WhatsApp and SMS: two paths, one Tesoro

WhatsApp and SMS directly from Tesoro, conversation thread per contact, deal, or lead. Two paths for WhatsApp: official (Twilio) or personal (WAHA). SMS goes via Twilio.

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Twilio configuration under Settings → Company Settings → Call Settings. The panel shows your Twilio numbers and masking status.

When do you use this?

• Spanish buyer responds faster to WhatsApp than email
• You want to work from your personal WhatsApp without a separate business number (WAHA)
• You want formal business WhatsApp with templates and SMS capabilities (Twilio)

What is Twilio?

Twilio is an external service that Tesoro uses for SMS and WhatsApp Business API. Paid third-party service. Your account manager can help.

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Two paths for WhatsApp

	Twilio (official)	WAHA (personal)
What	Official WhatsApp Business API	QR code to your own WhatsApp
For	Company-wide communication, SMS + WhatsApp	Individual agents with their own number
Setup	Admin (company-wide)	Each agent themselves
SMS also?	✅	❌
Templates required?	✅ for first message	❌
Costs	Paid Twilio subscription	Free (open-source)
Stability	Official + stable	Beta: may be unstable
Phone number	Separate business via Twilio	Your personal WhatsApp

Which to choose?

• Twilio = official, reliable, for the entire office, with SMS
• WAHA = fast + free for personal connection of your own number
• Both at the same time is allowed, Twilio for SMS + business WhatsApp, WAHA for personal

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Option 1: Twilio (WhatsApp Business API + SMS)

Requirements

Admin configuration required

Company-wide: set up once by admin, applies to all agents.

Requirement	Details
Twilio account	Via twilio.com, with credit or subscription
Twilio Call Number	For SMS + telephony, international format
Twilio WhatsApp Number	Separate approved number for WhatsApp Business API (via Twilio + Meta)
Tesoro Admin role	For configuration access

Setting up the connection

1. Settings → Company Settings → Call Settings.
2. The Twilio Settings tab.
3. Click Configure Twilio Settings.
4. Enter Twilio Call Number (international format).
5. Enter Twilio WhatsApp Number (separate number).
6. Turn Active on.
7. (Optional) Turn Mask on for call masking.
8. Save.

From now on, every team member can send WhatsApp + SMS from any record.

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Option 2: WAHA (personal WhatsApp)

WAHA stands for WhatsApp HTTP API, open-source. It connects your own WhatsApp to Tesoro via a QR code.

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WAHA configuration under Settings → Personal Settings → WhatsApp. Shows active session with BETA badge, caution warning, and Refresh/Disconnect buttons.

Beta, read carefully

• Unofficial, not supported by Meta
• May be unstable, stop without warning
• Account may be blocked by WhatsApp (per their terms of service)
• Use at your own risk: Tesoro is not responsible

Requirements

	Details
WhatsApp on phone	Active account
Internet on phone	Permanent connection
Admin needed?	No, personal setting

Enabling WAHA

1. Settings → Personal Settings → WhatsApp.
2. Toggle Enable WhatsApp Integration on.
3. Tesoro starts a session and shows a QR code.
4. Open WhatsApp on your phone → Menu / Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device.
5. Scan the QR code.
6. Connected with your profile picture and number.

QR code expires after 60 seconds

Expired? Refresh QR button. Countdown timer visible.

Receive-Only Mode

Check this after connecting = you can read along but cannot send from CRM. Incoming messages are still received automatically. Handy for monitoring without accidentally sending.

Who sees your WhatsApp messages?

Your WAHA connection is personal. In the WhatsApp tab of a contact, lead, or deal, you only see the messages from your own connected number. Did a colleague send messages to the same contact via his or her own WhatsApp? You don’t see those, and your colleague doesn’t see yours. Tesoro checks this on every request, also for photos, voice messages, and files.

Disconnecting WAHA

1. Settings → Personal Settings → WhatsApp.
2. Click Disconnect under your profile card.
3. Confirm. Scan the QR again to reconnect.

