Connect WhatsApp
Until this step is done, the bot receives and sends nothing. It is the only part of setup that needs involvement from us.
What you need
A WhatsApp Business number owned by the clinic, meeting two conditions:
- It cannot be in use in the WhatsApp app — neither regular WhatsApp nor WhatsApp Business on a phone. A number can only live in one place at a time. If someone uses that number from a handset today, connecting it here will stop it working on that handset.
- It must be able to receive an SMS or a call to verify itself, once.
If the number you want is the one reception answers from a mobile today, decide this before you start. The usual choice is a new line for the bot, leaving reception's line as it is.
The two models
| Pingclínica manages it | The clinic manages it | |
|---|---|---|
| Who owns the Meta account | Pingclínica | The clinic |
| What you have to do | Verify the number, send us one identifier | Create the Meta app and generate a token |
| Effort | Low | High |
| Who it's for | Almost every clinic | Clinics already running their own Meta account |
If you're unsure, choose Pingclínica manages it. That's the normal path.
Usual model: Pingclínica manages it
- Write to us at hola@pingclinica.com with the clinic's name and the number you'll use.
- Verify the number following the instructions we send. You'll get a code by SMS or call.
- Send us the identifier for the number (the Phone Number ID) shown when verification completes. It's a long number; it is not your phone number and it is not a secret.
- We link it to your clinic and confirm when it's live.
Each clinic is tied to exactly one number, and each number to exactly one clinic. That's what guarantees one clinic's messages never reach another.
Alternative model: the clinic manages it
Only if the clinic already has its own WhatsApp Business API account and wants to keep control of the access token. It requires creating an application in Meta, generating a long-lived token, and sharing it with us so we can store it encrypted.
It's more work and more maintenance: the token is the clinic's responsibility and must be renewed when it expires. Write to us before starting and we'll coordinate.
Confirming it worked
Message the clinic's number from a phone already registered as a patient (see Patients) and say hello. The bot should reply within seconds.
If you message from a number that isn't on the patient list, the bot will not converse: it will ask you to register with the clinic. That is not a fault, it's the expected behaviour, explained in How the bot books.
If nothing comes back at all, go to The bot isn't replying.
Meta's 24-hour window
A WhatsApp rule worth knowing from the start: the clinic can only send free-form messages to a patient within 24 hours of that patient's last message. Outside that window, Meta only allows pre-approved templates.
That is why reminders use templates and why the bot never starts a conversation on its own. It's not a Pingclínica limitation.
Next
Initial setup: doctors, schedules and procedures.