Communications
Communications brings your customer messaging channels into AnyDB. When a customer sends a message, AnyDB stores it as a record in one of your databases. You can then work with it like any other data: show it in views, filter and report on it, assign it to a teammate, find it in search, and start workflows from it. You can also reply from AnyDB.
Each channel is connected once per team, by a team owner, and delivers its messages into the database you choose.
Supported channels
| Channel | Provider | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Meta WhatsApp Cloud API | Connecting WhatsApp to AnyDB |
Email and SMS are planned. Guides will be added here as they become available.
Requirements
- AnyDB must enable Communications for your team. It is off by default. Contact AnyDB support with your team name to turn it on.
- You need to be an owner of the AnyDB team to connect a channel. Once Communications is enabled, owners see a Communications page under Manage Team. Other members don't see it.
- Sending messages from a workflow needs a Business or Enterprise plan. Receiving messages and replying from a conversation do not.
How messages are stored
Communications uses two built-in record types. They exist in every database, so you don't import or create anything.
- A Conversation is one thread with one customer on one channel. Its messages are attached to it.
- A Message is a single message, in either direction.
Conversation fields
| Field | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Subject | The conversation's title. |
| Channel | The channel the conversation is on, such as WHATSAPP. |
| Communication Account | The name of the connected channel the conversation came in on. |
| Assigned To | The teammates handling the conversation. |
| Status | Open, Pending, Snoozed or Closed. |
| Last Message At | When the most recent message was sent or received. |
| Message Count | How many messages are in the conversation. |
| Participants | The phone numbers or addresses taking part. |
| Related Record | A linked record, such as the customer's Contact. AnyDB can fill this in automatically; see the channel guide. |
| Messages | The conversation's messages. |
| Window Expires At | For WhatsApp, when the 24-hour reply window closes. See the 24-hour window. |
Message fields
| Field | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Direction | Inbound (from the customer) or Outbound (from you). |
| From, From Name | The sender's number or address and their display name, as they were when the message was sent. |
| To | The recipients. |
| Body | The message text. |
| Sent At | When the message was received, or when you sent it. |
| Delivery Status | Received for inbound messages. For outbound messages: Queued, Sent, Delivered, Read or Failed. |
| Delivery Detail | Why a message failed, or a note about an attachment that couldn't be downloaded. |
| Attachments | Images, documents and other files that came with the message. |
Fields that the channel fills in, such as Direction and Channel, are locked so they can't be edited by mistake.
Current limitations
- WhatsApp is the only channel. Email and SMS are not available yet.
- WhatsApp connects through your own Meta app. You create the app and its credentials in Meta, then enter them in AnyDB. One-click sign-up through Meta is not supported yet.
- For limits that apply to WhatsApp, see WhatsApp current limitations.