WhatsApp Inbox
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WhatsApp Inbox shows the WhatsApp messages your clients send to the clinic.
View and reply to customer WhatsApp messages within the 24-hour service window.Where to Find This Section
Section titled “Where to Find This Section”Communication Hub → WhatsApp Inbox.
The 24-Hour Window
Section titled “The 24-Hour Window”This is the one rule that shapes everything on the screen, and it is WhatsApp’s, not Veterian’s. When a client messages you, a 24-hour window opens and you can reply freely. When it closes, free-form replies stop.
| Badge | What it means |
|---|---|
| 24h window open | The client wrote recently. Reply in your own words |
| Window expired | More than 24 hours have passed |
After that, reaching the client again means an approved template — the same rule that governs reminders and broadcasts. In practice: answer while the window is open, and if a conversation needs to be picked up days later, phone them or wait for them to write again.
Reading and Replying
Section titled “Reading and Replying”Conversations are listed down one side and open in the panel beside them. Select a conversation to start chatting.
- Type in the reply box and Press Enter to send, Shift+Enter for new line
- Reply answers one specific message rather than the thread, so a client with several questions can see which one you mean.
Clients can send more than text. Images, documents, video, voice messages, stickers and a location all arrive here and are labelled as such in the conversation.
Linking a Conversation to a Client
Section titled “Linking a Conversation to a Client”A conversation matched to a client record shows View customer profile, which opens their profile — the pets, the history, the balance — without leaving the inbox.
A number that matches nobody is marked Not linked to a customer. That is normal for a new client writing for the first time. Add them as a client with that number and future conversations link themselves. See Add a client.
Keeping the List Manageable
Section titled “Keeping the List Manageable”The inbox is a shared workload, so the controls are about who still needs an answer:
| Action | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Mark as unread | You read it on the way past but cannot deal with it now |
| Mark as read | Clearing something that needs nothing further |
| Archive | Finished. It leaves Active for Archived |
Archiving is not deleting: the conversation moves to the archived tab, and Unarchive brings it back.
Finding Something
Section titled “Finding Something”Search conversations… searches across conversations, and Search messages… searches inside the one you have open. When a term appears elsewhere too, the screen says so: {{count}} more matches in other conversations
Who Can Reply
Section titled “Who Can Reply”Reading and replying are separate permissions, so a receptionist can be given the inbox without every role in the clinic having it. Someone without it sees You don't have permission to reply to WhatsApp conversations. Change it on the role rather than on the person. See Users and roles.
Related
Section titled “Related”- WhatsApp messaging — connecting the number these conversations arrive on
- SMS and WhatsApp broadcasts — messages going the other way
- Add a client — so an unknown number becomes a named client