GCM Docs

Appearance

WhatsApp ​

WhatsApp is the channel most members actually read. Open rates above 95 percent are typical. GCM supports WhatsApp through several providers, including WAHA-backed channels (WACRM) and the official WhatsApp Business API.

WhatsApp send screen

Set up a provider ​

Before you can send, configure a WhatsApp channel in Settings → Channels:

ProviderBest forSetup difficulty
WACRM (WAHA-backed)most churches; uses a personal/business WhatsApp accountlow
WhatsApp Officialhigh-volume, template-only messageshigh (requires Meta business verification)
smsmobileapi WhatsAppregions where the others are unavailablemedium

For WAHA-backed: scan a QR code from a phone that has your church's WhatsApp account. The connection stays active until you log out from the linked-devices list on that phone.

For Official: configure your Meta Business Manager, register a phone number, and supply the access token in GCM. We'll walk you through this — email us if you need the official API path.

Send a single message ​

From a member profile:

  1. Click the message action.
  2. Pick WhatsApp as the channel.
  3. Write the message. Merge tokens (e.g. {{member.first_names}}) work here.
  4. Click send.

The message hits the provider within seconds. Delivery status flips from Queued → Sent → Delivered → Read over the next few minutes (assuming the recipient has WhatsApp open).

Send a bulk message ​

From Messaging → Send:

  1. Pick recipients — a saved list, a filter, or paste phone numbers.
  2. Choose WhatsApp as the channel.
  3. Compose the message.
  4. Click send.

For sends over a few hundred recipients, the bulk endpoint auto-paces across UTC days. This avoids the 429 burst_gate rate-limit error from upstream providers and keeps your account in good standing.

The response includes:

  • estimated_completion — when the last message will be sent.
  • spans_days — how many calendar days the send will run across.

WARNING

A 10,000-recipient WhatsApp bulk send might span 3 calendar days. If you need a same-day fire-and-forget, split your audience and send the urgent half first.

Template messages ​

The Official WhatsApp Business API only allows arbitrary text in a 24-hour window after the recipient last messaged you. Outside that window, you must use a template message pre-approved by Meta.

GCM supports templates:

  1. Register the template text with Meta (in your Business Manager).
  2. In Messaging → Templates, add the template ID and the variables.
  3. When composing, pick the template — the variables are filled by merge tokens.

For WAHA-backed channels, this restriction doesn't apply — you can send free-form text any time.

Reading delivery status ​

Each send appears in Messaging → Log (the communication_log table). For each message:

  • Status — Queued / Sent / Delivered / Read / Failed.
  • Provider response code — gateway-specific, useful when debugging.
  • Sent at — timestamp.
  • Cost (if your provider exposes it) — per-message cost.

For bulk sends, the log groups by send batch with aggregate counts.

Replies ​

When a member replies, the inbound lands in Conversations. The conversation thread keeps both directions in one timeline.

TIP

If a member's WhatsApp shows them as still "typing" hours after you sent, the provider often hasn't received a read receipt yet. WhatsApp's privacy settings let the recipient hide read receipts — you'd still see Delivered but never Read.

Phone numbers ​

WhatsApp uses the same phone number as the SIM card. We normalize numbers to E.164 (+876...) before sending. If a member's profile has the number in local format (876-555-1234), the messaging module will warn but try to interpret.

Set your church's default country code in Settings → Organization so local-format numbers convert correctly.

Costs ​

Costs depend on the provider:

  • WACRM — flat subscription, no per-message charge.
  • WhatsApp Official — per-conversation charges from Meta. Cheap for the first 1,000 / month, then ~$0.005 per message after.
  • smsmobileapi — per-message; check their current rates.

Watch your usage from the channels page if you're on a per-message provider.

Common questions ​

Can I send media (images, PDFs)? Yes for both WACRM and Official. The attachment goes in a separate row of the compose form.

Why is my message stuck in "Queued"? The provider might be down or rate-limiting. Check Settings → Channels for the connection status — a red dot means the provider is unreachable. For WACRM, re-scan the QR if the phone went offline.

Do recipients see my church's name or my phone number? They see whatever WhatsApp account you linked. Most churches use a dedicated number labeled with the church name, so recipients see the church and not a person.

Next steps ​