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Key Benefits​

Instant Response - React the moment a customer’s message lands Smart Routing - Direct conversations to the right rep or team Never Miss a Lead - Automate follow-up so no inbound message goes cold Filtered Automation - Trigger only on messages that match your criteria Zero Manual Monitoring - No need to watch the inbox around the clock

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Who Should Use It​

Sales teams - Auto-respond and assign new conversations instantly Support teams - Acknowledge inbound messages and create tickets automatically Agencies - Standardize inbound message handling across client sub-accounts High-volume operations - Keep response times fast even at scale

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Requirements​

Before using this trigger, update your Whatsapp provider app to the latest version:
1
Go to App Marketplace → Installed Apps
2
Find Whatsapp provider
3
Click Update if available

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How to Set Up​

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Step 1: Create a New Workflow​

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Go to Automation → Workflows
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Click Create Workflow or + Add
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Select Start from Scratch

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Step 2: Add the Trigger​

1
Click Add New Trigger
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Switch to the Apps tab (not the default triggers)
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Find and click the Whatsapp provider app icon
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Select WhatsApp Inbound from the dropdown
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(Optional) Add Filters to narrow when the trigger fires
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Click Save trigger
WhatsApp Inbound Trigger

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Step 3: Create the Contact​

Inbound messages often come from numbers that are not in your CRM yet. Every action that follows - sending a reply, assigning an owner, adding a tag - needs a contact record to act on. Add the Create Contact action right after the trigger so the contact exists before the rest of the workflow runs. Create Contact is a HighLevel built-in action. It is already available in every workflow, so there is nothing extra to install.
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Click + Add below the trigger
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Search for and select Create Contact
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Under Fields, select Phone from the dropdown
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Click the tag icon in the value box and insert Whatsapp, imessage and SMS → Whatsapp Inbound → Sender Phone Number
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Click Save action
Create Contact Action
If the contact already exists, the workflow skips the create step - no duplicate record is made - and moves straight to the next action.
Once this action is saved, continue to your send action or any other step you want to run for that contact.

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Step 4: Add Your Actions​

With the contact in place, add the actions you want to execute when an inbound WhatsApp message is received:
  • Send WhatsApp Message → Reply to the contact on the same channel
  • Send Email → Notify the assigned rep
  • Send Internal Notification → Alert your team inside the CRM
  • Create Task → Queue a follow-up
  • Add to Workflow / Pipeline → Move the contact through your funnel

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Step 5: Save and Publish​

1
Review your workflow
2
Click Save
3
Toggle workflow from Draft to Published

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Available Filters​

Use filters to control exactly which inbound WhatsApp messages start the workflow. Each filter can be paired with an operator (equals, contains, etc.).

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Example Use Cases​

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Use Case 1: Instant Auto-Reply​

Acknowledge every inbound message immediately. Trigger: WhatsApp Inbound Action: Send a reply confirming you received the message and will respond shortly.

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Use Case 2: Route by Keyword​

Send leads to the right team based on what they say. Trigger: WhatsApp Inbound Filter: Message contains “pricing” Action: Notify the sales team and create a high-priority follow-up task.

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Important Notes​

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Technical Details​

  • The trigger fires once per inbound message
  • Filters are optional - leave them blank to fire on every inbound WhatsApp message
  • Executes immediately when the message is received

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Best Practices​

  • Add Create Contact as the first action so later steps always have a contact to work with
  • Use the Message filter to build keyword-based routing flows
  • Use the Location ID filter when managing multiple sub-accounts
  • Test your workflow by sending a message to your connected number

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FAQs​

No. Filters are optional. Without them, the trigger fires on every inbound WhatsApp message.
Yes. Use the Message or Sender filters to build separate workflows for different conditions.
The Create Contact action skips the create step. No duplicate contact is made and the workflow moves straight to the next action.
Add it whenever the workflow can receive a message from a number that is not in your CRM yet, especially if Do not create new Contacts is enabled on the instance. If every sender is already a saved contact, you can skip it.

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Support​

If you need help with the setup or onboarding: