“Press 1 for WhatsApp”: answer missed calls on WhatsApp

If nobody picks up, the caller hears a short menu. If they press 1, the CRM instantly sends them a WhatsApp message. The conversation lands in your inbox, and you reply as soon as you have time. So no call gets lost any more — even while you're out with a customer.

⏱ approx. 20 min · Permission: settings.manage (admin) · Free & Paid · As of version 1.1.40

How it works

• A customer calls — your team's phones ring (ring group).
• Nobody picks up — the caller hears a short announcement: “Press 1 and we'll message you on WhatsApp right away.”
• They press 1 — they hear a confirmation, then the call ends.
• Seconds later — there's a WhatsApp message from you on their phone.
• In the inbox — a new WhatsApp conversation, and your team gets a notification.
• If they press no key — the call moves on, e.g. to your mobile.

Before you start

• A connected WhatsApp number — how to connect WhatsApp.
• The phone system with a line, a phone number and a ring group — set up telephony.
• Optionally an SMS provider as a fallback in case WhatsApp isn't possible — connect SMS.

Step 1 · Get a WhatsApp template approved

The caller hasn't written to you yet. That's why the first message has to be a template that Meta has approved. A template is a fixed text with placeholders, e.g. for the time.

1. Open the gallery. Templates → WhatsApp templates → “Choose from gallery” → “Missed call” → “Use”. The template is called rueckruf_verpasst; the WhatsApp callback uses it by default.
2. Keep the category “Service”. The message answers the caller's request and isn't advertising.
3. Check the text. The gallery template mentions the first name and the time of the call and asks for a callback time. It comes with three buttons: “In the morning”, “In the afternoon” and “Call now”. For the “Call now” button, enter your phone number.
4. Submit. As soon as the template has the status “Approved”, the WhatsApp callback can send it.

More on categories, the gallery and status: Build WhatsApp templates.

Step 2 · Add a WhatsApp callback to the call flow

1. Open the call flow. Telephony → Call flow → under “Add node” click “＋ WhatsApp callback” and give it a name, e.g. “WhatsApp callback”.
2. Configure it. In the “WhatsApp callback” section:
   • WhatsApp template: your approved template from step 1. If it says “(not approved)”, the fallback applies.
   • WhatsApp number: “Automatic (the brand's number)” or a specific number.
   • Confirmation on the phone: what the caller hears after pressing 1. Empty = default text (in German: “Thank you! We have just sent you a WhatsApp message. Goodbye.”). It is read out by the German phone voice.
   • If WhatsApp isn't possible: “Send an SMS (if set up), otherwise a note” or “Only a ‘callback requested’ note in the inbox”.
3. Save.

Step 3 · An announcement via text-to-speech

1. Create an announcement. Telephony → Announcements & menus → “Announcements” section → a name, e.g. “Callback announcement”.
2. How: “Text → speech”. Under “Text (German)” write what the caller should hear — short and clear. The phone voice speaks German, for example:
   „Leider ist gerade niemand frei. Drücken Sie die 1, dann schreiben wir Ihnen sofort per WhatsApp. Wenn Sie keine Taste drücken, verbinden wir Sie weiter.“
   (“Sorry, nobody is available right now. Press 1 and we'll message you on WhatsApp right away. If you don't press a key, we'll put you through.”) For other languages, record the announcement in the browser or upload a file.
3. Create and “Preview”. If you don't like it, change the text or record the announcement yourself.

Step 4 · The “Callback menu”

1. Create a menu. Telephony → Announcements & menus → “Voice menus (IVR)” → “+ Menu” → name “Callback menu”. (In the call flow, “＋ Menu” works too.)
2. Greeting (announcement): the “Callback announcement” from step 3.
3. Key 1: “+ Key” → 1 → destination “WhatsApp callback (key press)” → choose your WhatsApp callback from step 2.
4. On timeout (nobody presses a key): e.g. “Forward (external no., e.g. mobile)” with your mobile number — or voicemail.
5. On invalid key: ideally the same destination as on timeout.
6. Save.

Step 5 · Ring group: if nobody answers → Callback menu

1. Open the ring group. Telephony → Ring groups → your group.
2. Set the overflow. Under “⛔ Overflow — nobody answers” choose “Menu” → “Callback menu” as the destination. Set a suitable ring time, e.g. 20 seconds.
3. Save and test. The phone system applies the change within a few seconds. In the call flow (tree view) you see the whole path. Call your number from your mobile, don't pick up, and press 1.

What the customer hears and receives

• Ringing — as usual, optionally with a greeting while it rings.
• After the ring time — your callback announcement.
• Key 1 — the confirmation, then the phone system hangs up.
• Shortly after, on WhatsApp — your template, e.g. with the time and buttons:

• No key: the call goes to the timeout destination, e.g. your mobile.
• SMS fallback: if WhatsApp isn't possible, the caller gets an SMS (if configured): “Thanks for your call! You asked for a message – just reply to this SMS and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.”
• Withheld number: then the CRM can't send anything. The inbox shows “Callback requested – number withheld, callback not possible”.
• Protection against misuse: each number gets at most one message in 24 hours. Anyone who opted out of WhatsApp gets none. In both cases the inbox shows “callback requested” — then call back.

What appears in the inbox

• A WhatsApp conversation with the message that was sent and an internal note: “📞 Caller +43 … asked for WhatsApp by key press (consent recorded with timestamp).”
• A notification for the team: “📲 … would like a WhatsApp message” — “Pressed ‘1 for WhatsApp’ on the phone – the template was sent. Please continue in the inbox.”
• The contact: the CRM finds the caller by number or creates a new contact.
• The consent: the contact page shows WhatsApp consent “by key press on the phone” with date and time. It applies only to this reply, not to marketing: WhatsApp campaigns don't count it as marketing consent.
• When the customer replies (e.g. with “In the afternoon”), you can write freely for 24 hours — no template needed.
• Fallback: if an SMS went out, the SMS conversation shows “WhatsApp not possible (reason) – an SMS was sent instead.” If nothing could be sent, the call shows “Neither WhatsApp nor SMS possible (reason) – please call back.”

What it costs

• The WhatsApp template is always charged: Meta bills every delivered template directly to you (price per country, category Service).
• Your replies afterwards are “service” as long as the customer wrote within the last 24 hours: since 1 Oct 2026 the first 1,000 per number per month are free, after that Meta charges you directly for every reply (price per country).
• SMS fallback: with your SMS provider. Call: call minutes with your phone provider.

All prices and a calculator: What The-Y CRM really costs

Troubleshooting

What's next