WhatsApp Notifications

Connect the WhatsApp Business API so customers automatically receive booking confirmations, tour reminders, and review requests.

Prerequisites

•A Facebook Business account (business.facebook.com)
•A phone number that can receive SMS for verification
•Admin access to your BestPhuketGuide dashboard

Step 1: Create a Meta App

Go to developers.facebook.com
Click My Apps → Create App
Select Business as the app type
Enter app name: BestPhuketGuide WhatsApp
Select your Business account and click Create App

Step 2: Add WhatsApp Product

In your app dashboard, click Add Product
Find WhatsApp and click Set Up
Select your Business account when prompted

Step 3: Get Your Phone Number ID

Go to WhatsApp → API Setup in the left sidebar
You'll see a test phone number provided by Meta
Copy the Phone Number ID (a long number like 123456789012345)
Save this — you'll need it for the admin panel

Tip: The test phone number can only send to numbers you add to the "To" field in the Meta Developer dashboard. For production, add your own business phone number.

Step 4: Add Your Business Phone Number (Production)

Go to WhatsApp → Phone Numbers
Click Add Phone Number
Enter your business phone number (e.g., +66 86 470 3996)
Verify via SMS or voice call
Once verified, copy the new Phone Number ID

Step 5: Generate a Permanent Access Token

The test token expires in 24 hours. For production, create a system user token that doesn't expire:

Go to Business Settings → System Users
Click Add → name it whatsapp-api → role: Admin
Click the system user → Generate New Token
Select your WhatsApp app
Check these permissions: whatsapp_business_messaging and whatsapp_business_management
Click Generate Token
Copy and save the token immediately — it won't be shown again

Warning: The access token gives full access to send messages from your business number. Store it securely and never expose it in client-side code.

Step 6: Configure in Admin Panel

Go to Settings → Notifications
Toggle Enable WhatsApp notifications ON
Enter your Phone Number ID (from Step 3 or 4)
Enter your Access Token (from Step 5)
Choose which notifications to enable:
- ✓ Booking confirmation — sent when payment is confirmed
- ✓ Tour reminder — sent day before at 6 PM Phuket time
- ✓ Review request — sent 24 hours after the tour
Click Save Notification Settings

Step 7: Send a Test Message

Still on the Notifications tab, find the Send Test section
Enter your phone number in international format (no + or spaces, e.g. 66864703996)
Click Send
You should receive a WhatsApp message within seconds

Tip: If using the Meta test phone number, add your own number to the "To" recipients list in the Meta Developer dashboard first.

How Notifications Work

Booking Confirmation

• Stripe: sent after successful Stripe webhook
• Bank transfer: sent immediately on booking creation
• Cash: sent immediately on booking creation
• Content: booking ref, tour name, date, guests, total, meeting point, departure time

Tour Reminder

• Cron job runs hourly, sends reminders at 6 PM Phuket time (UTC+7)
• Sent the day before the tour date
• Includes tour details and what-to-bring checklist
• Deduplication: won't send the same reminder twice

Review Request

• Sent 24 hours after the tour date
• Includes a link to the review submission page
• Can also be sent manually from the Bookings page

Example Message Format

Messages are sent as plain text (not Meta templates) for flexibility:

✅ *Booking Confirmed!*

Hi John,

Your booking has been confirmed:

🎫 *Ref:* BPG-ABC123
🚤 *Tour:* Phi Phi Islands Day Trip
📅 *Date:* 2026-04-15
👥 *Guests:* 2 adults, 1 child
💰 *Total:* ฿3,500
📍 *Meeting Point:* Chalong Pier, Phuket
⏰ *Departure:* 08:00

Please save your booking reference. Show it to your guide on the day.

Questions? Reply to this message or call us.

_Best Phuket Guide_

Troubleshooting

Messages not sending?

1. Check the Email Log page — WhatsApp messages are logged there too
2. Verify your Access Token hasn't expired
3. Ensure the recipient's number is in international format (no +, no spaces)
4. Check Meta Developer dashboard for API errors

"dev mode" appearing in logs?

WhatsApp is not configured — messages are only logged to console. Go to Settings → Notifications and enter your credentials.

Hitting rate limits?

Meta WhatsApp Cloud API free tier: 1,000 conversations/month. For higher volume, create pre-approved message templates in WhatsApp → Message Templates in Meta Business Manager.

Cost Estimate

Volume	Monthly Cost
Up to 1,000 conversations	Free
1,000–5,000 conversations	~$5–40/month
5,000–10,000 conversations	~$40–80/month

A "conversation" = 24-hour messaging window with one customer. Sending confirmation + reminder on the same day counts as 1 conversation. Next-day reminder is a separate conversation.

Security Notes

⚠The Access Token is stored in your D1 database (site_settings table)
⚠For production, consider moving it to Cloudflare Worker Secrets: wrangler secret put WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN
⚠Never expose the token in client-side code or commit it to git
⚠The token has permission to send messages from your business number — treat it like a password