To fully disable → turn off the Enable WhatsApp Integration switch. Session stops, no message processing.

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Sending WhatsApp messages

Open a contact/deal/lead/relation → tab WhatsApp.

Via Twilio

No previous messages? Screen asks for a template (first message required).

Previous messages? Chat-style thread, you can send free messages directly.

First message = template (WhatsApp rule)

Policy of WhatsApp/Meta, not Tesoro. Once the contact replies, you can send free messages for 24 hours. See WhatsApp templates.

Via WAHA

Integration off? Error message + button Go to Settings.

Not connected? QR code screen.

Connected? Chat-style thread, directly free messages.

No templates needed with WAHA

Send any free message directly to any contact with a WhatsApp number.

Typing and sending a message

1. Type in the text field at the bottom of the chat (max 1,600 characters).

2. (Optional) click the attachment icon, documents, images, audio, video, archives. Max 10 files per message, 1.5 MB per file.

   For a photo, video, or document you can type a caption. For an audio file you cannot do that in the WAHA chat. The text field is then gray and shows Captions can’t be added to audio messages. If you had already typed text, it disappears.

3. Enter or send icon.

Receiving messages

Incoming = visible in realtime without refreshing the page. Per message you see:

• Sender (agent name or contact)
• Content
• Attachments
• Delivery status

Playing voice messages (WAHA)

You can play a voice message or audio file directly in the chat. You don’t need to download it first.

Button	What it does
Play / Pause (green round button)	Play and pause
Slider	Jump to another point in the message
1× / 1.5× / 2×	Playback speed. Each click switches to the next speed
Down arrow (Download)	Save the file to your computer

Below the slider you see how far you are and how long the message lasts, for example 0:12 / 0:45.

Message not playing?

Some browsers cannot play a certain audio format. Then Tesoro shows a file row with a download button instead of the player. Download the file and open it on your computer.

Opening photos and documents (WAHA)

• Photo: click the photo for a large view. If you move the mouse over the photo, a download button appears in the top right. The large view also has a download button.
• Document: click the file. A PDF, image, text file, audio, or video file opens in a window within Tesoro. Other files, such as Word or Excel files, are downloaded. The arrow on the right of the file row always downloads.

You stay logged in. Even if you had the chat open for a while, a photo or file opens without Tesoro logging you out first.

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Sending SMS messages

Open contact → tab SMS.

1. Type message in the text field (max 1,600 characters).
2. (Optional) attachment, images only (JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, WebP), max 10 × 1.5 MB.
3. Enter or send.

SMS has no templates. You can send freely at any time.

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Channel comparison

Feature	WhatsApp (Twilio)	WhatsApp (WAHA)	SMS (Twilio)
First message	Template required	Free	Free
Maximum length	1,600 characters	1,600 characters	1,600 characters
Attachments	Docs, images, audio, video, archive	Same (without archive)	Images only
Delivery tracking	Via Twilio webhooks	Via WAHA webhooks	Via Twilio webhooks
Realtime incoming	✅	✅ (Pusher)	✅
Twilio needed?	✅	❌	✅
Phone number	Separate business	Your personal	Twilio Call Number
Setup	Admin	Each agent	Admin
Receive-Only	❌	✅	❌
Status	Stable	Beta	Stable

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Common mistakes

Twilio

• “Something went wrong” when sending: check Twilio status + numbers in Settings → Company Settings → Call Settings
• Template doesn’t send: not (or no longer) approved by Meta. Check in your Twilio dashboard
• No realtime updates: refresh the page, check internet
• File too large: max ~1.5 MB. Compress first

WAHA

• QR not visible: wait a few seconds, or click Refresh QR
• Status Failed / Error: click Retry Connection, or turn integration off + on
• Connection lost: was your phone offline? Scan the QR again
• “WhatsApp Integration Disabled” on tab: not enabled; Go to Settings
• Cannot send: uncheck Receive-Only Mode
• No WhatsApp number on contact: button Add WhatsApp Number appears

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Next step

CallsPlan + call + log via Twilio.