> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://q.odontox.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Using WhatsApp in OdontoX
> Send appointment confirmations, reminders, and patient messages through WhatsApp, and manage templates, automations, and the inbox.
The WhatsApp module lets your clinic send appointment confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups to patients. It opens inside your dashboard, so the sidebar and top bar stay visible while you work.
**Module requirement:** The WhatsApp module must be installed from the Marketplace.
## Who can use it
* **Admins** — full access, including analytics and tab visibility settings.
* **Doctors and receptionists** — can open the inbox, send approved templates, and use quick replies. Doctors see only patients from their own appointment book.
## What the module includes
* **Inbox** — read and reply to patient conversations.
* **Templates** — manage Meta-approved message templates.
* **Automations** — set up messages that send automatically on appointment events.
* **Quick replies** — save reusable responses.
* **Analytics** — message volume and delivery stats (admin only).
* **Events** — log of automation triggers.
## Set up templates
Before sending automated messages, each template must be approved by Meta.
1. Go to **WhatsApp → Templates**.
2. Make sure your operational templates are approved:
* confirmation
* reminder
* cancellation
* reschedule
* completed-visit
3. If a template is pending or rejected, submit it for approval.
## Build an automation
1. Go to **WhatsApp → Automations**.
2. Click **New Automation**.
3. Pick a Meta-approved template from the category-grouped picker.
4. Map every variable (for example, `{{patient_name}}`, `{{appointment_date}}`).
5. Check the live preview.
6. Save.
You cannot save an automation until every placeholder is mapped.
## Work the inbox
1. Go to **WhatsApp → Inbox**.
2. Open a patient thread.
3. Send an approved template or type a free-form reply.
Outbound messages show sent, delivered, and read ticks. When you open a thread, inbound messages are reported as read.
## Attach billing documents
From a patient thread, use the sidebar cards to attach:
* recent invoices
* recent quotations
* recent receipts
One click renders the branded PDF and stages it on the composer.
## The 24-hour conversation window
WhatsApp limits free-form replies to 24 hours after the patient's last message. Outside that window, you can send only approved templates.
The composer shows "waiting for patient reply" when the window is closed.
## Patient self-reschedule
Patients who cancelled or no-showed can reply "reschedule" to book a new slot. The slot list reflects your clinic's operating hours and the assigned doctor's schedule. Picking a new slot revives the appointment to Scheduled.
## Tab visibility
Admins can enable or disable individual tabs for specific roles under the WhatsApp module settings.
## Related articles
* [WhatsApp Messages Not Sending](/troubleshooting/whatsapp-messages-not-sending)
* [Appointment Statuses & Workflow](/clinical/appointment-lifecycle)
* [Invoices](/finance/invoices)