Use-case

It is quite common to collect user optin to be able to send to later notifications about order shipping or billing but also to send newsletters or catalogs periodically on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

The alcmeon bot editor provides capabilities to collect these optins in-channel (via Optin actions after the user positively expresses their choice) and to make use of these optins via marketing audiences which target bot scenarios to various subsets of optinized users.

The POST /start-scenario API endpoint makes it also possible to collect these optins out of band via web forms or other channels.

Whatsapp optin collection via a web form

Step by step

1. Create an application, save your secret and company_id for later use
2. Build your web form to collect the user's explicit consent to use her mobile phone number for later notifications
3. In Alcmeon, build a marketing bot scenario with at least one API -> Alcmeon entry point (from the Expert section) connected to one action box with an Optin action. Optionally, connect the action box to a Whatsapp Template box to send an optin confirmation to the user. Save for later use the "text sent to the API" field displayed in the API entry point box.
4. Within the web form, after the user provides her phone number, when the user clicks on the form's submit button, POST the form content to your server.
5. On your server, use your secret, and company_id, together with the user's phone number and the API entry point identifier (saved from step 3.) to POST /start-scenario

Notes

1. The whatsapp policy with regard to optin collection is documented here. More generally, make sure you read carefully the Whatsapp policy on how to conduct business on Whatsapp.
2. optin confirmation messages must be sent as Whatsapp templates. You must create them and request approval from Whatsapp before using them from within your Facebook Business Manager
3. optin confirmation messages are business initiated conversations and the corresponding Whatsapp pricing applies.