Automatic Contact Creation for WhatsApp Usernames

WhatsApp is introducing usernames, allowing potential clients to message your law firm without sharing their phone numbers. To ensure your firm never misses a lead, Cogent CRM now automatically captures these inbound messages and creates new contact records using the sender's WhatsApp username and business-scoped user ID (BSUID). This ensures your intake team can immediately communicate with and track these prospects, even without an initial phone number.

How It Works

This feature is enabled automatically and requires no manual setup. Here is how Cogent CRM handles these new interactions:

1. Automatic Detection: When a new prospect messages your firm using their WhatsApp username, Cogent CRM detects the incoming message.
2. Contact Creation: The system automatically creates a new contact record using their username and unique business-scoped user ID (BSUID) instead of a phone number.
3. Conversation Tracking: The message appears in your conversations inbox, allowing your intake staff to reply and manage the lead normally.

Tip: Since these contacts will initially lack a phone number, train your intake staff to ask for their phone number and email address during your initial conversation. Once obtained, you can manually update their contact card in Cogent CRM to ensure they receive your standard automated follow-ups and retainer agreements.