Important Note: This feature is available in Preview for selected accounts.
Overview
Talkdesk WhatsApp Inbound Voice Calling enables businesses to meet customers where they already are by supporting voice calls directly through the WhatsApp interface. By allowing Talkdesk customers to enable WhatsApp Voice Calling on numbers they own, organizations route inbound WhatsApp calls into the Talkdesk Voice Platform. This ensures a seamless support experience for end users while leveraging Talkdesk's routing, reporting, and agent interface.
Table of Contents
Understanding WhatsApp Inbound Voice Calling
Consumers increasingly prefer internet-based calling through platforms like WhatsApp over traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) dialing. For international customers or those in areas with limited cellular coverage but strong Wi-Fi, traditional phone calls are often costly and unreliable.
WhatsApp Inbound Voice Calling addresses this gap. Businesses can enable WhatsApp voice capabilities on their existing owned phone numbers. When a customer taps the "Call" button within a business' WhatsApp profile, the call bypasses standard carrier networks and routes over the internet directly to the Talkdesk Contact Center.
For the agent, the experience is uninterrupted. The call appears natively within the Talkdesk Conversations app, with standard call controls, context, and quality management features. The system is designed to treat these inbound WhatsApp calls with the same priority and routing logic through Talkdesk Studio™ Interactive Voice Response (IVR), as traditional voice interactions.
Note: WhatsApp Inbound Voice Calling supports inbound voice calls only.
Key Features
- Native WhatsApp Integration: Allows customers to call the business directly from their WhatsApp, using numbers the business already owns.
- Unified Routing and Assignment: Inbound WhatsApp voice calls are treated as standard voice interactions and flow through existing Talkdesk Studio flows.
- Familiar Agent Experience: Agents receive WhatsApp voice calls in the Conversations app without needing specialized training. The interface matches standard inbound calls.
- Cost-Effective Global Reach: Customers avoid international toll charges by using an internet connection rather than PSTN networks.
Use Cases
- International Customer Support: Organizations with a global customer base can offer a free, high-quality calling option to customers who would otherwise have long-distance charges.
- Digital-First Engagement: Retail and e-commerce brands using WhatsApp for business messaging can offer an escalation path from chat to voice without requiring the customer to switch apps.
- Travel and Hospitality: Guests traveling abroad can contact customer service using hotel Wi-Fi via WhatsApp, avoiding roaming voice charges.
Prerequisites
- Licenses: An active Talkdesk account with access to the Talkdesk Voice Platform and Conversations app as well as Digital Channels including WhatsApp. Elite Omni-channel CCaaS bundle.
- Permissions: Admin access to account settings, including Channels.
- Number Ownership: Supported phone numbers owned by the business that are verified and linked to an active WhatsApp Business Account.
- Messaging Tier: The WhatsApp business must have a daily limit of 2,000+ unique recipients. Messaging is a prerequisite for voice, as a number cannot have WhatsApp Voice capability alone.
- WhatsApp Touchpoint: A touchpoint created and activated under Admin > Channels > WhatsApp for the phone number.
Resources
For more information on the available features for Voice, please refer to Conversations (Voice Channel): Features Guide in this article.