In short: To set up WhatsApp for a support team, connect your business number to a shared inbox, invite agents, set up assignment rules, add an away message, and decide how tickets are created.
Many support teams start the same way: one phone, one person, a number customers already know. Then the team grows, the phone becomes a bottleneck, and someone starts forwarding screenshots in a group chat. This guide shows a cleaner way to set up WhatsApp for a support team.
What you need before you start
- A WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business number your customers already use (or a fresh number)
- A shared inbox. Risponse connects a regular WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app number by QR code, with no API approval needed
- At least two people who will answer chats
You do not need the WhatsApp Business API to get started. The QR code connection links Risponse to your number as a device, the same way WhatsApp Web does.
If the number is brand new, do not connect it straight away. Warm it up for about one to two weeks first.
Step 1: Connect your number
Sign in to Risponse. On the getting started screen, choose to scan a QR code. To add another number later, open the numbers section in your settings. Only admins can add numbers.
On the business phone, open WhatsApp and tap Linked devices (in the three-dot menu on Android, or in Settings on iPhone). Then link a device and scan the code. Risponse then loads the number’s chats and groups. The first sync can take a while if you have many chats. After that, your team can read and reply from Risponse without touching the phone. The connect WhatsApp guide has every step.
If you need Meta-approved message templates, connect the number to the WhatsApp Business API instead. Templates are the only messages a business can send outside a customer service window. You’ll need a Meta business portfolio. As of October 2026, Meta bills most messages your business sends through the API, per delivered message. See Meta’s pricing page for how it works. The WhatsApp Business API inbox page explains the API connection in Risponse.
What happens to the phone: It keeps working normally. The person holding the phone can still use WhatsApp as usual. New messages appear in both places. Keep using WhatsApp on that phone, though. As of October 2026, WhatsApp logs out linked devices if the main phone is not used for over 14 days.
Step 2: Invite your support agents
In your Risponse settings, open the team section and click the invite button. Enter each agent’s email address. You can add several at once, separated by commas.
Give agents the Member role and pick a label for them, such as “Support”. A member sees only the chats that carry that label. A new member starts with an empty inbox, so add the label to the chats you want them to handle. The team access and roles page explains how this works.
If you have a supervisor who needs to see all chats and manage settings, give them the Admin role. Admins see every chat and group on your connected numbers.
Tip: Start with two or three agents before opening access to the whole team. It’s easier to test your workflow with a small group first.
Step 3: Set up chat assignment
New chats need an owner. Without assignment, two agents reply to the same customer, or nobody does.
You have two main options:
- Manual sharing. A team lead reviews new chats and gives each one to the right agent, for example by adding their label. Simple, gives you control, takes time.
- Round robin. New chats are assigned to each agent in turn. Faster, needs less admin.
To turn on round robin, create an assignment rule. Choose the trigger for a new chat, add the assign action and pick the agents who take turns. Agents can only be given chats they can see, so also add an action that puts your team’s label, such as “Support”, on the chat. You can also add conditions, for example only chats on your support number. Use one rule per team, each with its own people.
Round robin does not know who is on leave. Remove absent agents from the rule, or base it on shifts and online status, so a chat only goes to someone who is on shift and online. Automation rules depend on your plan. See pricing.
Step 4: Set up an away message
Customers write at all hours. An away message sets expectations when nobody is online.
In Risponse, an away message is an after-hours reply. Create an automation rule that starts on a new incoming message. Add a condition for messages that arrive outside your working hours, then add the send-message action. Write a short message that tells the customer:
- You’ve received their message.
- When they’ll hear back.
- What to do if it’s urgent.
Example:
Thanks for writing. Our support team is available Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm IST. We’ll reply by the next business day. For urgent billing issues, call the number on our website.
Keep it short, and put the most important point in the first sentence. After you publish the rule, test it outside your working hours by writing to your number from another phone. Never test on real customers.
Step 5: Decide how tickets work
A ticket is a message or a chat that needs tracking: a complaint, a request, an unresolved issue. Two simple ways to create one are:
- Emoji reaction. Set up an emoji ticket rule once and choose the emoji. After that, react to a message with that emoji, and Risponse creates a ticket from it.
- Message menu. Right-click the message on a computer, or press and hold it on mobile, then choose the option to create a ticket.
Rules can also create tickets automatically.
Tickets can have a status, an owner, a priority, a due date, labels and custom fields. If you need a field filled in before a ticket closes, for example a resolution note, you can make it mandatory.
Start simple: use tickets only for issues that need follow-up. Don’t ticket every conversation or the system becomes noise.
What to review after the first week
After seven days with the team in the inbox, look at your dashboard and analytics:
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| First response time | How fast new chats get a reply |
| Unread and flagged chats | Chats that may still need a reply |
| Tickets closed vs open | Whether issues are being resolved |
| Chats handled per agent | Who is handling the load |
Workspace metrics cover messages and the team, and ticket metrics cover tickets. You’ll likely find something to adjust, often the assignment rules or the away message hours.
Common mistakes to avoid
Giving everyone Admin access. Agents don’t need to manage settings or see other teams’ chats. Give agents the Member role with a label, and keep Admin for leads and managers.
No assignment rules. Without rules, chats sit unowned. Round robin is better than nothing, even if it’s imperfect.
A generic away message. “We’ll get back to you” tells the customer nothing. Include a timeframe.
Ticketing every chat. Tickets are for issues that need tracking. Routine questions don’t need a ticket. They just need an answer.
Ready to set this up? See plans, connect your first number and invite the team.