Configure the phone number ID and access token first." Save both fields before you test.
No incoming messages? Check that the App secret is saved, the webhook is subscribed to "messages" and the verify token matches. If a token expires, admins get a notification: renew it in Settings → WhatsApp.

Get started

Get started for free and connect WhatsApp in your workspace. The omnichannel service desk brings email, Teams and WhatsApp together, with multilingual support across every channel.

Frequently asked questions

Can customers send photos or voice notes over WhatsApp?

Only text messages are imported into OPS. Photos, voice notes and documents are ignored.

Can I still reply after 24 hours?

Outside the 24-hour window, Meta only delivers approved templates. OPS does not send templates, so a late reply can fail.

Do I need my own Meta app?

No. With Automatic configuration you connect through Meta's popup and never handle tokens or webhooks. The manual method uses your own Meta app.

#WhatsApp Business #Integrations #Service desk #Customer channels #Xcellerate OPS

Sources: Verified against the Xcellerate OPS source code by the product team on 2026-09-28. Feature pages: https://rmmlabs.io/en/products/ops/features/multilingual; https://rmmlabs.io/en/products/ops/features/service-desk. Screenshots: real captures of the Xcellerate OPS demo workspace, Sep 2026.