WhatsApp Notifications

Overview

The whatsapp_notification module integrates Vendra with the WhatsApp Business API to send automated and manual messages directly from your ERP system. Rather than having managers check the system constantly, Vendra pushes key business events to their WhatsApp — a daily sales summary each evening, an alert when a product drops below its reorder point, a confirmation when a customer invoice is paid, and the ability to send invoices or quotations directly to customers via WhatsApp.

The WhatsApp notification module is included in the Vendra Pro Plus plan. It uses the WhatsApp Business API (operated via Meta's Cloud API) rather than the consumer WhatsApp app, which means messages are sent through an approved business channel with full auditability. All messages use pre-approved templates — WhatsApp requires business-initiated messages to use templates to prevent spam. Customer replies can be received and read in the Discuss module within Vendra.

Setup

Before configuring the module in Vendra, you need a WhatsApp Business API account. If you do not already have one, create a Meta Business Manager account at business.facebook.com, add your business phone number to WhatsApp Business, and request API access. Once approved, you will have a Phone Number ID and a WhatsApp Business API token (a permanent or temporary access token from the Meta Developer Portal).

Daily Sales Summary

The daily sales summary is sent automatically each evening at a configured time (default: 8:00 PM). It gives managers a snapshot of the day's trading without needing to log into the system. The summary message includes:

• Total sales — The combined value of all POS sales and invoiced sales orders for the day
• Payment method breakdown — How much was received in cash, M-Pesa, bank transfer, and any other active payment methods
• Number of transactions — Total order count for the day, and the average order value
• Top 3 products — The three best-selling items by revenue for the day
• Comparison to yesterday — Whether today's sales are up or down vs. the prior day, expressed as a percentage

To configure the send time, go to the WhatsApp Notification module's Settings and set the Daily Summary Time field. The summary respects the time zone configured in your company settings. If you operate multiple branches, the summary can be sent per branch with each branch's data, or as a group total — configure this in the module's Branch Settings.

Low-Stock Alerts

Low-stock alerts notify designated recipients when a product's on-hand stock falls below its reorder point. These are particularly valuable for warehouse managers and purchasing teams who need to act quickly before a stockout occurs.

The reorder point for each product is set via Inventory → Configuration → Reordering Rules. When the scheduler runs and detects that stock has dropped to or below the minimum quantity, it triggers the WhatsApp alert in addition to generating a draft purchase order. The alert message contains:

• Product name and internal reference (SKU)
• Current on-hand stock quantity and unit of measure
• The configured reorder point (minimum quantity)
• The storage location where the low stock was detected
• A suggested reorder quantity (Maximum minus Current stock)

Recipients for low-stock alerts are typically the Inventory Manager and the Purchasing Manager. Configure them in the WhatsApp Notification module under Recipients → Low Stock. You can add multiple numbers — all configured recipients receive the same alert simultaneously.

Invoice Notifications

When you send an invoice to a customer, Vendra can deliver it via WhatsApp in addition to (or instead of) email. The WhatsApp invoice notification sends a message to the customer's registered WhatsApp number with a link to view and download the invoice PDF. This is particularly effective in East Africa where WhatsApp open rates are significantly higher than email.

To send an invoice via WhatsApp manually, open the posted invoice and click the Send via WhatsApp button (or look for it in the action menu). Select the invoice template, verify the customer's WhatsApp number (pulled from the customer record's phone field), and click Send. The customer receives the message within seconds.

For automatic WhatsApp delivery on every invoice, configure the auto-send setting in the WhatsApp Notification module → Settings → Invoice Notifications → Auto Send. When enabled, every confirmed invoice is automatically sent to the customer's WhatsApp number when you click Confirm and Send on the invoice.

Payment Received Alerts

When a customer payment is registered against an outstanding invoice, an internal notification can be sent to the assigned salesperson or account manager via WhatsApp. This keeps sales staff informed about which of their accounts have paid without having to check the accounting module.

The payment alert contains the customer name, invoice number, amount received, payment method, and the outstanding balance if the invoice was only partially paid. Configure the recipients for payment alerts in WhatsApp Notification → Recipients → Payment Received. Typically this is the sales team or the collections team.

Managing Recipients

Go to the WhatsApp Notification module and open Configuration → Recipients to manage all notification recipients. Recipients are organized by notification type — you can have different people receiving the daily summary versus the low-stock alerts versus the payment notifications.

For each notification type, you can add multiple recipient phone numbers. Enter numbers in international format: for Kenya, use 254XXXXXXXXX (not +254 or 07XX — omit the plus sign and leading zero). For example: 254712345678. The module validates the format before saving. You can test message delivery to any recipient directly from the recipient management screen using the Test button.

Notification History

Every WhatsApp message sent through Vendra is logged for auditability. Go to WhatsApp Notification → Messages to see the complete notification history. Each log entry shows the recipient number, message template used, the specific record it relates to (which invoice, which product for a low-stock alert, etc.), the send timestamp, and the delivery status (sent, delivered, read, failed).

Delivery status updates are received from the WhatsApp API via webhook — if a message fails to deliver (e.g., the number is not on WhatsApp or the template is not approved), the status shows Failed with an error code. Use this view to confirm that critical notifications (low-stock alerts, payment notifications) are reaching their intended recipients successfully.

Troubleshooting

If messages are not arriving, work through these checks in order:

• Verify the API token — WhatsApp API tokens expire. Go to your Meta Developer Portal and confirm the token is valid. Generate a new permanent token if needed and update it in Vendra's settings.
• Check the phone number format — Numbers must be in international format without spaces, dashes, or a leading plus sign: 254712345678 not +254 712 345 678. An incorrectly formatted number will fail silently or show an error in the message log.
• Confirm template approval — WhatsApp only delivers messages using pre-approved templates. If a template was rejected or is under review, messages using it will fail. Check the template status in your Meta Business Manager account.
• Check the recipient's WhatsApp status — The recipient's phone number must be registered on WhatsApp. If they use a number that is not on WhatsApp, messages cannot be delivered. Ask them to confirm their WhatsApp number.
• Send a test message — From WhatsApp Notification → Recipients, use the Test button next to a recipient to send a test message and observe the delivery status in the message log.